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:
WASHINGTON-- Sep 29, 2013 -- Today the nation and the Army salute Gold Star Mothers who have lost sons or daughters while fighting America's wars.
"Gold Star Mothers Day" was created by Congress in 1936 to honor women whose children were taken from them due to war.
In a tri-signed letter to the Army, the Secretary of the Army along with the Chief of Staff and Sergeant Major, talked about the important legacy Gold Star Mothers and family members carry:
"The Gold Star Mothers, as well as all family members who bear the enormous burden of loss, will always be cherished members of our great Army family. We maintain our commitment to support these families while honoring the legacy of our fallen Soldiers."The Army's Survivor Outreach Services gives mothers and family members access to support groups and counseling which are provided at the closest location to where they live. This service is available as long as they desire. read more>>>
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2013 – The afternoon in the Pentagon auditorium on Aug. 28 was a time for reflection on a war that spanned 10 years and cost the country the lives of more than 58,000 young men and women. It was also an occasion to honor and thank nine Vietnam War veterans who’d served a total of 14 tours in-country and 225 years in uniform.
Kicking off the Pentagon's first event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the conflict, Army Lt. Gen. Raymond V. Mason, deputy chief of staff for logistics, opened the ceremony recalling personal memories as well as his broader experiences as a young American citizen.
"I was a young Army brat and it was difficult for me to watch my dad come back after his third tour in Vietnam and not get treated appropriately, at least in my mind," Mason said. "I was just a pretty young guy at that time, but I could feel that it wasn't right. It struck me, and I knew if I ever had the opportunity to make that right I would do the best I could. read more>>>
In this discussion on NPR, this morning, 26 August 2013, as they talk about the battle he also conveys his struggle with PTS and has publicly long before his receiving the Medal of Honor awarded this afternoon by President Obama in ceremony at the White House.
August 26, 2013 - The Army staff sergeant who Monday afternoon will receive the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony has mixed emotions.
"I would never tell any soldier or service member, 'Hey, go out and get the Medal of Honor', because of the amount of pain and loss and tears that has to be shed in order to receive it," Staff Sergeant Ty Michael Carter tells Morning Edition host Renee Montagne. read more and listen to discussion>>>
August 26, 2013 - President Obama on Monday will award the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, to Army Staff Sergeant Ty M. Carter for the heroism he displayed during one of the most intense battles of the Afghanistan war.
snip After that moment, Carter started receiving treatment for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
"I don't like the 'D' on the end," Carter told Martin. "I don't believe in calling it a disorder. I believe that it's your body and mind's natural reaction to something traumatic... And if PT, post-traumatic stress is intense enough, it will affect your life. It will remove your ability to be happy and enjoy the company of your loved ones."
Carter said he still has "minor issues" with post-traumatic stress but that he's in excellent shape now, thanks to the support he has from his behavioral health care providers, his platoon sergeant and his friends and family.
"Everyone who cares for you and worries about you in your life is your safety net," he said. "At any point in time if I'm feeling stressed or if something is going wrong I have people I can talk to." read more>>>
"If military action is worth our troops' blood, it should be worth our treasure, too — not just in the abstract, but in the form of a specific ante by every American." -Andrew Rosenthal 10 Feb. 2013
R. M.: "We got a huge round of tax cuts in this country a few weeks before9/11. Once 9/11 happened and we invaded Afghanistan, we kept the tax cuts anyway. How did we think we were going to pay for that war? Did we think it was free? Then, when we started a second simultaneous war in another country, we gave ourselves a second huge round of tax cuts. After that second war started. The wars, I guess, we thought would be free, don`t worry about it, civilians. Go about your business." 23 May 2013
"Why in 2009 were we still using paper?" VA Assistant Secretary Tommy Sowers "When we came in, there was no plan to change that; we've been operating on a six month wait for over a decade." 27 March 2013
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 2009 and his status was changed to Missing-Captured on July 3 2009.
Memorial at the New JPED facility at Dover Air Force Base, Del..OEF: Afghanistan - Pakistan!!
There have been 3,371 coalition deaths -- 2,269 Americans, 40 Australians, 444 Britons, 1 Belgian, 158 Canadians, 5 Czech, 43 Denmark, 25 Netherlands, 9 Estonians, 2 Finn, 86 French, 54 Germans, 7 Hungarian, 48 Italians, 2 Jordan, 3 Latvian, 1 Lithuanian, 10 Norwegians, 38 Poles, 2 Portuguese, 19 Romanians, 1 South Korean, 34 Spaniards, 5 Swedes, 14 Turks, 11 New Zealand, 27 Georgian and 14 NATO/ISAF -- in the war on terror as of September 1, 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 19,200 {19,032 up to August 31, 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.
Sgt. 1st ClassRicardo D. Young 34 Rosston, Arkansas, USA 738th Engineer Support Company, 307th Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade Died of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on August 28, 2013
Staff Sgt.Michael H. Ollis 24 Staten Island, New York, USA 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Killed when insurgents launched a complex assault, using suicide truck bomb, small-arms fire and indirect fire, on a forward operating base in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on August 28, 2013
1st Lt.Jason Togi 24 Pago Pago, American Samoa, USA 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Killed when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with a roadside bomb in Hasan Karez, Afghanistan, on August 26, 2013
Lt.Miroslaw Lucki 38 Poland Jednostce Wojskowej Komandosow (Army Commando Unit) Died of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated during a joint Afghan-Polish operation in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, on August 24, 2013
Spc.Kenneth Clifford Alvarez 23 Santa Maria, California, USA One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated during combat operations in Haft Asiab, Afghanistan, on August 23, 2013
Pvt.Jonathon Michael Dean Hostetter 20 Humphreys, Missouri, USA 40th Mobility Augmentation Company, 2nd Engineer Battalion, 36th Engineer Brigade One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated during combat operations in Haft Asiab, Afghanistan, on August 23, 2013
Master Sgt.George Allen Bannar Jr. 37 Orange, Virginia, USA Company C, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group Died of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire in Wardak province, Afghanistan, on August 20, 2013
1st Lt.Timothy George Santos Jr. 29 Helena, Alabama, USA Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 501st Aviation Regiment, 1st Armored Division Santos died on August 18, 2013, in Fort Bliss, Texas, from pancreatic cancer that was diagnosed on March 24, 2013, while he was deployed in Kuwait City, Kuwait, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc.Keith Erin Grace Jr. 26 Baytown, Texas, USA Battery B, 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division One of three soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with indirect fire in Dzadran, Paktia province, Afghanistan, on August 11, 2013
Sgt.James Avery Hicks 22 Little Rock, Arkansas, USA Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division One of three soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with indirect fire in Dzadran, Paktia province, Afghanistan, on August 11, 2013
Staff Sgt.Octavio Herrera 26 Caldwell, Idaho, USA Battery B, 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division One of three soldiers killed when enemy forces attacked their unit with indirect fire in Dzadran, Paktia province, Afghanistan, on August 11, 2013
Spc.Nickolas Shane Welch 26 Mill City, Oregon, USA Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Welch died on August 6, 2013, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, of injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with a roadside bomb in Soltan Kheyl, Wardak province, Afghanistan, on July 23, 2013. Three other soldiers also were killed in the attack.
August 15, 2013 - A little over a year ago, Paula Foster, a Nashville, Tenn.,-based social worker, met a female veteran struggling with both physical and mental health issues.
The former soldier had suffered a significant back injury during a deployment to Iraq. In addition to the excruciating physical pain she experienced, the soldier suffered from emotional distress and guilt. During deployment, her injury kept her from participating in a convoy that was attacked on a resupply mission, ultimately claiming the life of her best friend.
As a social worker, Paula is trained to provide a holistic approach, one that, over the course of 14 months, helped bridge gaps in this veteran's care, arming her with the coping skills she needed to re-engage in her family and her community. read more>>>
WASHINGTON – August 21, 2013 - The Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs today announced the second round of HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) funding to local public housing agencies across the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The $7.8 million will provide housing and clinical services for 1,120 currently homeless veterans. In May of this year, the two agencies announced $60 million in HUD-VASH vouchers.
The supportive housing assistance announced today is provided through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program which combines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by VA. Since 2008, a total of 58,140 vouchers have been awarded and 43,371formerly homeless veterans are currently in homes of their own because of HUD-VASH.
“Our nation’s veterans have sacrificed and given up so much for our freedom,” said HUD Secretary Donovan. “These vouchers are helping America end veterans’ homelessness one veteran at a time until we see not one veteran living on the street. I look forward to continue working with Secretary Shinseki and the Department of Veterans Affairs to target assistance to our homeless veterans. ” read more>>>
August 07, 2013 - A new website has been launched to help military service veterans and their families know what the Affordable Care Act means for them.
Veterans receiving health care from the the Department of Veteran Affairs won't be seeing any changes in their benefits or out-of-pocket costs under the national health reform, but there may be opportunities for family members, according to a VA news release Tuesday.
The new website is www.va.gov/aca. You can also call 1-877-222-VETS (8387), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. or Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, Central time.
"Even if you are covered by your VA health care enrollment, your family members who are not enrolled in a VA health care program should use the (Health Insurance) Marketplace to get coverage," the website says. "They may get lower costs on monthly premiums or out-of-pocket costs." read more>>>
31 July 2013 - If you are enrolled in one of the following VA health care programs, you have coverage under the standards of the health care law: Veterans health care program, Civilian Health and Medical program (CHAMPVA), Spina Bifida Health Care Program. If you are enrolled in VA health care, you don’t need to take additional steps to meet the health care law coverage standard. The health care law does not change VA health benefits or veterans’ out-of-pocket costs. If you are not enrolled in VA health care, you can apply at any time.
Bottom line is: If you are enrolled in one of these programs, you are already covered under the requirements of the law. If you are not covered under these programs and need insurance to be covered, get in gear and apply for your veteran benefits before the taxes hit you for non-compliance. Need help to apply? Visit Fred or Ted at the clinic. Simple fix.
Now, for those of you who are concerned about Agent Orange exposure, and need information, or maybe those who have not checked in on it lately, I have something to get you started. read more>>>
VA is looking for the best and brightest in the medical field to join its ranks and provide cutting-edge health care to more than 8 million Veteran Health Administration enrollees. In its newest attempt at attracting talented medical professionals VA Careers is launching the “No Other System” campaign.
The “No Other System” video shows VHA physicians, nurses and other professionals working in a variety of fields that contribute to the overall health care needs of Veterans. Incentives, like transferring licenses from state to state and accessing advanced technology, are highlighted throughout the commercial for medical professionals looking to take their careers to a “new level of excellence.” read more with PSA's>>>
August 1, 2013 - Navigating the road to benefits, health care and other services offered by VA and the federal government can be difficult, frustrating and often confusing. Add that to the fact that each Veteran is different can increase the difficulty of trying to figure out what a person qualifies for or is eligible to receive.
Fortunately, VA has a product that covers it all in one easy-to-read reference – the 2013 Federal Benefits for Veterans Dependents and Survivors handbook. The 206-page book is inclusive to all Veterans and their family members despite their type of service or the era in which they served. From the Mexican Border War period beginning May 9, 1916 through today, the book offers information on education assistance, disability compensation, pension, home loan guaranty, vocational rehabilitation, life insurance, burial assistance as well as complete listing of VA facilities, addresses, phone numbers and important websites.
Need help adapting a car due to a service-connected disability? You can find that information on page 37. Having problems securing a loan to buy a home? Chapter 6, beginning on page 59, is dedicated to the VA Home Loan Guaranty Program. Read it, know it, and share it with your realtor.
For those still serving and not yet a Veteran, now is the time to read the book and prepare for your transition to civilian life. While Chapter 11 focuses on leaving active duty, numerous other portions of the book dive deeper into the specifics – very helpful things to know before your ETS date. A little time spent reading now could save a lot of frustration later. read more>>>
Through training workshops in Missouri and Michigan, the Women's Bureau offered guidance on its Trauma-Informed Care Guide for those who provide services to women veterans. Interactive training with local service providers in Lansing, Mich., on Aug. 7 and at offices of the United Way in Kansas City, Mo., on Aug. 13 provided organizations an opportunity to assess how their agencies rate in their readiness to serve women veterans. Bureau staff then led exercises to help participants identify organizational strengths, weakness and next steps to enhance services. Each organization developed a plan to improve staff training and services for women veterans. A Stand Down for Women Veterans will take place on Sept. 16 in Lansing.
• Read the Trauma Guide
22 August 2013 - The Center for Public Integrity is pleased to be partnering once again with News 21, the annual student journalist investigative reporting project that launches this year’s effort on Sunday.
After previously focusing on transportation safety, voter suppression and food safety, about two dozen top students from 12 universities are investigating a variety of issues facing returning veterans, the nearly 2 million young men and women who have served the country in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last decade of war since 9/11.
The “struggles and blinding bureaucracy confronting returning veterans” that News 21 portrays in detail have been researched and reported during the past eight months. read more>>>
27 August 2013 - Jerral Hancock wakes up every night in Lancaster, Calif., around 1 a.m., dreaming he is trapped in a burning tank. He opens his eyes, but he can’t move, he can’t get out of bed and he can’t get a drink of water.
Hancock, 27, joined the Army in 2004 and went to Iraq, where he drove a tank. On Memorial Day 2007 — one month after the birth of his second child — Hancock drove over an IED. He lost his left arm and the use of both legs, and now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Department of Veterans Affairs pays him $10,000 every month for his disability, his caretakers, health care, medications and equipment for his new life.
No government agency has calculated fully the lifetime cost of health care for post-9/11 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with life-lasting wounds. read more>>>
The Department of Defense's Office of Warrior Care Policy (WCP) has just released the summer edition of their quarterly newsletter, The Continuum, available for download here. It is designed to be a reference and a resource for all those who support our recovering Service members who are progressing through the continuum of care, from recovery and rehabilitation to return to duty or reintegration into a civilian lifestyle.
Each edition of The Continuum is focused on providing advice and resources for addressing the physical, mental and emotional challenges our recovering Service Members and their families might face as they rebuild their lives together.
This quarter's edition includes information about WCP programs and successes, such as the Military Adaptive Sports Program (MASP) and Operation Warfighter (OWF) as well as practical tips and training for anyone in the wounded warrior community, such as best practices for non-medical care coordinators and how to avoid compassion fatigue as a caregiver.
We at the NRD highly encourage our subscribers to download the newsletter and share it with any recovering Service Member, Family Member or caregiver who needs support.
29 August 2013 - Over four years, as increasing numbers of veterans returned home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a charity called Disabled Veterans Services of Pompano Beach, Fla., reported raising more than $8 million in cash and collecting nearly $4 million in donated goods that it claimed would help disabled and homeless veterans.
But barely a nickel of each dollar the charity raised in cash went directly to help veterans, a News21 analysis shows.
In the years that the country has been at war, Americans have given over $12 billion to veterans’ and military charities. Donations grew nationwide from more than $615 million in 2001 to more than $1.6 billion in 2011 alone.
Federal and state laws demand financial reporting from all charities, but they require little in the way of reporting the results of services the charities claim to provide, the News21 investigation shows. Though many charities offered needed help, others spent much of their money – sometimes most of it – on the organization’s overhead expenses, rather than services promised to veterans. read more>>>
Visit Publichealth Exposures to learn about military exposures and VA benefits.
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>>>
08/30/2013 - September is recognized as national Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. The Defense Suicide Prevention Office has published a guide to help military family members better understand how they can assist their Service member in need. Called, "Supporting Military Families in Crisis," the guide provides family members with information on suicide warning signs and risk factors, actions to take when a family member is in crisis, and available resources to promote a healthy lifestyle and build a resilient family. visit site for much more information and help>>>
Supporting Military Families in Crisis
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
Governments must ensure that all lives lost to armed violence, anywhere in the world, are properly recorded.
This simple demand is the basis of a new civil society campaign calling for the recognition of every casualty of armed violence. More...
August 26, 2013 - Bruce Dunning, the CBS News correspondent whose 1975 television report on the last flight from Da Nang vividly captured the frantic end of the Vietnam War, died Monday in New York at the age of 73.
The retired CBS newsman died at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan from injuries suffered in a fall. He lived in Union, City, N.J., where he had resided since his retirement from CBS in 2005.
As a young correspondent reporting on the Vietnam War, Dunning developed an affinity for the region and spent most of his 35-year career at CBS News in the Far East, where he rose to become Asia bureau chief in 1989 based in Tokyo. In that position, he supervised all of the news division's operations in Asia until he retired. During that time, he served as president of the Tokyo Foreign Correspondents Club. read more>>>
Marine Missing from Korean War Identified
August 09, 2013 - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a service member, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Marine Corps Pfc. Jonathan R. Posey Jr., 20, of Dallas, will be buried Aug. 12 in Arlington National Cemetery. In December 1950, Posey, assigned to L Battery, 4th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was serving provisionally as an infantryman with the 7th Marine Regiment at Yudam-ni in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir. On Dec. 2, 1950, Posey was killed in action while the 5th and 7th Marine Regiments were withdrawing to Hagaru-ri. read more>>>
09.6.2013 - The remains of a Korean War veteran were returned home to Lynchburg, Virginia and buried more than 60 years after his death.
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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