The Veterans Blog

House Panel claims VA Not Doing Enough for Iraq Vets

2007-03-25T23:15:00.000-04:00

Associated Press | March 14, 2007
WASHINGTON - The Veterans Affairs' system for handling disability claims is strained to its limit, and the Bush administration's current efforts to relieve backlogs won't be enough to serve veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, investigators said Tuesday.

In testimony to a House panel, the Government Accountability Office and Harvard professor Linda Bilmes detailed their study into the VA's claims system in light of growing demands created by wars. They found a system on the verge of crisis due to backlogs, cumbersome paperwork and ballooning costs.

The House hearing is the latest to review the quality of care for wounded troops returning from Iraq - from emergency medical care at military hospitals, to long-term rehabilitation at VA clinics and eventual transition to civilian life with VA disability payments.

According to their findings, the VA:

-Took between 127 to 177 days to process an initial claim and an average of 657 days to process an appeal, resulting in significant hardship to veterans. In contrast, the private sector industry takes about 89.5 days to process a claim.

-Had a claims backlog of roughly 600,000.

-Will see 638,000 new first-time claims in the next five years due to the Iraq war - 400,000 by the end of 2009 alone - creating added costs of between $70 billion and $150 billion.

-Maintained a system for determining a veteran's disability that was complex and applied inconsistently across regional centers. Results varied; for example, Salt Lake City took 99 days to process a claim, while Honolulu spent 237 days.

-Had antiquated technology for processing claims, such as unreliable old fax machines.

The findings drew fire from House members. Rep. John Hall, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on disability assistance, floated the possibility that the Veterans Affairs Department should be merged into the Defense Department.
"When our Soldiers and military personnel return home and need help, they should get the assistance they have earned without delay," said Hall, D-N.Y.

Colorado Rep. Doug Lamborn, the panel's top Republican, said the overstressed claims system was courting a "financial and potentially emotional disaster."

Bilmes, a professor at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government who co-authored a paper on the war's economic costs with Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, described a failed system that could have been prevented after years of warnings. She urged simplifying the disability ratings system, reducing time VA staffers spend documenting disabilities, and conducting random audits instead.

"The veterans returning from Iraq are suffering from the same problem that has plagued many other aspects of the war, namely a failure to plan ahead," she said.
Responding, Ronald Aument, deputy under secretary for benefits at the VA, told the House panel that the department was working to shorten delays. The VA also was consolidating some processing operations, and planned to add 400 new employees by the end of June.

"Expediting the claims process is critical to assisting veterans in their transition from combat operations back to civilian life," Aument said.

The hearing follows disclosures of roach-infested conditions and shoddy outpatient care at Walter Reed Medical Center, one of the nation's premier military hospitals. Since the disclosures by the Washington Post, three high-level Pentagon officials have been forced to step down. President Bush has also appointed a commission led by former Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., and former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, a Democrat, to conduct a broad review on veteran and troop care.

"If anything the recent Walter Reed expose has taught us is that trying to treat and care for Soldiers and veterans on a limited budget and limited oversight only has one logical conclusion, poor care," said Patrick Campbell, legislative director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Daniel Bertoni, an acting director at the GAO, Congress' investigative arm, said the VA system has been riddled with problems for years. "After more than a decade of research, we have determined that federal disability programs are in urgent need of attention and transformation," he said.

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said what was needed was to create specialized case workers known as "navigators" who could make sure Soldiers don't fall through the cracks after leaving military service and before they enter the VA system.

Menendez planned to introduce legislation Wednesday to create a pilot program with $25 million in grants over the next five years. The navigators would focus on helping new veterans who are members of the National Guard, women or suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The Veteran Navigators, who will not be part of the government system, will be better able to advocate for veterans to make sure they are treated fairly," Menendez said.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. Marilyn L. Gabbard

2007-01-28T12:21:00.000-05:00

Iowa soldier killed in helicopter crash in Iraq
By Henry C. Jackson, The Associated Press

JOHNSTON, Iowa — The first woman promoted to the rank of command sergeant major in the Iowa Army National Guard was among those killed when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Iraq, guard officials said Jan. 24.

Command Sgt. Maj. Marilyn L. Gabbard, 46, of Polk City, was a passenger on the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter when it crashed Jan. 20 northeast of Baghdad, officials said. She was the first woman in the history of the Iowa National Guard to be killed in combat, Iowa National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood said.

Military officials said Gabbard’s helicopter might have been shot down, but the investigation was continuing. Twelve National Guard soldiers from seven states and the U.S. Virgin Islands died in the crash.

Gabbard was 19th Iowa National Guard member and the 50th service member with Iowa ties to be killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Gabbard was born in 1960 in Boone and graduated from Boone High School in 1979. She served in the National Guard for 27 years, starting in 1979, ascending to the rank of sergeant major. In her most recent post, Gabbard served as state operations sergeant major at the Iowa National Guard’s Joint Forces Headquarters in Johnston.
Gabbard’s long tenure with the Iowa National Guard made the pain from her loss acute, Hapgood said.

“She touched so many people in so many different areas of our organization,” he said.
As the first woman promoted to her rank, Gabbard was in a position to serve as a role model to other woman soldiers in particular, Hapgood said, but Gabbard never saw herself as a trail blazer, just a soldier and a leader.

“She didn’t take it as a burden,” Hapgood said. “She embraced the fact that she had gone places other people hadn’t gone before. I think she relished having soldiers look up to her.”

Gabbard deployed from Iowa on Dec. 16. She served as the noncommissioned officer in charge of the National Guard Affairs Team in Baghdad. It was her first deployment to the region, Hapgood said.

Gabbard leaves behind her husband, Edward Gabbard; daughter, Melissa Danielson; mother, Mary Van Cannon; brothers, Mark and Mike Van Cannon; sister, Marla Noren; two grandchildren, five stepdaughters and a stepson.

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When I read this article I just knew I had to post this on my blog. Because CSM. Gabbard touched so many people in so many different ways I felt it was my duty to pass along her achivements to all my visitors. She has brought great honor upon herself and the United States National Guard and will be forever missed.

Compensation and the VA ... Is enough being done?

2007-01-14T22:43:00.000-05:00

Compensation and the VA ... Is enough being done?
January 14, 2007
By Tony Bucaro

January, a month that all disabled veterans look forward to. Why you ask, because every January the government gives disabled veterans an increase in their disability payments.

This year the government passed a 3.3% raise to take effect starting on January 1, 2007. That’s a great start but the VA needs to step up and start taking better care of our veterans. What I mean by this is the time it takes to process claims for compensation.

For example, I put in a claim back in August 2006 for an existing disability which is both my knees. Now, this is not a new claim because I have been receiving compensation for my knee’s since 1998. But because my VA doctor said that I could no long work in nursing because of my condition, I submitted a claim to have my compensation increased. It has been almost 6 months now and they are still sitting on it. What is the reason for this? I have been told that the rating specialists have up to 60 days to hold a claim and then a decision has to be made on it. I have also been told that that’s a lie. So what is one to think? I can say this to you that my claim has been sitting with the rating specialist for well over 60 days now and as of today....nothing.

I was watching the evening news a couple of nights ago and they were interviewing a soldier who just came back from Iraq. He had spent many months in and out of hospitals and rehab centers because he lost one of his legs by an IED. He stated that from the time he was hit in Iraq to his last day in the hospital before going home everyone was just great with him. He didn’t have a bad word to say about the treatment he received by the Army or by the VA. What he did say was that he couldn’t believe that he has been waiting over 6 months to receive word on his claim for compensation from the VA. He stated that he needed that money to help support himself and his family because he is still in physical therapy (PT) and can’t work just yet.

What’s the deal with this? Why is it taking so long to review a claim and decide if a person will receive compensation or not? I understand that it takes time to review each claim but, that sounds like a personal problem and not one that I or any other veteran can help with. But yet, we are the ones suffering for it.

In my opinion the VA needs to step it up on processing claims.

What is your opinion on this? Tell me all about it ………

3 U.S. airmen among 17 deaths in Iraq

2007-01-07T15:47:00.000-05:00

Iraqis carry a coffin with the body of their dead relative in front of Baghdad's Yarmouk hospital morgue, Iraq, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2007.

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Three U.S. airmen died Sunday in a car bombing in Baghdad — among at least 17 people killed in violence across Iraq as Iraqi troops launched a fresh battle to oust militias and pacify the capital.

The sectarian attacks continued despite the major drive to tame Baghdad. The Iraqi army reported killing 30 militants late Saturday in a Sunni insurgent stronghold in the center of the city, just to the north of the heavily fortified Green Zone.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, speaking only hours earlier at a ceremony marking the 85th anniversary of the Iraqi army, announced his intention for the relentless and open-ended bid to crush militant fighters bedeviling Baghdad.

Hassan al-Suneid, a key aid and member of al-Maliki's Dawa Party, said the Iraqi leader had committed 20,000 soldiers to the operation that would call upon American troops and airpower only when needed.

A car bomb in Baghdad on Sunday killed the three airmen assigned to the 447th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron's Explosive Ordnance Division, the U.S. military said. A soldier died Saturday after coming under fire in the capital, and another soldier died Friday from combat wounds sustained in Iraq's volatile western Anbar province.

With the deaths, at least 3,011 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

Among Sunday's attacks:

• A barrage of mortars killed four civilians and wounded five others in central Baghdad after a roadside bomb missed an Iraqi police patrol and killed two pedestrians, police said.

• Gunmen drove through a marketplace in southwestern Baghdad, spraying bullets into food and clothing stalls and killing three Sunni Muslim shopkeepers, a police officer said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Another drive-by shooting targeted four guards for the Iraqi Finance Ministry, killing one of them.

• In Mahaweel, about 35 miles south of Baghdad, gunmen killed a Shiite cleric and his son as they were heading to a nearby Shiite shrine, police said.

• Attackers shot dead a Defense Ministry employee on his way to work south of Baghdad, and a provincial councilman was injured in an assassination attempt in Hillah. Police said a parked car bomb killed a woman and wounded 13 people in an outdoor market in the same city, about 60 miles south of Baghdad.

On Saturday, a stern al-Maliki told the nation the Iraqi army operation in Baghdad would continue "until all goals are achieved and security is ensured for all citizens."

"We are fully aware that implementing the plan will lead to some harassment for all beloved Baghdad residents, but we are confident they fully understand the brutal terrorist assault we all face."

State television said eight militants, including five Sudanese fighters, were captured Saturday in the battle near Haifa Street, a Sunni insurgent stronghold on the west bank of the Tigris, where police reported finding the bodies of 27 torture victims dumped earlier in the day.

Al-Suneid, who is also a member of parliament, said the new drive to free Baghdad from the grip of sectarian violence would focus initially on Sunni insurgent strongholds in western Baghdad.

Sunnis were likely to cry foul, given that a large measure of today's violence in Baghdad is the work of Shiite militias, loyal to al-Maliki's key political backer, Muqtada al-Sadr.

Also Sunday, the U.S. military announced that 88 suspects were captured in American and Iraqi raids last week, and a weapons cache used for assembling improvised explosive devices was destroyed. Sixty-nine of those suspects were released after questioning, the military said in a statement.

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As I read this today all I could think about were their families. This war has taken a toll on all Americans and I hope and pray that the Iraqi people will step up and take control of their own country soon.

This is just my 2 cents!!

Self-sacrificing courage

2006-12-24T09:39:00.000-05:00

NARRATIVE TO ACCOMPANY THE AWARD OF A SILVER STAR TO:
PRIVATE FIRST CLASS ROSS MCGINNIS

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a M2 .50 Caliber Machine Gunner in 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, in connection with combat operations against an armed enemy in Adhamiyah (Northeast Baghdad), Iraq on the afternoon of 4 December 2006. PFC Ross McGinnis' platoon was conducting a combat patrol to deny the enemy freedom of movement in Adhamiyah and reduce the high-level of sectarian violence in the form of kidnappings, weapons smuggling, and murders. 1st Platoon's combat patrol moved deliberately along a major route north towards the Abu Hanifa mosque, passing an IED hole from a recent detonation on a Military Police patrol that very morning. The combat patrol made a left turn onto a side street southwest of the Abu Hanifa Mosque. There were two-story buildings and parked vehicles on either side of the road. PFC McGinnis was manning the M2 .50 Caliber Machine Gun on the Platoon Sergeant's M1151 Up-armored HMMWV. His primary responsibility was to protect the rear of the combat patrol from enemy attacks. Moments after PFC McGinnis' vehicle made the turn traveling southwest a fragmentation grenade was thrown at his HMMWV by an unidentified insurgent from an adjacent rooftop. He immediately yelled "grenade" on the vehicle's intercom system to alert the four other members of his crew. PFC McGinnis made an attempt to personally deflect the grenade, but was unable to prevent it from falling through the gunner's hatch. His Platoon Sergeant, the truck commander, was unaware that the grenade physically entered the vehicle and shouted "where?" to PFC McGinnis. When an average man would have leapt out of the gunner's cupola to safety, PFC McGinnis decided to stay with his crew. Unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his own life he announced "the grenade is in the truck" and threw his back over the grenade to pin it between his body and the truck's radio mount. When the grenade detonated, PFC McGinnis absorbed all lethal fragments and the concussion with his own body killing him instantly. His early warning allowed all four members of his crew to position their bodies in a protective posture to prepare for the grenade's blast. As a result of his quick reflexes and heroic measures, no other members of the vehicle crew were seriously wounded in the attack. His gallant action and total disregard for his personal well-being directly saved four men from certain serious injury or death. PFC McGinnis' extraordinary heroism and selflessness at the cost of his own life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in the keeping of the highest traditions of military service. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.

CITATION TO ACCOMPANY THE AWARD OF:
SILVER STAR

TO: PRIVATE FIRST CLASS ROSS MCGINNIS

FOR: GALLANTRY IN ACTION ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY WHILE SERVING AS AN M2 MACHINE GUNNER DURING OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM. ON 4 DECEMBER 2006, AN ENEMY HAND GRENADE WAS THROWN INTO HIS VEHICLE. PRIVATE FIRST CLASS MCGINNIS THREW HIMSELF ON THE HAND GRENADE, ABSORBING THE EXPLOSION WITH HIS BODY AND SAVING FOUR OF HIS COMRADES FROM SERIOUS INJURIES OR POSSIBLE DEATH. HIS ACTIONS REFLECT DISTINCT CREDIT ON H IM, THE MULTI-NATIONAL DIVISION-BAGHDAD, AND THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

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To Read the full story of how this American Hero saved the lives of his comrades in Iraq click on the link below: http://www.armytimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-2438151.php

Military Draft System to be Tested

2006-12-22T09:38:00.000-05:00

Military Draft System to be Tested
Associated Press | December 22, 2006

WASHINGTON - The Selective Service System is planning a comprehensive test of the military draft machinery, which hasn't been run since 1998.

The agency is not gearing up for a draft, an agency official said Thursday. The test itself would not likely occur until 2009.

Meanwhile, the secretary for Veterans Affairs said that "society would benefit" if the U.S. were to bring back the draft and that it shouldn't have any loopholes for anyone who is called to serve. VA Secretary Jim Nicholson later issued a statement saying he does not support reinstituting a draft.

The Selective Service "readiness exercise" would test the system that randomly chooses draftees by birth date and the network of appeals boards that decide how to deal with conscientious objectors and others who want to delay reporting for duty, said Scott Campbell, Selective Service director for operations and chief information officer.

"We're kind of like a fire extinguisher. We sit on a shelf" until needed, Campbell said. "Everyone fears our machine for some reason. Our machine, unless the president and Congress get together and say, 'Turn the machine on' ... we're still on the shelf."

The administration has for years forcefully opposed bringing back the draft, and the White House said Thursday that its position had not changed.

A day earlier, President Bush said he is considering sending more troops to Iraq and has asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates to look into adding more troops to the nearly 1.4 million uniformed personnel on active duty.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, increasing the Army by 40,000 troops would cost as much as $2.6 billion the first year and $4 billion after that. Service officials have said the Army wants to increase its force by 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers and the Marine Corps would like 5,000 more troops.

The unpopular war in Iraq, where more than 2,950 American troops have already died, complicates the task of finding more recruits and retaining current troops - to meet its recruitment goals in recent years, the Army has accepted recruits with lower aptitude test scores.

In remarks to reporters in New York, Nicholson recalled his own experience as a company commander in an infantry unit that brought together soldiers of different backgrounds and education levels. He said the draft "does bring people from all quarters of our society together in the common purpose of serving."

Rep. Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat who has said minorities and the poor share an unfair burden of the war, plans to introduce a bill next year to reinstate the draft.

House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi has said that reinstating the draft would not be high on the Democratic-led Congress' priority list, and the White House said Thursday that no draft proposal is being considered.

Planning for the Selective Service exercise, called the Area Office Mobilization Prototype Exercise, is slated to begin in June or July of next year for a 2009 test. Campbell said budget cuts could force the agency to cancel the test, which he said should take place every three years but hasn't because of funding constraints.
Hearst Newspapers first reported the planned test for a story sent to its subscribers for weekend use.

The military drafted people during the Civil War and both world wars and between 1948 and 1973. An agency independent of the Defense Department, the Selective Service System was reincorporated in 1980 to maintain a registry of 18-year-old men, but call-ups have not occurred since the Vietnam War.

2/6 Marine honored for heroic actions

2006-12-20T23:49:00.000-05:00

2/6 Marine honored for heroic actions
Submitted on: 10/10/2006 01:47:14 PM ; Story ID#: 20061010134714

By Lance Cpl. Randy Little, 2nd Marine Division

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Oct. 10, 2006) -- The Marine proudly stood on the stage overlooking a crowd of his peers; a major general was before him. The general pinned a Bronze Star on the Marine’s blouse pocket and shook his hand, congratulating him.

Sgt. Jason A. Gagliano, a squad leader with 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment received the medal for heroic achievement in connection with combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq, while in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Gagliano’s unit was conducting a reconnaissance patrol on Jan. 7, when they were attacked with small arms fire from an unknown location.

“We went out on a lot of patrols, and you can’t help but think each time you go out patrolling that you’re going to get attacked,” Gagliano said.

During the attack, two of Gagliano’s Marines were mortally wounded, he explained. “We were shot at out of nowhere and one of my Marines was shot, another Marine tried to retrieve him but he was shot as well.”

Gagliano ordered his squad to suppress the enemy with heavy fire as he threw a smoke grenade to help conceal his squad.

“I had to think quickly, even though we had Marines down, I had to make sure no one else got hit while we tried to rescue the Marines,” Gagliano explained.

A corpsman with his squad, who ran out to get one of the Marines, was shot as his squad suppressed the enemy.

Despite the heavy rifle fire, Gagliano directed one team to return fire in the enemies’ direction while he led Marines into the street to recover the wounded Marines on three separate occasions.

“The only thing I could think about was getting my Marines to safety and getting my fallen Marines out of the hot zone,” he explained. “A lot goes through your head when you get engaged in a fire fight, but we went through so many exercises that my body just took over and knew exactly what to do.”

Gagliano established a casualty collection point for the medical evacuation and directed follow-on forces toward the suspected enemy position once the entire squad had moved to safety.

“Our main worry was getting everyone to safety, but once we accomplished that, I knew we needed to send Marines back out to fight,” Gagliano said.

The two Marines from his squad died from gunshot wounds but because of Gagliano’s quick thinking he saved the life of the corpsman attached to his squad.

“I was sad to know that my Marines died, but I knew I did everything I could do, and if there was anything else that could’ve been done to save them I would’ve done anything.”

Gagliano thinks that if he received the Bronze Star, so should every Marine in his squad.

“It was a squad effort and nobody would have made it unless we had everyone there doing their jobs,” Gagliano stated.

Receiving the award, however, was an extremely humbling and proud experience, for him.

“It makes me proud to think that someone believes I earned this medal, the Bronze Star isn’t your average medal,” Gagliano said.

Because of his zealous initiative, courageous actions and exceptional dedication to duty, Gagliano reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest tradition of the Marine Corps, and will hold the memory of his fallen Marines close to him for the rest of his days.

82nd bestows Silver Star on paratrooper

2006-12-19T12:21:00.000-05:00

82nd bestows Silver Star on paratrooper

By Matthew Cox
Staff writer

The 82nd Airborne Division honored one of its paratroopers Friday with a Silver Star for his heroism during an October 2005 firefight in Afghanistan.

Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of the 82nd, presented the country’s third highest award for valor to Staff Sgt. Patric L. Trattles at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Trattles was leading 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment when the Oct. 29 battle began on a mountain range near Lwara, Afghanistan.

The reinforced squad was manning an observation post when it spotted several armed men approaching the company commander’s nearby position.

The quiet, pre-dawn setting soon erupted into a heavy firefight, Trattles recalled in an interview.

“We just kind of started shooting at the same time,” he said.

An award narrative described how “Trattles immediately moved to the area and threw two hand grenades at the assaulting enemy element. This action killed several anti-coalition militia personnel and contributed to effectively halting the initial assault.”

Trattles and his men soon realized they were up against an organized force of about 60 enemy fighters.

“We were pinned down,” he said. “They had one platoon that was right on us, and the other platoon had a higher advantage over us. It was surprising because they were actually doing flanking maneuvers and bounding.”

At one point in the battle, Trattles noticed the enemy attacking a weak point in the perimeter. He picked up an M240B machine gun and moved under fire to that position.

“I reinforced the western side because they were coming under heavy fire with [rocket-propelled grenades] and machine-gun fire,” he said.

Trattles opened fire on several enemy fighters about 25 meters from his position.
He said he knew he’d hit some of them because he “heard people screaming.”

After about 40 minutes, the enemy force started an organized retreat, using sharpshooters to cover their withdrawal, Trattles said.

That’s when a bullet struck Staff Sgt. Travis Nixon in the shoulder.

“He looked at me, and he said ‘I’m dying’ and fell over,” Trattles said. “I saw he was gasping for air. I checked his airway, and he stopped breathing, so I immediately started CPR.”

Trattles said he and the unit medic worked on Nixon until the enemy fire lightened up enough so he could be evacuated.

The squad quickly packed up what they could and moved out.

“I grabbed him and threw him over my shoulders and started running down the mountain,” Trattles said. “I was thinking, ‘I have to get him down there as quick as possible.’ ”

Trattles carried Nixon to Humvees about 150 meters away. Nixon was airlifted out, but he died soon after arriving at the aid station, Trattles said.

“It was just like he was just there joking around with me, and then he was gone,” Trattles said. “It was just a real shock.”

Trattles didn’t have much to say about his Silver Star.

“To me, I did everything I possibly could to get my guys back home safely — that’s what I think about it,” he said.

U.S. to build up with 3,500 troops in Kuwait

2006-12-15T23:24:00.000-05:00

U.S. to build up with 3,500 troops in Kuwait
POSTED: 10:55 p.m. EST, December 15, 2006

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The U.S. military is planning to move a brigade of troops into Kuwait in what could be the first step of a short-term surge of American forces into Iraq to stabilize the violence.

The 2nd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division is expected in Kuwait shortly after the new year, a senior Defense Department official told The Associated Press on Friday. The official requested anonymity because the plans had not yet been announced.

The 2nd Brigade, made up of roughly 3,500 troops, is based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and would be deployed in Iraq early next year if needed, the official said.
The move would be part of an effort to boost the number of U.S. troops in Iraq for a short time, the official said. The plan was first reported by CBS News.

Meanwhile, the Army is considering ways it can speed up the creation of two additional combat brigades -- a move intended to expand the pool of active-duty combat brigades to relieve some of the strain from large-scale deployments to Iraq.
Under the plan being developed, the new brigades could be formed next year and be ready to be sent to Iraq in 2008, defense officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans were not final.

Bush, al-Maliki talk

In a half-hour videoconference with President Bush on Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki outlined plans for the national reconciliation conference taking place in Baghdad on Saturday.

Al-Maliki cited the desire of many people in Iraq for a larger core of Iraqi political leaders to come together for the common objective of stabilizing the country and promoting the rule of law, National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

Al-Maliki also talked with Bush about providing greater security, in particular in Baghdad, by going after all sources of violence, including insurgents and militias, Johndroe said.

Bush reiterated his support for al-Maliki and said he was encouraged by the meetings he had recently with Iraq's Sunni vice president, Tariq al-Hashimi, and with the leader of the largest Shiite bloc in Iraq's parliament, Abdul Aziz Hakim.
In assessing the state of the war in Iraq, Bush has been meeting this week with top generals and other advisers. The military options being considered include an increased effort to train and equip Iraqi forces.

Meanwhile, the commander of U.S. forces in the strife-ridden Iraqi province of Diyala said Friday that tribal leaders and some political groups in the province are turning to terrorists and insurgents for protection rather than trust Iraqi soldiers and police.

"This sort of unity only worsens the sectarian divide and encourages further violence," said Col. David Sutherland, commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. He spoke to reporters at the Pentagon by a satellite video connection from his headquarters near the city of Baquba, northeast of Baghdad.

"Public perceptions of corruption, inequity and fear are the driving force behind support to terrorist organizations," Sutherland said. "These are not new problems in Iraq but problems that developed out of a desire for personal and financial gain."
Sutherland said he is trying to turn that around by putting Iraqi police through more rigorous training and placing more U.S. advisers in the Iraqi army and police units.

He said he also is backing Iraqi efforts to recruit a force that better reflects the sectarian makeup of Diyala, which is about 55 percent Sunni, 30 percent Shiite and 15 percent Kurdish.

Currently, the Iraqi security forces in Diyala are predominantly Shiite, he said.
Sutherland said he is working out arrangements to expand the use of U.S. adviser teams with Iraqi security forces, reflecting the view of senior U.S. commanders that such an expansion can speed the development of competent Iraqi forces.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Program guides wounded warriors to better options

2006-12-11T09:04:00.000-05:00

Program guides wounded warriors to better options
'AW2' helps injured soldiers navigate Army system

By CHANTAL ESCOTO
The Leaf-Chronicle

Staff Sgt. David Jacks is hoping for a full recovery after an improvised explosive device left his arm partially paralyzed.

The 4th Brigade soldier was allowed to remain in Iraq on limited duty after the Dec. 29, 2005, attack in East Baghdad. But he's a little unsure of what the future holds.

"I'm just trying to figure out my options," said Jacks, who has served in the military for 18 years, and would like to retire but doesn't know if the Army will allow him to with his disability. "I got to return with my unit, and I'm in the process of getting back into the medical system," said the 36-year-old soldier. He returned to Fort Campbell two weeks ago.

A program called the Army Wounded Warrior Program was developed to help soldiers like Jacks and others seeking information about their disabilities and injuries and military options. Dubbed "AW2," the program started in August because of the need to have a one-stop advocate help soldiers and their families navigate the Army system.
"I feel like it's helpful here at Fort Campbell," said Nancy Nall, a soldier and family management specialist with AW2.

She recently spoke to about a dozen injured soldiers and their families at the post's Fisher House to spell out what the program offers.
Personnel and pay issues, spouse employment and VA claims are just some ways where AW2 can step in to help while the soldier recovers.

Kristi Ord, left, holds her son, Logan, Thursday as she listens to her husband, Staff Sgt. Harold Ord, talk about his injuries to Nancy Nall from the U.S. Army Wounded Program at the Fort Campbell's Fisher House.

Trauma life insurance

Nall also advises soldiers if they qualify for the Traumatic Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance. The insurance was approved by Congress in 2005 as a rider under the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance. It provides payment between $25,000 and $100,000 to any uniformed service member who suffers a traumatic injury resulting in certain severe losses.

The qualifying criteria include loss of eyesight, loss of limb, paralysis, severe burns, permanent disfigurement, multiple surgeries and prolonged hospital stays.
The money is not intended to be a replacement for a regular income or VA disability payments, but to get families through a temporary tough financial time.
"It lets them maintain their standard of living while the soldier is injured," she said.

Another stipulation of the TSGLI is if the debilitating injury happened after Dec. 1, 2005, it does not have to be combat-related.

That's good news for a fellow soldier of Spc. Bryan T. Price. Price, 25, said his comrade became paralyzed after breaking his neck during a swimming accident. Price — who himself is partially paralyzed from the waist down because of shrapnel lodged in his back from a June 20 IED explosion — said he already received the maximum TSGLI payment.

The money will help care for his wife, Melissa, and 10-month-old daughter, Ashlynn. Besides his family, his next priority is to fully use his legs again. He has worked up to getting around on a walker in just six months.
"I probably had 20 doctors tell me I wouldn't walk again, but I'm getting better," Price said.

Chantal Escoto covers military affairs and can be reached by telephone at 245-0216 or by e-mail at chantalescoto@theleafchronicle.com.

America Supports You: Marvel, AAFES Offer New Military-Only Comic

2006-12-10T17:55:00.000-05:00

America Supports You: Marvel, AAFES
Offer New Military-Only Comic
Dec 07, 2006
BY American Forces Press Service

Marvel Comics and the Army Air Force Exchange Service have joined forces to bring servicemembers around the world the fourth installment in the "The New Avengers" military-only comic book series. "The New Avengers: Letters Home" is scheduled to arrive in U.S. exchanges around Dec. 20 and overseas, including 53 facilities throughout operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, shortly thereafter. Photo by Courtesy Photo

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2006 - Just in time for the holiday season, Marvel Comics' "The New Avengers" and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service have teamed up to bring troops stationed around the world another free, military-exclusive comic book.

Marvel Comics, a division of Marvel Enterprises, Inc., is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting ways Americans and the corporate sector support the nation's servicemembers.

"The New Avengers: Letters Home" is scheduled to arrive in U.S. exchanges around Dec. 20 and overseas, including the 53 BX/PX facilities throughout operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, shortly thereafter. It's the fourth installment of the military-only comic book series.

"Due to their limited availability, collectors have historically shown great interest in these special AAFES/Marvel Comics editions," Army Col. Max Baker, AAFES chief of staff, said. "If the past is any indicator, 'The New Avenger: Letters Home' issue should go quickly."

Available exclusively at AAFES stores, the newest issue once again features Marvel's superhero Captain America, who, because his regular supporting cast is away for the holidays, is joined by Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider and special guest, The Punisher. When Hydra takes over a military communications satellite, the superheroes spring into action to ensure troops' e-mail messages to loved ones make their way home.

Because of the highly collectible nature and the anticipated demand for the 36-page comic, AAFES officials advise that "The New Avengers: Letters Home" is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

G.I. struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder

2006-12-07T07:39:00.000-05:00

For Ky. war hero, wounds are invisible
G.I. struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder after her year in Iraq

(photo: John Russell / AP) Kentucky National Guard solider
Ashley Pullen holds her Bronze Star citation at her home in
Beaumont, Ky., on Nov. 2. Pullen was awarded the Bronze
Star for helping a wounded soldier during an insurgent
attack while she was stationed in Iraq last year.

Spc. Ashley Pullen wasn’t thinking about the dozens of Iraqi insurgents who had just ambushed the convoy. Or their piles of guns and grenades or the bullets ripping through the air around her.

Her bloody comrade lay on the road south of Baghdad, and she had to help the gravely wounded soldier — fast.

So she hustled as quickly as her short legs would carry her, ignoring the heat, the ferocious battle and her heavy gear.

She ran 100, 200, 300 feet — the length of a football field.

It was March 20, 2005, the day Pullen, a member of the Kentucky National Guard’s 617th Military Police Company, became a hero. It was the day that would earn this daughter of small-town America a Bronze Star for valor.

Now, 21 months later, Pullen is a casualty of war, struggling with invisible battle scars.

Pullen is being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, the result of a year in Iraq marked by harrowing brushes with danger and death — tempered with daily prayers for survival.

Pullen, now 22, doesn’t go out much these days and she says her moods swing for no good reason.

“It’s just an emotional roller coaster every day,” she says. “I have no other way to describe it. I can be a perfectly happy, normal person. Then five seconds later, I will be so mad that I can’t see straight.”

War habits she can't shake Pullen says she has a hard time concentrating long enough to read a book. And she hasn’t totally shaken some habits that made perfect sense in a war zone but don’t translate to the quiet roads of south-central Kentucky.

Sometimes when she drives, she says, her husband, Daniel, notices she’s veering too close to the center line — something she did in Iraq to try to avoid roadside bombs.

“Baby,” he gently warns her, “hellooo ...” Pullen says she once was always smiling, always happy. Then came the war. And everything changed.

Pullen, who joined the Guard at age 17 to help pay for college, didn’t want a desk job. She chose the military police, feeling it better suited someone who “likes to be to in the middle of everything.” In Iraq, she found herself in the thick of explosions, gunfire and mortar attacks.

The ambush that turned her into a hero started on a steamy March morning just outside Baghdad. Here’s how Pullen remembers it:

She was driving one of three Humvees providing security behind a 30-vehicle convoy when the crackle of gunshots and the boom of rocket-propelled grenades suddenly filled the air. Pullen’s unit moved ahead to counterattack, flanking the insurgents so they couldn’t escape.

Pullen got out of her Humvee and braced herself against the back of it. She and other soldiers unleashed a torrent of gunfire and grenades on 40 to 50 insurgents attacking from a nearby orchard.

She could see the enemy clearly, armed with dozens of AK-47s, machine guns and grenades. Pullen blasted away with her M-4 rifle, emptying a 30-round magazine, then reloaded and opened fire again.

“You don’t have time to be scared,” she says. “You just have time to react. ... The fear doesn’t set in until later when you say, ‘Oh my God, what happened?’ ... When the bullets start flying, you’re saying OK, ‘I want to live through this’ and you do everything you can to survive.”

Answering a radio call — “Everybody’s down! I need help” — Pullen backed up her Humvee part way, then ran about 300 feet to a gravely wounded sergeant, who was screaming and rocking in agony. (Pullen says she didn’t pull her truck next to him, fearing that would create a bigger target for the insurgents.)

Dodging bullets, she dropped to her knees to help her comrade. “It hurts! It hurts!” he yelled. She got him out of his bloody vest, lifted his shirt and saw a single slug had pierced his stomach through his back, leaving a hole the size of a quarter.

Pullen tried to bandage and calm him. “Think of green grass and trees and home,” she said. “Think about your little boy. Think about ANYTHING but here.” Pullen was herself thinking of the first blush of spring at her Kentucky home. “I don’t know if that comforted him, but it worked for me.”

As she was tending to the sergeant, a medic from her company fired a shoulder-held rocket launcher at a sniper’s nest. “Back blast clear!” he shouted, a warning to stay far away. But Pullen was close enough to touch his leg. She blanketed her body — all 5-foot-2 — over the wounded sergeant to protect him. The blast knocked her on her backside.

When it was over, at least 26 insurgents were dead and six were wounded. Three civilians in the convoy also were killed. The three wounded members of Pullen’s company all survived.

The insurgents’ arsenal, according to a military report, included 35 AK-47s and machine guns, 16 rocket-propelled grenades, 39 hand grenades, 175 full or empty AK-47 magazines, 2,500 loose rounds — and a video camera with footage of the ambush.

Pullen was awarded a Bronze Star with the V device for valor. (Several other soldiers in the unit also were honored, including Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, who was given the Silver Star — the first woman to receive that award since World War II — for her bravery. She killed at least three insurgents.)

'Incredible courage'
In a recommendation for Pullen’s medal, her company commander wrote: “Tremendous dedication and focus. Credited with saving the life of a team leader that day. Incredible courage.”

Pullen served seven more months in Iraq, learning to cope in a world where the threat of death was a daily fact of life.

“You get up in the morning, you say your prayers and you hope to God that you come back that night,” she says in her soft lilt. “You kind of get numb ... which was my way of coping. You just kind of shut everything off and become a robot. Emotions get you nowhere. They get you in trouble. ... It’s hard to come back and be normal.”

When she returned home last fall to Edmonton, Ky., her mother, stepfather and uncle — all Desert Storm veterans — praised her as a hero. Pullen doesn’t buy it.

“You got to do what you got to do,” she says. “I didn’t have a choice in the matter. If you see an accident on the road, you’re going to stop and make sure everything is OK. ... It’s my job.”

But Pullen also says the emotional strain of doing her job began wearing on her while she still was in Iraq. She had nightmares that zombies and Iraqis were coming after her.

She noticed her own dramatic personality transformation — from easygoing to “this huge, flaming ball of anger.” She says she tries to rein in her emotions around her three younger sisters and two younger brothers. “It’s hard for me to explain to them, ’It’s not your fault I’m mad,”’ she says. “They try to understand.”

Her father does, too. “He says just forget it,” she explains. “I say, ‘Dad, you can’t forget it. You just have to learn to live with it.’ ... He doesn’t want this to haunt me and hold me back the rest of my life — being just 22 years old.”

Reminders at home of life abroad
Pullen says even now, she doesn’t go out alone. When she’s on the road, familiar sights like overpasses can be frightening because they remind her of where the enemy lurked.

Pullen leans heavily on her husband. They’ve been sweethearts since they met at an after-school program at age 15.

“God bless my husband, he tries,” she says. “I know it puts him through hell.” There are days, she says, when she calls him at work and says: “’I need you here. Come home.’ I am just bursting out in tears for no reason. ... I need that lifeline.”

Daniel says he had his own anxiety attacks when his wife was in Iraq. When she called, he says, “You always had the worry — this may be the last time I ever talk to her. What should I say?”

Pullen has been seeing a psychiatrist twice a month. At each visit, the doctor talks to her, then turns to Daniel. “How is she doing?’ the doctor asks.

“He can pick up on things I don’t notice,” Ashley Pullen says.

Daniel says sometimes the smallest gestures in the morning — a goofy grin or a silence — indicate whether it’ll be a good or bad day for his wife.

The two are preparing for the birth of their first child — a son — who is due this month.

Meanwhile, Pullen stays close to home with family, far from the world that caused her so much emotional turmoil.

“I don’t watch the news,” she says. “I don’t want to hear about it. I don’t want to see it. I don’t even like the word Iraq.”

Soldiers sidelined from donor tables

2006-12-06T09:29:00.000-05:00

Soldiers sidelined from donor tables
By CHANTAL ESCOTO
The Leaf-Chronicle

Adrienne Baker, a blood specialist with Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, takes blood from Spc. Dalton Jeffords during a recent Army Services Blood Program drive at BACH. The blood collected goes to those serving in combat.

For 20,000 soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division who just returned from Iraq, giving blood is not an option right now.
According to the Army Blood Program, anyone who has served in Iraq cannot give blood for at least a year after their return to the United States. This leaves only the civilians and those who did not deploy to make up for the donors sent to combat duty.

During a recent blood drive at Fort Campbell's Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, blood technician Adrienne Baker said the traffic was steady, but she had to turn away some potential donors. "We had a few deferrals because they were deployed or lived in Iraq," Baker said.

But soldiers like Spc. Dalton Jeffords, 21, a medic who works in the hospital and didn't deploy, said donating blood is second nature.
"It was purely by choice. I feel it's important to give blood whenever I can and help my fellow soldiers," Jeffords said. "You never know — it could be me who may need it."

All of the blood collected through the Armed Services Blood Program is sent overseas to combat zones and military treatment facilities for use by soldiers and their families. The majority of the donated blood goes to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I've got friend deployed to Iraq right now," Jeffords said.
Capt. Phillip Rooks, BACH laboratory manager, said soldiers who deployed to Iraq must wait to donate blood to ensure any possible parasites contracted during the deployment clear the body. "There is an incubation period," he said. Rooks said the loss of potential donors cripples the program at a time when blood is needed most around the holidays.

Moreover, once the soldiers do become eligible to donate blood, they'll likely have to deploy again. This is why it's up to civilians and BACH personnel to give blood whenever possible "We depend a lot on the civilian support staff," he said.

Chantal Escoto covers military affairs and can be reached by telephone at 931-245-0216 or by e-mail at chantalescoto@theleafchronicle.com

New Members Appointed to Advisory Committee on Women Veterans

2006-12-05T08:43:00.000-05:00

New Members Appointed to Advisory Committee on Women Veterans

November 22, 2006

WASHINGTON – Six new members have been appointed to the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), an expert panel that advises VA on issues and programs affecting women veterans.

“I am pleased to welcome the newest members of this important committee,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. “Women are indispensable contributors to the nation’s security. This committee will help VA ensure that women veterans receive the world-class health care and other benefits they have earned.”

Established in 1983, the advisory committee makes recommendations to the VA secretary for administrative and legislative changes. The committee members are appointed to one, two, or three-year terms.

The new committee members include Velma Hart, from Upper Marlboro, Md.; Marlene R. Kramel from Pineville, La.; The Honorable Mary Antoinette (Toni) Lawrie, from St. Petersburg, Fla.; The Honorable Brenda L. Moore, from Getzville, N.Y.; Celia R. Szelwach, from Bradenton, Fla.; and Joanna Truitt, from West River, Md.

Second only to elderly veterans, women veterans are the fastest growing segment of the veteran population. There are approximately 1.7 million women veterans. They comprise 7 percent of the total veteran population and nearly 5 percent of all veterans who use VA health care services. VA estimates that by 2020 women veterans will comprise 10 percent of the veteran population.

VA has women veterans program managers at VA medical centers and women veterans coordinators at VA regional offices to assist women veterans with health and benefits issues.

Membership VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans

Shirley Ann Quarles, (Chair), McCormick, S.C. Colonel, Army Nurse Corps; currently a professor at Medical College of Georgia’s School of Nursing.

Gwen M. Diehl, Taylorville, Ill. A retired Army sergeant first class; currently staff assistant to the deputy director for operations for the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Velma Hart, Upper Marlboro, Md. A former Army Reserve sergeant; currently national finance director/CFO for AMVETS.

Kathleen Janoski, Pittsburgh, Penn. A retired Navy chief petty officer; currently working in private industry and active in several civic and military organizations.
Marlene Kramel, Pineville, La. A former Army nurse with service in Vietnam; retired psychiatric nurse and women veterans program manager with the VA medical center in Alexandria, La.

Mary Antoinette (Tonie) Lawrie, St. Petersburg, Fla. A former Air Force Nurse Corps captain with service in Vietnam; retired as coordinator of the women veterans health program at the VA medical center in Bay Pines. Former Commissioner for the State of Florida Department of Veterans Affairs.

Pamela Luce, Shelbyville, Ky. A retired Army first sergeant; currently women veterans coordinator for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and benefits branch manager for the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs.

Brenda Moore, Getzville, N.Y. Served in the Women’s Army Corps; currently a professor in the Department of Sociology at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Former commissioner of the American Battle Monuments Commission and former member of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS).
Jacqueline Morgan, Seattle, Wash. A retired Air Force Medical Corps colonel and retired physician.

Lupe Saldana, Fairfax Station, Va. A Marine Corps veteran and retired from the federal government.

Sara A. Sellers, Johnson City, Tenn. A retired Air Force master sergeant; former member of DACOWITS and former commissioner of The American Battle Monuments Commission.

Celia Szelwach, Bradenton, Fla. Graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. A former Army captain; currently self-employed.

Joanna Truitt, West River, Md. Served in several leadership positions in institutions of higher education; currently serves as the D.C. director of the American Legion Auxiliary.

Virgil L. Walker, Oklahoma City, Okla. A veteran of the Oklahoma Air National Guard; currently employed in private industry.

"Out-of-the Box Job Fair Great Success"

2006-12-05T08:03:00.000-05:00

“Purple Heart Service Foundation Hosts Out-of-the-Box Job Fair”

November 29, 2006

(Annandale, VA - Cyberspace) The Purple Heart Service Foundation hosted a virtual job fair for the most recent graduates of the Veterans Business Training Center (VBTC) innovative job-training program. Conducted completely online, the job fair was a tremendous success.

“We are very proud to offer this training program to deserving veterans and even prouder that we have been able to put them in contact with some great American companies ready to hire them,” stated Gregory A. Bresser, Deputy Executive Director of the Purple Heart Service Foundation. “A growing segment of outsourced call center industry is moving to a remote-based worker model and it is my hope that other companies will follow suit and hire these highly skilled disabled veterans,“ continued Bresser.

Attended by representatives from the Veteran Corps of America, the State Department, Oracle Systems, Microsoft, The Mortgage Zone, Department of Defense, Numara Software, Amaozon.com, FedEx, Veterans Advantage, and WebTrain Communications. Since rolling out this innovative training concept earlier this year, VBTC has been swamped with more than 2000 applications from across the country and garnered interest from Federal, state and local veteran agencies. Accredited by Northern Virginia Community College, the training consists of 600 hours (8 hours per day, five days a week for a total of 15-weeks.) Trainees follow a detailed curriculum, attend virtual classroom discussions and accrue real-time work experience.

The Veteran’s Business Training Center’s rigorous 15 week on-line training is focused on reintegrating homebound combat-wounded and disabled veterans back into the workforce. By using current VoIP and wed-based technology the Veteran Business Training Center is remotely training these veterans, nationwide.

The Purple Heart Service Foundation has provided services to veterans and their families for more than 45 years and prides itself on adapting quickly to new and unforeseen changes in the types of programs and services needed by combat-wounded and disabled veterans. More information on the Purple Heart Service Foundation and VBTC can be found at www.purpleheartfoundation.org

Ft. Campbell's Fisher House

2006-11-25T19:50:00.000-05:00

Fallen soldier's dad raises $9,000 gift for Fisher House
Father of 1st Lt. Jeremy Wolfe raised donation through memorial motorcycle ride
By CHANTAL ESCOTO The Leaf-Chronicle

The Fort Campbell Fisher House recently accepted a $9,000 check from an aviation battalion in honor of one of its fallen soldiers.

Capt. Clint Underwood, left, presents Fort Campbell Fisher House manager Vivian Wilson a check for $9,000 from the 1st Lt. Jeremy L. Wolfe Memorial Black Hawk Fund as Col. Ramona Fiorey looks on Friday afternoon. The money was raised at an annual motorcycle ride held in Menomonie, Wis., by Wolfe's father Butch.

The 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 159th Aviation Brigade recently presented director Vivian Wilson with the donation in honor of 1st Lt. Jeremy Wolfe.

Wolfe and 16 other soldiers were killed in November 2003 when two Black Hawk helicopters collided over Mosul. His father, David "Butch" Wolfe, raised the money through an annual memorial motorcycle ride in his hometown of Menomoney, Wis.

Butch Wolfe said he didn't know about the Fisher House until he was told the lodging facility for families of injured soldiers needed money to stay open. "We never heard about the Fisher House, and so we wanted to give to that," he said. The memorial ride and auction included 135 motorcycles and 16 custom antique cars. After the event, a memorial service was held for Jeremy Wolfe and those who perished with him. Butch Wolfe said the support in his town is "wonderful," and he plans to hold the ride every year to raise money for the Fisher House.
"It helps us to know that people have not forgotten and do care," he said. "We live in a society today that's so fast-paced and we need to think about what the troops are doing for us."
Wilson said it was a "huge honor" to receive the donation from a family that has sacrificed so much.
"To take that grief and turn it into something good to help those soldiers and their families," she said.
Wilson said the outpouring of financial support is greatly appreciated but it can never be too much. It costs about $100,000 annually to operate the Fisher House, but it doesn't include personal items like toiletries, food and other essentials families need.

In addition to the money from the aviation battalion, the Fisher House recently received donations and or pledges from GM Hummer — $22,000; a golf tournament in Waco, Texas — $12,000; CH2M Hill — $10,000; Altrusa Charity Ball — $3,500; Fort Campbell Enlisted Spouses Club — $3,000; Tennessee State Society and U.S. Cavalry on Fort Campbell Boulevard — $1,500 each; VFW Auxiliary No. 233 and the Bon Aqua VFW Post No. 4641 — $200 monthly pledge each; the staff and students of Mahaffey Middle School — dinner and donations.

"The community as a whole has just come together to help those who serve," Wilson said.
Besides financial donations, other items the Fisher House could use are gift cards or gift certificates to area restaurants or general merchandise stores.

The Fisher House program was started more than 15 years ago by philanthropists Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher and is funded through and run by the Fisher family. The $1 million facility on Fort Campbell has eight rooms and is open at no charge to families of soldiers who are recovering from illness or injury at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital.

Comforting Embrace

2006-11-09T23:28:00.000-05:00

(Photo Courtesy of David W. Gilmore Jr./U.S. Air Force)

Air Force Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt, of the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group at Balad, Iraq, cradles a young girl as they both sleep in the hospital. The girl’s entire family was executed by insurgents; the killers shot her in the head as well. The girl received treatment at the US military hospital in Balad, but cries and moans often. According to the nurses at the facility, Gebhardt is the only one who can calm down the girl, so he has spent the last several nights holding her while they both sleep in a chair.

Why isn’t this all over the news? If he’d done something wrong … then it would be!

Freedom Team competes in New York City Marathon

2006-11-07T23:56:00.000-05:00

Freedom Team competes in New York City Marathon
By Sgt. Joseph Morris 361st PAOC

NEW YORK (Army News Service, Nov. 6, 2006) Approximately 70 recently disabled war heroes completed the 2006 New York City Marathon Sunday.

The athletes were part of the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded War Veterans, sponsored by the Achilles Track Club, a non-profit organization that gives disabled people the opportunity to compete in a variety of sporting events.

Sgt. Neil Duncan, a first-time marathon participant from the 173rd Airborne Brigade, finished in first place this year for the Freedom Team. “I wasn’t expecting to come in first,” said Duncan, who lost both his legs from an improvised explosive device last year while serving in Iraq. “But once I got in the lead, I just stuck with it.” Duncan said he got involved with Achilles while going through rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, as part of an athletic program for disabled war veterans. Their rehabilitation is enhanced through physical activity, goal setting and personal achievement. “We try to catch them weeks after they have been wounded,” said Mary Bryant, vice president and director of the Freedom Team. “We want them to get active again and encourage them to keep moving. We’re here to complement what they’re doing at Walter Reed.”

The majority of the veterans are amputees who participate using specially designed hand-crank wheelchairs that are operated solely by competitors' upper body strength. “They’re actually very challenging to use,” said Bryant. “Some of them are donated and built by volunteers. We had a double amputee who had a five percent chance of living and when we gave him a hand-crank wheelchair, he became mobile and had life in him again,” she said. “Being a part of Freedom Team and being in this marathon has been an awesome experience,” said retired Cpl. Alex Leonard, who lost his right leg during a land mine explosion in Iraq last year. “I am fortunate that other people cared enough about me and kept me going like this. This was the second time I did this marathon, and I plan on doing it again.”

According to Bryant, every single member of Freedom Team finished the race, which becomes an empowering achievement for them. “You really need that extra push, that team spirit – physically, mentally, and emotionally,” she said. “There are people who didn’t think they could do this marathon when they had two legs. Now in their current situation, they want to do it. People call them heroes, but they simply say, ‘I was doing my job.’”

Welcome to The Veterans Blog

2006-11-02T13:18:00.000-05:00

Before you start surfing The Veterans Blog I think it's only right that I introduce myself to you.

My name is Tony Bucaro and I am a 36 year old disabled US Army Infantry Veteran. I have spent from June 1989 to May 1997 in the Infantry with assignments in the following units:

A co. 6/502nd Inf. Berlin Brigade
HHC 1/187th Inf. “Rakkasans” 101st ABN
AMF (L) NATO Inf. Co. Mannheim Germany
C co. 1/24th Inf. 25th Inf. Div. “Tropical Lightning”

Although my Army career was cut short, my fight still continues not only for myself but to help fellow veterans like you. Wither you are disabled or not, you are entitled to many benefits just for being a veteran and having served your country. Most of you don’t know that you have these benefits which are yours by right. But, starting today it is my mission to help put out as much information as possible to help as many veterans as possible. So every veteran can become self-sufficient again and rely on no one.

A Message to John Kerry from the troops in Iraq

2006-10-28T23:39:00.000-04:00

Do you think he get's the point? I don't ..... Dem's should throw him out of D.C. for this one!

VA Urges Veterans to Wear Medals on Veterans Day

2006-10-28T15:22:00.000-04:00

VA Urges Veterans to Wear Medals on Veterans Day

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2006--The Honorable R. James Nicholson, secretary of Veterans Affairs, and leaders of major veterans organizations today called on America's veterans to help kindle a new spark of patriotism on Veterans Day by wearing the medals they earned during military service.
"We are announcing a Veterans Pride Initiative to remind Americans of the pride and honor in the hearts of those who have served," Nicholson said. "We expect Americans will see our decorated heroes unite in spirit at ceremonies, in parades and elsewhere as a compelling symbol of courage and sacrifice on Veterans Day, the day we set aside to thank those who served and safeguarded our national security."
The campaign is modeled after a tradition in Australia and New Zealand, countries who honor the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) on April 25. ANZAC Day sees veterans wearing their military decorations whatever they are doing on that day. Nicholson said he hopes a U. S. tradition will ensue to emulate this pride in being a veteran and in honoring our veterans.
VA is offering information about the campaign on its website, where veterans also can obtain information about how to replace mislaid medals and learn how to confirm the decorations to which they are entitled.

2006-10-27T20:37:00.000-04:00

The MOPH - Veterans Business Training Center

The Veterans Business Training Center is a training program available for disabled veterans in the Contact Center-Call Center Industry. Veterans from around the country are applying for admission to this dynamic training. Managed by a team of Purple Heart Service Foundation professionals, the Veterans Business Training Center provides combat-wounded and disabled veterans with 15-weeks of web based, on-line classroom and practical training. At the conclusion of the training program, each veteran trainee will have a thorough understanding of a very complex, VOIP predictive dialing web-based system that is utilized world-wide.The mission of this program is to recruit, train and place qualified veterans in high-demand career positions and provide the skills needed to make a decent wage for themselves and their family, all while working from home. The need for skilled contact/call center agents and supervisors working from home has boomed. Growth in the industry translates to real opportunities for homebound, disabled and combat-wounded veterans. Training as market researchers, data managers, hotline responders, website order processor's, help desk managers, customer care and customer service coordinators, virtual administration and billing clerks, and data management services allows for quick placement in the global job marketplace.

Hire a Veteran Graduate: If you are a Business or Organization and would like to hire a graduate from the Veteran Business Training Center, please call #703-340-8763.

This training does not require veterans to have a Purple Heart medal. Fill out the On-line Application, or for additional information please contact: MrZ@purpleheartfoundation.org

For Donations: To make a tax-deductible donation to this program, please call (800) 935-9924.