Under two previous Executive administrations and wars from, father and son. With son and conservative congresses leading the extremely quick abandoning of the missions and those sent to accomplish after 9/11:
January 20, 2013 - On the cusp of his second term, President Barack Obama solemnly honored the nation's fallen soldiers Sunday before taking the oath of office in an intimate White House ceremony, a swearing-in ritual he will repeat 24 hours later before a massive crowd at the Capitol.
The day began with a morning swearing-in ceremony for Vice President Joe Biden, committing him to four more years as the nation's second in command. Biden then joined the president at Arlington National Cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony on a crisp, sun-splashed January day.
Obama and Biden jointly placed a large wreath, adorned with red, white and blue ribbon, in front of Arlington's Tomb of the Unknowns. Placing their hands over their hearts, the two leaders stood solemnly as a bugle played "Taps." read more>>>
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Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
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 3,257 coalition deaths -- 2,177 Americans, 39 Australians, 440 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 February 3, 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 18,201 {18,167 up to January, 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.
Capt.Krzysztofa Wozniaka 36 Poland Grupa Reagowania Operacyjno-Manewrowego, Wojska Specjalne Polskie (Operational Maneuver Response Group, Polish Special Forces) Died of wounds sustained when insurgents opened fire on Afghan and Polish commandos preparing to assault a building during a raid to detain suspected insurgents in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on January 23, 2013
Sgt.David James Chambers 25 Hampton, Virginia, USA Company B, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Killed when an enemy improvised explosive device detonated during a dismounted patrol in the Panjwayi district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan, on January 16, 2013
Kingsman David Robert Shaw 23 Barrow-in-Furness, United Kingdom, England Company C, 1st Battalion, The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment Died on January 16, 2013, at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England, from a gunshot wound sustained when his checkpoint came under attack from insurgents in the Lashkar Gah district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on January 14, 2013
Sgt.Mark Henry Schoonhoven 38 Plainwell, Michigan, USA 32nd Transportation Company, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division Died on January 20, 2013, at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas from wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with a roadside bomb in Kabul, Afghanistan on December 15, 2012
Sgt.David Fernandez Urena 35 Bilbao, Spain Regimiento de Pontoneros y Especialidades de Ingenieros (Regiment of Bridges and Engineer Specialties) Killed when a roadside bomb detonated while his unit was conducting route reconnaissance between Qalah-ye Now and Darreh-ye Bum in Badghis province, Afghanistan, on January 11, 2013
Sgt.Aaron Xavier Wittman 28 Chester, Virginia, USA Company A, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Died from injuries sustained when his unit was attacked by small-arms fire during s mounted patrol in the Khogyani district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, on January 10, 2012
Sapper Richard Reginald Walker 23 Leeds, Englad 8 Troop, 42 Field Squadron, 28 Engineer Regiment, attached to 73 Armoured Engineer Squadron, 21 Engineer Regiment Died of gunshot wounds sustained when an Afghan National Army soldier opened fire on ANA and ISAF soldiers at Patrol Base Hazrat in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on January 7, 2013
Sgt.Rene Brink Jakobsen 39 Veng, Denmark Jaegerkorpset (Huntsmen Corps, Danish Special Forces) Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated during a foot patrol northeast of Gereshk in Upper Gereshk Valley of Helmand province, Afghanistan, on January 2, 2013
Over 2,000 groups applied to be part of the presidential inaugural parade. Byron Pitts reports on one of the groups chosen, the Native American Women Warriors, who help promote diversity and equality in the military and on reservations. more here>>>
01/31/2013 - Very few African Americans have witnessed as much of their history as Veteran Alyce Dixon.
She is 105 and has seen a century of social and cultural changes since Theodore Roosevelt was president.
Who better to reflect, during African American History Month, on the transitions in her life than a Veteran who has served in one World War and lived through all the other major military conflicts of the 20th century?
Alyce experienced racism and sexism but was born with a resilient strength that told her all along, before there was a song, that she would overcome.
She has seen 19 American Presidents including Barack Obama, the first African American president. Her opinion? “He’s brilliant!”
One of her first jobs was as a civilian at the Pentagon. “The building was still being built when I was there.” She worked in a secretarial pool where women waited each day for an assignment.
“They were calling for the white girls every day,” she recalls.
“I went in and talked to the man in charge. I said, ‘I’ve been sitting here now a whole week and you haven’t called me. What’s wrong?’ The man told me he was trying to find me a spot. So, I said, ‘What are you trying to find me, a ‘black’ spot?’
“I didn’t like that. God made us all. We all eat and sleep and bleed alike. It just doesn’t make any sense.” read more>>>
WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2013 – African-Americans have made and continue to make major contributions to the nation’s defense, the director of the Defense Department’s office of diversity management and equal opportunity said in a recent interview.
As National African-American History Month commences today, this year’s theme -- “At the Crossroads of Freedom and Equality: The Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington” -- is important for two reasons, Clarence A. Johnson told the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service.
“The Emancipation Proclamation is 150 years old, and the March on Washington is 50 years old,” he said. “The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves, but it also enhanced America’s freedom.”
Because 1963’s March on Washington precipitated the Civil Rights Act, DOD components worldwide will celebrate with those events in mind because of their contributions to diversity and freedom, Johnson said.
National African-American History Month gives people an opportunity to recognize African-Americans who have contributed to the nation’s defense, and that recognition is important, he said.
“It gives us the time to appreciate the strides we’ve made,” he added. “I think we pride ourselves in … [making] sure all our individuals are treated with equality, dignity and respect.”
As the military services observe National African-American History Month, Johnson said, there are two things to keep in mind: service and commitment. Greatness is achieved by serving others, he said, while commitment to diversity is critical to the nation and to DOD. African-Americans have long since left their mark on defending the nation since the Revolutionary War, he added. read more>>>
The American Veteran - February 2013
Posted on Jan 31, 2013 - A series of short video features about veterans' rights and benefits along with inspiring stories of service and sacrifice made by America's men and women in uniform.
01.20.2013 - First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden sit down with TPC's SSgt Josh Hauser for an exclusive interview about the Joining Forces Initiative.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2013 – Lauding Americans’ increased outpouring to service members, their families and veterans, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, have vowed to continue leading the Joining Forces initiative during the next four years with a goal of creating a national culture of appreciation and support. read more>>>
Jan 23, 2013 - Helping veterans find jobs is one of the top legislative priorities for Senate Democrats.
One of the first 10 bills introduced in the 113th Congress is a measure that seeks to get more veterans hired for civil service jobs; provide federal grants to encourage employers to hire veterans as first responders; expand small-business loans; and strengthen employment and reemployment rights.
It also extends for two more years the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program, or VRAP, that provides up to one year of GI Bill benefits to certain unemployed veterans so they can learn a new marketable skill.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman and cosponsor of the bill, said his panel “will be looking very seriously at how to improve veterans’ employment and training programs.”
The bill’s chief sponsor is Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the Senate majority leader. read more>>>
Privatizing wars of choice like the tepublican representatives long sought, along with many in the public, after privatization of the peoples responsibility the Veterans Administration for fun and bottom line profits!
WASHINGTON -- 01/24/2013 -- The Army official who signed a secret agreement that military contractor KBR claims should burden taxpayers with the bill for the company's negligent poisoning of U.S. soldiers in Iraq resigned from the military in 2003 after a tenure marked by questions about his ties to Enron Corp.
Thomas E. White, named secretary of the Army in 2001, signed an indemnity agreement protecting KBR, the military's largest contractor, from legal liability on March 19, 2003. KBR had asked for the agreement as part of its contract to rebuild Iraq oilfields destroyed in the U.S. invasion. White resigned a month later, on April 23, under fire for his previous role as a senior Enron executive and after clashing with former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over his advocacy for a multi-billion dollar artillery system. read more>>>
VA is seeking to extend the date to Dec. 31, 2018 for medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses and undiagnosed illness to have appeared in Gulf War Veterans. Medically unexplained chronic symptoms include fatigue, headaches, joint pain, insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, and respiratory disorders: Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses: Medically Unexplained Chronic Multisymptom Illnesses.
02/04/2013 - Action - Notice.
Summary
This notice announces the preliminary plans of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct a longitudinal cohort study of adverse health effects related to military deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, to include potential exposure to airborne hazards and burn pits, and to take related actions to promote the effective monitoring and assessment of deployment-related exposures and potential health effects of deployments. The planned actions are based in part on VA's review of the analysis and recommendations in an October 31, 2011, report of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concerning the potential long-term health consequences of exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. for more>>>
Scores of recent Texas war veterans have died of overdoses, suicide and vehicle crashes, a six-month Statesman investigation finds.
More and more information, that should have been widely reported all along is being so with ever growing actions taken, studies, research and actual public and private collaborative help, have been finally coming into the light of day these past few years that should always have been. Especially in these modern times past to present and the invasions and long occupations by the few who serve the Country.One huge area, but they all are for those that have served, is the information on active Military and the Veterans community suicides. Being reported like it's a shock it's taking place and never before did. The country that refuses to Sacrifice, though finds it very easy to wave flags and use words and symbols of their patriotism, especially this past decade plus and it's two more long occupations, added to the previous decades and wars of and the treasury deficits, are now shown what they've easily ignored, many doing today, when the soldier comes home.
Active duty and Veterans Suicides, Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injuries, Sexual Trauma, the Agent Orange vets, the Desert Storm Gulf War Syndrome vets, the Homeless Veterans, Chemical Warfare Agent Experiments and oh so so much more.
Read More Here: 22 veterans commit suicide each day: VA report
SUMMARYSuicides by active duty U.S. troops last year exceeded the number of servicemen and women killed in combat in Afghanistan. Ray Suarez talks to psychiatrist and retired U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Stephen Xenakis, who says more than half of the soldiers who killed themselves had already sought help from a mental health professional.
snip STEPHEN XENAKIS: We have seen this before.
We saw it 20 years ago in the first Gulf War.We even in some ways saw it after Vietnam.I mean, the issues of medical health, of personal stress, of family stress, in fact, go up after the actual fighting has stopped and the soldiers redeploy, they're back in garrison, because the force is still under a lot of stress. Transcript>>>
Watch More U.S. Troops Died by Suicide Than in Combat in 2012 on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.
Photojournalist Lori Grinker profiled three former U.S. service members suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The video, which features Hart Viges, Mark Wilkerson and Jessica Goodell telling their stories in their own words, was produced by Grinker for the Dart Society, an association of journalists who cover violence. The audio inconsistencies are due to the differing locations and modes of interviewing, including Skype. Some of the war images from this video may be too graphic for some viewers. read more>>>
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
97 percent {now more} of U.S. deaths in Iraq have occurred after George W. Bush declared an end to "major combat."
May 1, 2003 - "Mission Accomplished!" After leaving the Main Mission in Afghanistan, as to 9/11, to invade and occupy Iraq, which created the rise in the regional insurgents fighting in Afghanistan since!
"How anyone can say that torture keeps Americans safe is beyond me -- unless you don't count American soldiers as Americans." How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq Matthew Alexander who is writing under a pseudonym for security reasons
"Torture is the tool of the lazy, the stupid, and the pseudo-tough. It's also perhaps the greatest recruiting tool that the terrorists have." Major General Paul Eaton
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
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