ARLINGTON, Va., May 3, 2013 – Military medical professionals who made the ultimate sacrifice in the last decade of war were the best the nation had to offer for their selflessness in the name of freedom, the Pentagon’s top health care official said here today.
In keynote remarks at the fifth remembrance ceremony held at Arlington National Cemetery dedicated to fallen U.S. medical personnel laid to rest there, Dr. Jonathan Woodson, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, thanked the families and friends of the fallen for their sacrifices.
“Friends and families, I thank you for your sacrifice and suffering you’ve endured over the years,” he said. “Their acts of heroism in life and death [are] beyond measure.”
Today’s ceremony, conducted at the cemetery’s old amphitheater, honored more than 300 fallen military medical personnel who served during Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. They were doctors, nurses, Army medics and Navy corpsmen among others, Woodson said. read more>>>
WASHINGTON, May 3, 2013 – Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, told a gathering of military wives today that the deployment of her son Beau to Iraq in 2008 made her realize the sacrifices military families repeatedly endure, a hardship she said most Americans will never know.
“I will never forget being at the deployment [ceremony] just trying to keep it together,” Biden said in remarks to the 35th Annual Joint Armed Forces Officers’ Wives’ Luncheon in Arlington, Va. “My children were there, and I wanted to stay strong.”
It was a hard year for the family, she said, coming just as her husband was about to take office as vice president and amid the cycles of deployments driven by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Her family experienced only one deployment, she said, unlike many of those in the audience, who have repeatedly sacrificed as husbands, sons, wives and daughters have served multiple tours.
“My son’s deployment gave me a window into your lives, but honestly I don’t know how you do it time and time again,” she told the group. read more>>>
There had been 4,804 coalition deaths 4,488 Americans
2 Australians, 1 Azerbaijani, 179 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, 1 Czech, 7 Danes, 2 Dutch, 2 Estonians, 1 Fijian, 5 Georgians, 1 Hungarian, 33 Italians, 1 Kazakh, 1 South Korean, 3 Latvian, 22 Poles, 3 Romanians, 5 Salvadoran, 4 Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, 2 Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of January 2, 2012, according to a CNN and iCasulties count.
Graphical breakdown of casualties. At least 32,230 U.S. troops had been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon.
POW/MIA: Afghanistan & Iraq
One U.S. soldier is currently listed as captured or Duty Status -- Whereabouts Unknown as of March 3 2012. The information below reflects the name as Prisoner of War or Duty Status -- Whereabouts Unknown by the Pentagon.
Sgt Bowe R. Bergdahl 23 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Ketchum, Idaho Captured in Paktika province in Afghanistan, on June 30, 2009. The Pentagon declared him Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown on July 1 and his status was changed to Missing-Captured on July 3.
Memorial at the New JPED facility at Dover Air Force Base, Del..OEF: Afghanistan - Pakistan!!
There have been 3,299 coalition deaths -- 2,215 Americans, 39 Australians, 444 Britons, 1 Belgian, 158 Canadians, 5 Czech, 43 Denmark, 25 Netherlands, 9 Estonians, 2 Finn, 86 French, 53 Germans, 7 Hungarian, 47 Italians, 2 Jordan, 3 Latvian, 1 Lithuanian, 10 Norwegians, 36 Poles, 2 Portuguese, 19 Romanians, 1 South Korean, 34 Spaniards, 5 Swedes, 14 Turks, 11 New Zealand, 17 Georgian and 14 NATO/ISAF -- in the war on terror as of May 5, 2013, according to a CNN and iCasulties count. Below are the names of the soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors whose deaths have been reported by their country's governments. The troops died in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or were part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. At least 18,462 {18,348 up to May 1, 2013} U.S. personnel have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. In addition to the military deaths, 11 U.S. intelligence operatives have died in Afghanistan.
Cpl.William Thomas Savage 30 Irvine, United Kingdom, Scotland Company B, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland Savage was one of three British soldiers killed when their Mastiff armored vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb during a mounted patrol along Route 611 between Forward Operating Base Ouellette and Patrol Base Lashkar Gah Durai in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 30, 2013.
Pvt.Robert Murray Hetherington 25 United Kingdom, Scotland 7th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, attached to Company B, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland Hetherington was one of three British soldiers killed when their Mastiff armored vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb during a mounted patrol along Route 611 between Forward Operating Base Ouellette and Patrol Base Lashkar Gah Durai in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 30, 2013.
Fusilier Samuel Flint 21 Blackpool, United Kingdom, England Company B, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland Flint was one of three British soldiers killed when their Mastiff armored vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb during a mounted patrol along Route 611 between Forward Operating Base Ouellette and Patrol Base Lashkar Gah Durai in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on April 30, 2013.
Capt.Brandon L. Cyr 28 Woodbridge, Virginia, USA 906th Air Refueling Squadron, 375th Operations Group, 375th Air Mobility Wing Cyr was one of four airmen killed when their MC-12 surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft crashed in the Shah Joy district of Zabul province, Afghanistan, on April 27, 2013. The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash.
Staff Sgt.Richard A. Dickson 24 Rancho Cordova, California, 30308 306th Intelligence Squadron, 361st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group Dickson was one of four airmen killed when their MC-12 surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft crashed in the Shah Joy district of Zabul province, Afghanistan, on April 27, 2013. The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash.
Capt.Reid K. Nishizuka 30 Kailua, Hawaii, USA 427th Reconnaissance Squadron, 9th Operations Group, 9th Reconnaissance Wing Nishizuka was one of four airmen killed when their MC-12 surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft crashed in the Shah Joy district of Zabul province, Afghanistan, on April 27, 2013. The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash.
Staff Sgt.Daniel N. Fannin 30 Morehead, Kentucky, USA 552nd Operations Support Squadron, 552nd Operations Group, 552nd Air Control Wing Fannin was one of four airmen killed when their MC-12 surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft crashed in the Shah Joy district of Zabul province, Afghanistan, on April 27, 2013. The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time of the crash.
1st Lt.Robert J. Hess 26 Fairfax, Virginia, USA 2nd Aviation Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division One of two soldiers killed when enemy indirect fire struck their forward operating base in Pul-E-Alam, Afghanistan, on April 23, 2013
Capt.Aaron R. Blanchard 32 Selah, Washington, USA 2nd Aviation Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division One of two soldiers killed when enemy indirect fire struck their forward operating base in Pul-E-Alam, Afghanistan, on April 23, 2013
Pfc.Barrett L. Austin 20 Easley, South Carolina, USA 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Died on April 21, 2013, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds sustained when his vehicle was struck by an enemy roadside bomb in Wardak province, Afghanistan, on April 17
Chief Warrant Officer 3Matthew P. Ruffner 34 Tafford, Pennsylvania, USA Company B, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment, 28th Combat Aviation Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard One of two soldiers killed when their AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crashed during a reconnaissance mission in the Gera Khel area of Pachir Wa Agam district, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, on April 9, 2013
Chief Warrant Officer 2Jarrett M. Yoder 26 Mohnton, Pennsylvania, USA Company B, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment, 28th Combat Aviation Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard One of two soldiers killed when their AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crashed during a reconnaissance mission in the Gera Khel area of Pachir Wa Agam district, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, on April 9, 2013
Spc.Wilbel Alexander Robles-Santa 25 Juncos, Puerto Rico, USA A Troop, 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division One of three soldiers killed along with U.S. diplomat Anne Smedinghoff and a U.S. Army civilian employee when insurgents detonated a car bomb as they were delivering books to a new school in Zabul, Afghanistan, on April 6, 2013
Sgt.Deflin Montemayor Santos Jr. 24 San Jose, California, USA A Troop, 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division One of three soldiers killed along with U.S. diplomat Anne Smedinghoff and a U.S. Army civilian employee when insurgents detonated a car bomb as they were delivering books to a new school in Zabul, Afghanistan, on April 6, 2013
Hyun K. Shin Unavailable Hesperia, California, USA U.S. Army Corps of Engineers civilian employee assigned to Afghan Engineering District North Killed along with three soldiers and U.S. diplomat Anne Smedinghoff when insurgents detonated a car bomb as they were delivering books to a new school in Zabul, Afghanistan, on April 6, 2013
Staff Sgt.Christopher Michael Ward 24 Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA A Troop, 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armor Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division One of three soldiers killed along with U.S. diplomat Anne Smedinghoff and a U.S. Army civilian employee when insurgents detonated a car bomb as they were delivering books to a new school in Zabul, Afghanistan, on April 6, 2013
Capt.James Michael Steel 29 Tampa, Florida, USA 77th Fighter Squadron, 20th Operations Group, 20th Fighter Wing Died when his F-16C Fighting Falcon crashed near Bagram Airfield while returning to base from a close air support mission in Afghanistan on April 3, 2013
April 30, 2013 - Two years ago, President Obama announced a challenge to the private sector to hire or train 100,000 unemployed veterans or their spouses by the end of 2013.
Today, President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Biden, and Dr. Jill Biden all participated in a Joining Forces Employment event at the White House.
President Obama set a goal of asking the private sector to hire or train 100,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2013.
Today, the First Lady announced that America’s businesses nearly tripled the goal set by President Obama and did so eight months early. The private sector has already hired or trained 290,000 veterans and military spouses.
The First Lady also announced that American companies have committed to hire or train another 435,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years.
For example: read more>>>
April 30, 2013 - This is an all-hands-on-deck issue, and we cannot rest until every single veteran and military spouse who is searching for a job has found one.
snip But ultimately, it's up to our companies to actually hire veterans for these jobs. So today, we need business leaders across this country to ask themselves, "What can my company do for these men and women who have served our country so bravely?" If you own a small business, can you commit to hiring a few veterans -- or even just one? If you own a larger company, can you hire a few hundred -- or a few thousand? Can you retrain the veterans already in your workforce so they can grow within your company? Can you team up with other businesses to hire the veterans in your communities?
This is an all-hands-on-deck issue, and we cannot rest until every single veteran and military spouse who is searching for a job has found one. These men and women have sacrificed so much for all of us. Now is the time for all of us to come together to serve them as well as they have served this country. read more>>>
WASHINGTON, April 30, 2013 – Some 290,000 veterans and military spouses have been hired since the inception of the “Joining Forces” initiative two years ago, nearly tripling the initial goal, First Lady Michelle Obama announced here today.
Numerous businesses also have vowed to hire or train an additional 435,000 people during the next five years, she added during a White House briefing.
The first lady and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, established Joining Forces in June 2011 to mobilize support from every sector of American society to help service members, their families and veterans.
“[Michelle and Jill] identify so deeply with these military families because they understand the sacrifices that they’re making,” President Barack Obama said at the announcement event.
The president acknowledged Cabinet members, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other top military leaders in the audience.
“We appreciate all the great work that [you’re] doing,” he said, “and your presence reflects our commitment to this cause across the entire government.” read more>>>
04.30.2013 - "Joining Forces" sets 2014 goal of having all 50 states pass laws making it easier for veterans and military family members to find civilian jobs.
April 30, 2013 - I applaud the first lady and Dr. Biden's leadership in challenging U.S. businesses to employ America's veterans and military spouses. Their announcement today that businesses have hired or trained 290,000 veterans and military spouses over the past 20 months - nearly tripling the goal - demonstrates that American companies can benefit greatly from the highly-skilled and hard-working members of our military family. read more>>>
May 4, 2013 - Hundreds of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have been flying home to a fresh fox hole: A debt crater that’s sucking in entire military families and could be helping to fuel the veteran suicide crisis.
A bad job market, a long backlog for federal disability benefits, and occasionally unwise spending habits have been conspiring to strain the financial and mental health of many veterans, experts say.
"We keep hearing of suicides rising. How much pressure do you think one person can take?" asks Christopher Fitzpatrick, deputy director of VeteransPlus, a nonprofit that has fielded more than 170,000 calls from ex-service members with imminent financial concerns.
"No one wants to talk about the fact that there are other reasons, besides PTSD, for suicide at 2 in the morning. You know how we know? We have an online form people use to contact us, and we get those emails — they’re sent at 1, 2, 3, 4 in the morning. People are reaching out, literally: 'Can you please help me? I’m losing everything.'"
It's a problem that could get even worse in coming years, with more than one million service members expected to make the transition to civilian life. read more>>>
5 April 2013 - A hip-hop song beseeching battle buddies to be on watch for suicidal signals among their peers is being used — informally for now — within the Army as a prevention tool to help the branch stem an ongoing suicide crisis.
“Red Flags,” penned and recorded by former Army tank gunner Jeff Barillaro, was created as an urgent call for current troops as well as Iraq and Afghanistan veterans not to ignore or miss the sometimes-subtle yet often-obvious behavioral changes known to precede many suicides, Barillaro said.
“We’ve seen the red flags but we were blind to them,” said Barillaro, an Iraq War veteran who performs under the stage name Soldier Hard. Many of his songs and videos draw on his own raw experiences with a diagnosis of severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Through the end of March, the Army reported 81 apparent suicides this year among active-duty, Army Reserve and National Guard troops — one death every 26.7 hours. (Some cases remain under investigation). The fatal pace has increased slightly. During 2012, the Army reported 324 suicides within those groups — one death every 27 hours, according to the Pentagon. The latest estimate from the Department of Veterans Affairs showed that 22 veterans commit suicide daily. read more>>>
The Blood of only a very few who Sacrifice, as do their families, in serving and defending. The Treasury, ignoring many issues the Veterans of have need not be paid for. Ordering the few into Wars with tax cuts that accompany the invasions, and no rubber stamped increases to the Veterans Affairs budget to cover the coming extra costs in taking care of those returning in many area's and issues, means the Country served is not only Not Sacrificing in paying for their wars but going further then just ignoring the long term issues with not even paying for what can't be ignored. The peoples responsibility to those who've served, the Veterans Administration, underfunded for decades and especially with the wars of those decades, causes the agency to stay well behind the technology advances of the country, dealing in 19th century practices and now finally moving into the 21st century while still grossly underfunded and with no sacrifice by those served nor demand too, especially in record keeping as it's many other charged responsibilities leave that well down the list of priorities and many who've been in charge of, during those decades, continue the same outdated practices even when Military personal are returning from those wars to join our Veterans community of. No demand from those served they should Sacrifice as those they hire to represent lay blame on the agency, even an agency administration trying finally to build what always should have been, and not the country served.
March 29, 2013 - The past is never dead, as William Faulkner might have written if he were analyzing the federal budget, it’s not even paid for. Did you realize that World War II still costs U.S. taxpayers $5 billion a year? Or that we haven’t closed the financial books on the Civil War yet?
snip In the 1960s, it often seemed that the Vietnam war would never end — and for government accountants, it hasn’t. They issue checks for $22 billion each year (nearly triple the annual cost of the Transportation Safety Administration) and have already paid $270 billion to vets and their families. And the Middle Eastern wars of the past two decades may prove to be the most costly of all.
Compensation to those veterans and their family members already costs $12 billion a year. Not only are they filing disability claims at what the AP calls “historic rates” — nearly half of the soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are asking for compensation — but the Veterans Administration has steadily expanded its definition of war-related ailments. Vietnam vets with diabetes and heart disease, for instance, can collect extra payments.
snip And, of course, the real bottom line is the dollars are only a marker for the incalculable physical and emotional costs of war: The boys (and, these days, girls) who don’t come home. The kids who grow up missing a parent, the parents who outlive their children. The scarred limbs and broken hearts. How do you write a check for those? Both our major parties seemed increasingly inclined to play cop in the endless, byzantine Mideast power struggles. They ought to take a look at the books first. read more>>>
Previous recent related posts on these issues can be found Here * * * Here * * * Here * * * and * * * Here.
Recording Casualties: Victims of Armed Conflict Worldwide
This programme draws on the principles of human security to develop and enhance the technical and institutional capacity, identify and consolidate the legal requirements, and build the political will to record details of every single victim of armed conflict worldwide. The programme incorporates research into emerging good practice and existing legal frameworks, the development and promotion of clearer legal and more effective regulatory instruments, and the creation and support of advocacy networks. visit site for updated reports
Every Casualty.org: New Org Website Launched On Casualty Recording The one-stop source for information on conflict's casualties worldwide and the organisations that record them
Exact Count of Civilian Casualties may never be known, as is the case in every conflict, especially an Invasion by another Country. For it is the Innocent Civilians and those Defending their Countries,of which All would be counted if this country, the U.S., were ever invaded, who suffer the most, during and long after!
The Rand Corporation Terrorism Report the press release here, you can get the full document here or a summary of the research brief here
Four war heroes will visit Newtown, Conn., on Monday to recognize the ‘bravery, courage and selflessness’ of six educators who died protecting children from Adam Lanza.
Three soldiers and a sailor who became heroes in Vietnam are making a pilgrimage to Connecticut on Monday to honor six civilians who became heroes in their blood-spattered classrooms.
The military men come bearing medals for the Sandy Hook Elementary School staffers who died trying to protect students from a madman armed with a Bushmaster rifle.
And they know a thing or two about courage — they’re all recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor for their wartime heroics.
The slain Sandy Hook staffers’ “courage, sacrifice and selflessness are the very same traits identified with the Medal of Honor, only they were demonstrated at a critical moment in hometown USA, not on a battlefield far from home,” said Harold Fritz, president of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. read more>>>
Soldier Missing from Korean War Identified
April 10, 2013 - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that a serviceman, who was unaccounted-for from the Korean War, has been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Lt. Col. Don C. Faith Jr. of Washington, Ind., will be buried April 17, in Arlington National Cemetery. Faith was a veteran of World War II and went on to serve in the Korean War. In late 1950, Faith’s 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, which was attached to the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), was advancing along the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir, in North Korea. From Nov. 27 to Dec. 1, 1950, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces (CPVF) encircled and attempted to overrun the U.S. position. During this series of attacks, Faith’s commander went missing, and Faith assumed command of the 31st RCT. As the battle continued, the 31st RCT, which came to be known as “Task Force Faith,” was forced to withdraw south along Route 5 to a more defensible position. During the withdrawal, Faith continuously rallied his troops, and personally led an assault on a CPVF position. read more>>>
April 30, 2013 - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that a Navy pilot, missing from the Vietnam War, has been accounted for and will be buried with full military honors along with his crew.
Navy Lt. Dennis W. Peterson of Huntington Park, Calif., was the pilot of a SH-3A helicopter that crashed in Ha Nam Province, North Vietnam. Peterson was accounted for on March 30, 2012. Also, aboard the aircraft was Ensign Donald P. Frye of Los Angeles, Calif.; Aviation Antisubmarine Warfare Technicians William B. Jackson of Stockdale, Texas; and Donald P. McGrane of Waverly, Iowa. The crew will be buried, as a group, on May 2 at Arlington National Cemetery. read more>>>
HONORING THE FALLEN: US Military and Coalition Forces Killed in Action, Iraq & Afghanistan/Pakistan from 2001 to January 2013 - My Honor Rolls, and more, to Share
National World War II Memorial
National Korean War Memorial
National Vietnam Veterans Memorial - "The Wall"
The Vietnam Women’s Memorial
Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemeteries
Arlington National Cemetery
