By: Associated Press
Families of America’s war dead will be allowed to decide if news organizations can photograph the homecomings of their loved ones, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.
Gates said he decided to allow media photos of flag-draped caskets at Dover Air Force Base, Del., if the families agree. A working group will come up with details and logistics.
The new policy reverses a ban put in place in 1991 by then President George H.W. Bush. Some critics contended the government was trying to hide the human cost of war.
"We should not presume to make the decision for the families — we should actually let them make it," Gates said at a Pentagon news conference.
"We’ve seen so many families go through so much," added Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He said the goal is to meet family needs in the most dignified way possible.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said President Barack Obama asked Gates to review the policy of media coverage of the fallen returning to Dover. He said Gates came back with a policy consistent with that used at Arlington National Cemetery.
Gibbs said it gives families the final say and "allows them to make that decision and protect their privacy if that’s what they wish to do. And the president is supportive of the secretary’s decision."
Shortly after Obama took office, Democratic Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey also asked the White House to roll back the 1991 ban.
Over the years, some exceptions to the policy were made, allowing the media to photograph coffins in some cases, until the administration of President George W. Bush and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A leading military families group has said that the policy, enforced without exception during George W. Bush's presidency, should be changed so that survivors of the dead can decide whether photographers can record their return.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Epilepsy Risk Increase for Years After Brain Injury
By: Reuters
A severe brain injury puts people at high risk of epilepsy for more than a decade after they are first hurt, a finding that suggests there may be a window to prevent the condition, researchers said on Monday.
A Danish team found that the odds of epilepsy more than doubled after mild brain injury or skull fracture and was seven times more likely in patients with serious brain injury.
The risk remained even 10 years on, more so in people older than 15, Jakob Christensen and colleagues at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark and colleagues wrote in the journal Lancet.
"Traumatic brain injury is a significant risk indicator for epilepsy many years after the injury," they wrote.
"Drug treatment after brain injury with the aim of preventing post-traumatic epilepsy has been discouraging, but our data suggest a long time interval for potential, preventive treatment of high-risk patients."
The researchers analyzed data taken from a national registry on traumatic brain injury and epilepsy of 1.6 million young people born in Denmark between 1977 and 2002.
Epilepsy, a condition in which people experience seizures, is incurable. Drugs can control seizures in most patients, although they sometimes cause severe side effects.
A severe brain injury puts people at high risk of epilepsy for more than a decade after they are first hurt, a finding that suggests there may be a window to prevent the condition, researchers said on Monday.
A Danish team found that the odds of epilepsy more than doubled after mild brain injury or skull fracture and was seven times more likely in patients with serious brain injury.
The risk remained even 10 years on, more so in people older than 15, Jakob Christensen and colleagues at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark and colleagues wrote in the journal Lancet.
"Traumatic brain injury is a significant risk indicator for epilepsy many years after the injury," they wrote.
"Drug treatment after brain injury with the aim of preventing post-traumatic epilepsy has been discouraging, but our data suggest a long time interval for potential, preventive treatment of high-risk patients."
The researchers analyzed data taken from a national registry on traumatic brain injury and epilepsy of 1.6 million young people born in Denmark between 1977 and 2002.
Epilepsy, a condition in which people experience seizures, is incurable. Drugs can control seizures in most patients, although they sometimes cause severe side effects.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Life in Prison for Medic Convicted of Murdering Four Iraqis
By: CNN
A U.S. Army medic was sentenced Friday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after being convicted of murdering four detainees in Iraq, a U.S. military spokesman in Germany said.
Sgt. Michael Leahy Jr., 28, was convicted on two counts of murder and premeditated murder for his role in the 2007 Baghdad area killings.
Leahy was downgraded to private, his pay will be forfeited and he'll get a dishonorable discharge if he is ever released from prison. The sentence was handed down Friday night.
Two other soldiers also face courts-martial in the case, said military spokesman Lt. Col. Eric Bloom.
Leahy was acquitted of murder in a separate incident involving the death of another Iraqi in January 2007.
A U.S. Army medic was sentenced Friday to life in prison with the possibility of parole after being convicted of murdering four detainees in Iraq, a U.S. military spokesman in Germany said.
Sgt. Michael Leahy Jr., 28, was convicted on two counts of murder and premeditated murder for his role in the 2007 Baghdad area killings.
Leahy was downgraded to private, his pay will be forfeited and he'll get a dishonorable discharge if he is ever released from prison. The sentence was handed down Friday night.
Two other soldiers also face courts-martial in the case, said military spokesman Lt. Col. Eric Bloom.
Leahy was acquitted of murder in a separate incident involving the death of another Iraqi in January 2007.
West Point Suicides Rattle Academy
By: Lisa Foderaro
It is called “the gloom period,” when the pewter skies seem to mirror the gray fortresslike buildings on campus, and cadets hustle from class to class to avoid the cold winds whipping off the Hudson River.
But this winter, the somber mood at the United States Military Academy has been deepened by two recent suicides among the 4,400 cadets — the first since 1999 — as well as two suicide attempts last month. Those followed two suicides last summer by staff members, and come as the Army is grappling with a record number of suicides among its members, many of whom have endured long deployments to war zones.
Last week, the academy — where the Army trains its future leaders and admission is highly prized — began a “stand down,” 30-day suicide-prevention program with an Army-wide training session that includes a new interactive video. It depicts a suicidal soldier and choices he confronts as he spirals downward: One set of choices leads to improved mental health, the other to tragedy.
For example, the soldier struggles with suicidal thoughts after receiving a “Dear John” e-mail message from his pregnant fiancée, who later tells him that the father is the soldier’s high school friend, who has also raided his bank account. The soldier debates whether to seek help, worrying that he will appear weak or invite ridicule.
“You’ve got cadets here, they don’t want anything to stand in the way of their graduation,” said Col. John Cook, West Point’s chaplain, as he tried to relate the video’s lessons to the campus. “We have got to get beyond this whole issue of stigma.”
Officials said that the number of cadets seeking psychiatric help had increased in the past few years, and that some had sought counseling in recent weeks.
“We do see people who are coming in who say they’d like to talk about what’s happened with these cadets and about what’s at stake,” said Lt. Col. Lorenzo Luckie, acting director of the academy’s Center for Personal Development. “They say, ‘I have a friend I’m worried about,’ and ask what kind of action they should take.”
Some wonder whether putting such a sustained spotlight on the issue had its own risks. The 30-day training will be followed by a two-month program in which leaders will communicate with every cadet and staff member about suicide prevention.
“There’s always a chance, especially when you’re talking about young people in this age group, that you can overglamorize it, and in your efforts to prevent it you actually make the situation worse,” said Col. Michael A. Deaton, West Point’s top doctor. “You can also talk about it so much that they stop listening.”
While the rise in overall Army suicides — at least 128 soldiers killed themselves in 2008, the highest number in three decades — is widely seen as related to the stresses of the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the roots of the problem here are less clear.
Brig. Gen. Michael Linnington, who oversees the cadets’ training, said he did not “think this has anything to do with the war in Iraq” but is more about pre-existing mental conditions “coupled with a tough academy that demands a lot from its people.”
But Colonel Cook, whose twin sons are third-year cadets here, noted that 66 West Point graduates had died in the wars since 9/11; he has presided over some of their funerals on campus.
“These young men and women know that they are going to deploy,” he said. “I don’t want to say they’re scared, but they know what they’re dealing with.”
The grim toll began last year when a systems engineering professor killed himself in early June. Later that month, an administrative noncommissioned officer committed suicide. Then, on Dec. 8, Alfred Fox, a junior, checked into a motel off campus and killed himself by inhaling helium from a tank as he slept.
“I actually knew him,” said Cristin Browne, a senior who serves as the public affairs officer for the Corps of Cadets. “I stood next to him in formation. He was normal. We’d joke around about cadet things.”
When cadets returned to campus for the spring semester, they learned that a freshman, Gordon Fein, had turned a gun on himself Jan. 2 while at home.
That was followed by two “gestures,” as West Point officials call them, because they were seemingly more cries for help than serious efforts at suicide. On Jan. 30, the Pentagon dispatched three officials to the campus to study the individual cases, as well as West Point’s suicide-prevention programs and counseling services. They ruled out “suicide contagion,” in which one case inspires another. None of the four suicide victims had ever been deployed to a combat zone, and all four had seen “somebody professionally at least once,” Colonel Cook said.
“Each one was very different, and there was no connection between them,” Colonel Cook said.
Before this month, West Point presented suicide-prevention information twice a year to cadets and once a year to staff. But as one cadet, Christina Quimby of Memphis, pointed out, “It’s a mass briefing, so you’re not going to be able to get through to every single person.”
The new training will unfold in small groups, requiring more focus.
Staff Sgt. Courtnee Torres, a military policewoman, who returned from her second tour in Iraq in July and is in charge of West Point’s traffic section, said she was confounded by the suicides on campus but encouraged that the Army was confronting the problem.
Comparing life at West Point with the war in Iraq, Ms. Torres said, “It’s hard for me to understand that it can be so bad when we’ve had so much worse.” While she was in Iraq, she said, another woman in her platoon took her own life.
But Matt Sinclair, a freshman, described West Point as a highly regimented place where cadets were judged on academic, physical and military development.
“People need to know that it’s not a normal college,” he said. “You’re going to be stressed. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming. If you have family problems, and it’s really bothering you, West Point is not the best place to try to resolve them.”
It is called “the gloom period,” when the pewter skies seem to mirror the gray fortresslike buildings on campus, and cadets hustle from class to class to avoid the cold winds whipping off the Hudson River.
But this winter, the somber mood at the United States Military Academy has been deepened by two recent suicides among the 4,400 cadets — the first since 1999 — as well as two suicide attempts last month. Those followed two suicides last summer by staff members, and come as the Army is grappling with a record number of suicides among its members, many of whom have endured long deployments to war zones.
Last week, the academy — where the Army trains its future leaders and admission is highly prized — began a “stand down,” 30-day suicide-prevention program with an Army-wide training session that includes a new interactive video. It depicts a suicidal soldier and choices he confronts as he spirals downward: One set of choices leads to improved mental health, the other to tragedy.
For example, the soldier struggles with suicidal thoughts after receiving a “Dear John” e-mail message from his pregnant fiancée, who later tells him that the father is the soldier’s high school friend, who has also raided his bank account. The soldier debates whether to seek help, worrying that he will appear weak or invite ridicule.
“You’ve got cadets here, they don’t want anything to stand in the way of their graduation,” said Col. John Cook, West Point’s chaplain, as he tried to relate the video’s lessons to the campus. “We have got to get beyond this whole issue of stigma.”
Officials said that the number of cadets seeking psychiatric help had increased in the past few years, and that some had sought counseling in recent weeks.
“We do see people who are coming in who say they’d like to talk about what’s happened with these cadets and about what’s at stake,” said Lt. Col. Lorenzo Luckie, acting director of the academy’s Center for Personal Development. “They say, ‘I have a friend I’m worried about,’ and ask what kind of action they should take.”
Some wonder whether putting such a sustained spotlight on the issue had its own risks. The 30-day training will be followed by a two-month program in which leaders will communicate with every cadet and staff member about suicide prevention.
“There’s always a chance, especially when you’re talking about young people in this age group, that you can overglamorize it, and in your efforts to prevent it you actually make the situation worse,” said Col. Michael A. Deaton, West Point’s top doctor. “You can also talk about it so much that they stop listening.”
While the rise in overall Army suicides — at least 128 soldiers killed themselves in 2008, the highest number in three decades — is widely seen as related to the stresses of the continuing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the roots of the problem here are less clear.
Brig. Gen. Michael Linnington, who oversees the cadets’ training, said he did not “think this has anything to do with the war in Iraq” but is more about pre-existing mental conditions “coupled with a tough academy that demands a lot from its people.”
But Colonel Cook, whose twin sons are third-year cadets here, noted that 66 West Point graduates had died in the wars since 9/11; he has presided over some of their funerals on campus.
“These young men and women know that they are going to deploy,” he said. “I don’t want to say they’re scared, but they know what they’re dealing with.”
The grim toll began last year when a systems engineering professor killed himself in early June. Later that month, an administrative noncommissioned officer committed suicide. Then, on Dec. 8, Alfred Fox, a junior, checked into a motel off campus and killed himself by inhaling helium from a tank as he slept.
“I actually knew him,” said Cristin Browne, a senior who serves as the public affairs officer for the Corps of Cadets. “I stood next to him in formation. He was normal. We’d joke around about cadet things.”
When cadets returned to campus for the spring semester, they learned that a freshman, Gordon Fein, had turned a gun on himself Jan. 2 while at home.
That was followed by two “gestures,” as West Point officials call them, because they were seemingly more cries for help than serious efforts at suicide. On Jan. 30, the Pentagon dispatched three officials to the campus to study the individual cases, as well as West Point’s suicide-prevention programs and counseling services. They ruled out “suicide contagion,” in which one case inspires another. None of the four suicide victims had ever been deployed to a combat zone, and all four had seen “somebody professionally at least once,” Colonel Cook said.
“Each one was very different, and there was no connection between them,” Colonel Cook said.
Before this month, West Point presented suicide-prevention information twice a year to cadets and once a year to staff. But as one cadet, Christina Quimby of Memphis, pointed out, “It’s a mass briefing, so you’re not going to be able to get through to every single person.”
The new training will unfold in small groups, requiring more focus.
Staff Sgt. Courtnee Torres, a military policewoman, who returned from her second tour in Iraq in July and is in charge of West Point’s traffic section, said she was confounded by the suicides on campus but encouraged that the Army was confronting the problem.
Comparing life at West Point with the war in Iraq, Ms. Torres said, “It’s hard for me to understand that it can be so bad when we’ve had so much worse.” While she was in Iraq, she said, another woman in her platoon took her own life.
But Matt Sinclair, a freshman, described West Point as a highly regimented place where cadets were judged on academic, physical and military development.
“People need to know that it’s not a normal college,” he said. “You’re going to be stressed. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming. If you have family problems, and it’s really bothering you, West Point is not the best place to try to resolve them.”
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Second Soldier at Fort Leonard Wood Dies of Meningitis
By: Associated Press
A second soldier stationed at Fort Leonard Wood has died of meningitis.
Army officials said the soldier, Pvt. Randy Stabnick, 28, of South Bend, Ind., died at a hospital in Springfield.
A 23-year-old soldier from Alabama died Feb. 9. His name and hometown were not released at his family’s request.
Officials said the deaths were a result of pneumococcal meningitis, a bacterial strain. Lt. Col. John Lowery, the chief medical officer at the base, characterized the strain as non-contagious and said no one else showed signs of the disease.
A second soldier stationed at Fort Leonard Wood has died of meningitis.
Army officials said the soldier, Pvt. Randy Stabnick, 28, of South Bend, Ind., died at a hospital in Springfield.
A 23-year-old soldier from Alabama died Feb. 9. His name and hometown were not released at his family’s request.
Officials said the deaths were a result of pneumococcal meningitis, a bacterial strain. Lt. Col. John Lowery, the chief medical officer at the base, characterized the strain as non-contagious and said no one else showed signs of the disease.
Personnel at Fort Polk Cleared After Exposure to Blistering Substance
All personnel exposed to a blistering substance dug up at the Army's Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk have been medically cleared, a release from Fort Polk says.
Three glass vials were accidentally broken when a backhoe operator dug them up during construction on North Fort Polk. Preliminary tests suggested the substance was a diluted mustard and blistering agent, according to experts from Pine Bluff Arsenal, Ark.
John Costa, installation safety officer, said the vials were likely from a Chemical Agent Identification Set. The sets were used to train soldiers during World War II and the Vietnam War, specifically on how to identify and decontaminate chemical agents. Vials would be detonated by blasting caps, then soldiers would walk through the cloud to become familiar with the odor. Similar training is often conducted by police and emergency personnel to better understand the effects of tear gas and other crowd control agents.
"The vials were uncovered in an area of North Fort where World War II structures are located," Costa said. "This is an area that hasn't seen any construction since the 1940s. And we all know the massive amount of training that took place on the installation during World War II and the Vietnam conflict."
Similar training also was conducted on parts of the east reservation of Barksdale Air Force Base when it was under Army control during World War II.
After the vials were uncovered, a decontamination tent was set up on site. Following decontamination, exposed personnel were taken to Bayne-Jones Community Army Hospital, where they were evaluated, cleared and released. They were also cleared during a follow-up exam.
Before Environmental Protection Agency regulations were introduced in the 1970s, burial was a standard and approved method of vial disposal.
Costa said vials have been found on Fort Polk before.
"We've had vials uncovered at the golf course in the 1990s and at one of the ranges back in the 1980s," he said. "In both cases, these were old training sets."
Three glass vials were accidentally broken when a backhoe operator dug them up during construction on North Fort Polk. Preliminary tests suggested the substance was a diluted mustard and blistering agent, according to experts from Pine Bluff Arsenal, Ark.
John Costa, installation safety officer, said the vials were likely from a Chemical Agent Identification Set. The sets were used to train soldiers during World War II and the Vietnam War, specifically on how to identify and decontaminate chemical agents. Vials would be detonated by blasting caps, then soldiers would walk through the cloud to become familiar with the odor. Similar training is often conducted by police and emergency personnel to better understand the effects of tear gas and other crowd control agents.
"The vials were uncovered in an area of North Fort where World War II structures are located," Costa said. "This is an area that hasn't seen any construction since the 1940s. And we all know the massive amount of training that took place on the installation during World War II and the Vietnam conflict."
Similar training also was conducted on parts of the east reservation of Barksdale Air Force Base when it was under Army control during World War II.
After the vials were uncovered, a decontamination tent was set up on site. Following decontamination, exposed personnel were taken to Bayne-Jones Community Army Hospital, where they were evaluated, cleared and released. They were also cleared during a follow-up exam.
Before Environmental Protection Agency regulations were introduced in the 1970s, burial was a standard and approved method of vial disposal.
Costa said vials have been found on Fort Polk before.
"We've had vials uncovered at the golf course in the 1990s and at one of the ranges back in the 1980s," he said. "In both cases, these were old training sets."
Louisiana's Veterans Office Receives Criticizing Audit
The Louisiana agency that deals with benefits for veterans needs to improve its communications with the state's roughly 360,000 former soldiers, sailors and airmen, audit released this week says.
The Legislative Auditor's Office's report was critical of the Department of Veterans Affairs on two fronts: poor outreach to veterans and the scattered distribution of Veteran's Affairs offices around the state.
Auditors said the agency too often fails to communicate to veterans the benefits they're entitled to. Auditors also said the agency has too few workers in urban areas and too many in sparsely populated areas.
Lane Carson, secretary of the department and a decorated, combat-wounded Army veteran of the Vietnam War, said he agreed with some of the conclusions in the report. But defended his agency and its work on the day of the audit's release and in words more than a week ago at Barksdale Air Force Base.
"We're doing a damn good job," Carson said. "We're delivering the resources we've got."
Carson said state law requires that DVA workers be posted in every parish, with local governments partially paying for salaries and office space. And in his talk at Patrick Hall on Barksdale Feb. 7, he specifically cited his agency's activities and representatives in Bossier, Caddo, DeSoto and Webster parishes as among the most visible and most appreciated in the state, to loud applause from a crowd of hundreds of active-duty and retired military.
Carson said northwest Louisiana is one of his bragging areas in terms of the concentration of veterans, services and special facilities such as the Northwest Louisiana War Veterans Home, the Northwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery and the federally run Overton Brooks VA Medical Center over which he has no control but that works hand-in-glove with his agency.
He said caring for the needs of veterans, who bring in well over a billion dollars to the state each year, is not just good sense, but an obligation for the sacrifices and services veterans rendered.
"How do you put a value on (that service?)" he asked the crowd at Barksdale. "How do you quantify paying back people who gave their lives, who gave their time, gave their families? You cannot, You can't quantify that, you cannot pay them back. It is a debt we owe our veterans for providing us security and freedom."
The Legislative Auditor's Office's report was critical of the Department of Veterans Affairs on two fronts: poor outreach to veterans and the scattered distribution of Veteran's Affairs offices around the state.
Auditors said the agency too often fails to communicate to veterans the benefits they're entitled to. Auditors also said the agency has too few workers in urban areas and too many in sparsely populated areas.
Lane Carson, secretary of the department and a decorated, combat-wounded Army veteran of the Vietnam War, said he agreed with some of the conclusions in the report. But defended his agency and its work on the day of the audit's release and in words more than a week ago at Barksdale Air Force Base.
"We're doing a damn good job," Carson said. "We're delivering the resources we've got."
Carson said state law requires that DVA workers be posted in every parish, with local governments partially paying for salaries and office space. And in his talk at Patrick Hall on Barksdale Feb. 7, he specifically cited his agency's activities and representatives in Bossier, Caddo, DeSoto and Webster parishes as among the most visible and most appreciated in the state, to loud applause from a crowd of hundreds of active-duty and retired military.
Carson said northwest Louisiana is one of his bragging areas in terms of the concentration of veterans, services and special facilities such as the Northwest Louisiana War Veterans Home, the Northwest Louisiana Veterans Cemetery and the federally run Overton Brooks VA Medical Center over which he has no control but that works hand-in-glove with his agency.
He said caring for the needs of veterans, who bring in well over a billion dollars to the state each year, is not just good sense, but an obligation for the sacrifices and services veterans rendered.
"How do you put a value on (that service?)" he asked the crowd at Barksdale. "How do you quantify paying back people who gave their lives, who gave their time, gave their families? You cannot, You can't quantify that, you cannot pay them back. It is a debt we owe our veterans for providing us security and freedom."
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Fort Leonard Wood Soldier Dead of Meningitis
By: Associated Press
One soldier is dead of meningitis at Fort Leonard Wood and a second is “very seriously ill,” officials at the Army base in southern Missouri said. Officials released few details and did not identify either soldier.
Both cases involved noncontagious forms of meningitis, the authorities said. The two soldiers were members of the same unit, but no connection has been found between the cases.
“Although difficult to comprehend, all clinical data show these cases are unrelated and purely coincidental,” said Lt. Col. John Lowery, deputy commander for clinical services at the base.
The first soldier died after meningitis was diagnosed on Feb. 5. The second soldier is a 28-year-old who received a diagnosis of strep pneumonia leading to meningitis on Friday.
The authorities said that although the illnesses were non-contagious forms, they were “heightening awareness” of preventive measures.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Surgeon General’s Office and the Army Medical Command are reviewing the cases. Meningitis kills about 300 people in the United States each year.
One soldier is dead of meningitis at Fort Leonard Wood and a second is “very seriously ill,” officials at the Army base in southern Missouri said. Officials released few details and did not identify either soldier.
Both cases involved noncontagious forms of meningitis, the authorities said. The two soldiers were members of the same unit, but no connection has been found between the cases.
“Although difficult to comprehend, all clinical data show these cases are unrelated and purely coincidental,” said Lt. Col. John Lowery, deputy commander for clinical services at the base.
The first soldier died after meningitis was diagnosed on Feb. 5. The second soldier is a 28-year-old who received a diagnosis of strep pneumonia leading to meningitis on Friday.
The authorities said that although the illnesses were non-contagious forms, they were “heightening awareness” of preventive measures.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Surgeon General’s Office and the Army Medical Command are reviewing the cases. Meningitis kills about 300 people in the United States each year.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
AWOL Iraq Veteran Commits Suicide
By: AP
A U.S. Marine who fatally shot himself after sneaking into Canada had served two terms in Iraq, officials said Saturday.
Timothy Scott, 22, had been wanted by the military for abandoning his unit. He turned a pistol on himself Thursday outside his mother's home in Nova Scotia after police tried to talk him out of firing the gun.
A statement released by Camp Lejeune in North Carolina said Scott had been deployed to Iraq for eight months in 2007 and for seven months in 2008.
The Marine rifleman, who was assigned to headquarters and the support battalion at Camp Lejeune, had joined the Marine Corps in 2005, the statement said.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Scott, who left his unit sometime around Feb. 10, arrived at his mother's home on Feb. 12 and initially threatened her before turning the gun on himself.
Cpl. Melissa McCoy, a Marine spokeswoman at Camp Lejeune, said Scott had been listed as leaving the unit in what the military called an "unauthorized absence," meaning he had been away from the base for less than 30 days. After that, he would be considered a deserter.
Top senators on the Veterans Affairs Committee have asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki to convene a joint oversight committee meeting to address military suicides. The U.S. Army had its highest rate of suicide on record in 2008.
A U.S. Marine who fatally shot himself after sneaking into Canada had served two terms in Iraq, officials said Saturday.
Timothy Scott, 22, had been wanted by the military for abandoning his unit. He turned a pistol on himself Thursday outside his mother's home in Nova Scotia after police tried to talk him out of firing the gun.
A statement released by Camp Lejeune in North Carolina said Scott had been deployed to Iraq for eight months in 2007 and for seven months in 2008.
The Marine rifleman, who was assigned to headquarters and the support battalion at Camp Lejeune, had joined the Marine Corps in 2005, the statement said.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police said Scott, who left his unit sometime around Feb. 10, arrived at his mother's home on Feb. 12 and initially threatened her before turning the gun on himself.
Cpl. Melissa McCoy, a Marine spokeswoman at Camp Lejeune, said Scott had been listed as leaving the unit in what the military called an "unauthorized absence," meaning he had been away from the base for less than 30 days. After that, he would be considered a deserter.
Top senators on the Veterans Affairs Committee have asked Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki to convene a joint oversight committee meeting to address military suicides. The U.S. Army had its highest rate of suicide on record in 2008.
Military to Become a Road to Citizenship
By: Julia Preston
Stretched thin in Afghanistan and Iraq, the American military will begin recruiting skilled immigrants who are living in this country with temporary visas, offering them the chance to become United States citizens in as little as six months.
Immigrants who are permanent residents, with documents commonly known as green cards, have long been eligible to enlist. But the new effort, for the first time since the Vietnam War, will open the arm d forces to temporary immigrants if they have lived in the United States for a minimum of two years, according to military officials familiar with the plan.
Recruiters expect that the temporary immigrants will have more education, foreign language skills and prof ssional expertise than many Americans who enlist, helping the military to fill shortages in medical care, language interpretation and field intelligence analysis.
“The American Army finds itself in a lot of different countries where cultural awareness is critical,” said Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, the top recruitment officer for the Army, which is leading the pilot program. “There will be some very talented folks in this group.”
The program will begin small — limited to 1,000 enlistees nationwide in its first year, most for the Army and some for other branches. If the pilot program succeeds as Pentagon officials anticipate, it will expand for all branches of the military. For the Army, it could eventually provide as many as 14,000 volunteers a year, or about one in six recruits.
About 8,000 permanent immigrants with green cards join the armed forces annually, the Pentagon reports, and about 29,000 foreign-born people currently serving are not American citizens.
Although the Pentagon has had wartime authority to recruit immigrants since shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, military officials have moved cautiously to lay the legal groundwork for the temporary immigrant program to avoid controversy within the ranks and among veterans over the prospect of large numbers of immigrants in the armed forces.
A preliminary Pentagon announcement of the program last year drew a stream of angry comments from officers and veterans on Military.com, a Web site they frequent.
Marty Justis, executive director of the national headquarters of the American Legion, the veterans’ organization, said that while the group opposes “any great influx of immigrants” to the United States, it would not object to recruiting temporary immigrants as long as they passed tough background checks. But he said the immigrants’ allegiance to the United States “must take precedence over and above any ties they may have with their native country.”
The military does not allow illegal immigrants to enlist, and that policy would not change, officers said. Recruiting officials pointed out that volunteers with temporary visas would have already passed a security screening and would have shown that they had no criminal record.
“The Army will gain in its strength in human capital,” General Freakley said, “and the immigrants will gain their citizenship and get on a ramp to the American dream.”
In recent years, as American forces faced combat in two wars and recruiters struggled to meet their goals for the all-volunteer military, thousands of legal immigrants with temporary visas who tried to enlist were turned away because they lacked permanent green cards, recruiting officers said.
Recruiters’ work became easier in the last few months as unemployment soared and more Americans sought to join the military. But the Pentagon, facing a new deployment of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, still has difficulties in attracting doctors, specialized nurses and language experts.
Several types of temporary work visas require college or advanced degrees or professional expertise, and immigrants who are working as doctors and nurses in the United States have already been certified by American medical boards.
Military figures show that only 82 percent of about 80,000 Army recruits last year had high school diplomas. According to new figures, the Army provided waivers to 18 percent of active-duty recruits in the final four months of last year, allowing them to enlist despite medical conditions or criminal records.
Military officials want to attract immigrants who have native knowledge of languages and cultures that the Pentagon considers strategically vital. The program will also be open to students and refugees.
The Army’s one-year pilot program will begin in New York City to recruit about 550 temporary immigrants who speak one or more of 35 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Igbo (a tongue spoken in Nigeria), Kurdish, Nepalese, Pashto, Russian and Tamil. Spanish speakers are not eligible. The Army’s program will also include about 300 medical professionals to be recruited nationwide. Recruiting will start after Department of Homeland Security officials update an immigration rule in coming days.
Pentagon officials expect that the lure of accelerated citizenship will be powerful. Under a statute invoked in 2002 by the Bush administration, immigrants who serve in the military can apply to become citizens on the first day of active service, and they can take the oath in as little as six months.
For foreigners who come to work or study in the United States on temporary visas, the path to citizenship is uncertain and at best agonizingly long, often lasting more than a decade. The military also waives naturalization fees, which are at least $675.
To enlist, temporary immigrants will have to prove that they have lived in the United States for two years and have not been out of the country for longer than 90 days during that time. They will have to pass an English test.
Language experts will have to serve four years of active duty, and health care professionals will serve three years of active duty or six years in the Reserves. If the immigrants do not complete their service honorably, they could lose their citizenship.
Commenters who vented their suspicions of the program on Military.com said it could be used by terrorists to penetrate the armed forces.
At a street corner recruiting station in Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, Staff Sgt. Alejandro Campos of the Army said he had already fielded calls from temporary immigrants who heard rumors about the program.
“We’re going to give people the opportunity to be part of the United States who are dying to be part of this country and they weren’t able to before now,” said Sergeant Campos, who was born in the Dominican Republic and became a United States citizen after he joined the Army.
Sergeant Campos said he saw how useful it was to have soldiers who were native Arabic speakers during two tours in Iraq.
“The first time around we didn’t have soldier translators,” he said. “But now that we have soldiers as translators, we are able to trust more, we are able to accomplish the mission with more accuracy.”
Stretched thin in Afghanistan and Iraq, the American military will begin recruiting skilled immigrants who are living in this country with temporary visas, offering them the chance to become United States citizens in as little as six months.
Immigrants who are permanent residents, with documents commonly known as green cards, have long been eligible to enlist. But the new effort, for the first time since the Vietnam War, will open the arm d forces to temporary immigrants if they have lived in the United States for a minimum of two years, according to military officials familiar with the plan.
Recruiters expect that the temporary immigrants will have more education, foreign language skills and prof ssional expertise than many Americans who enlist, helping the military to fill shortages in medical care, language interpretation and field intelligence analysis.
“The American Army finds itself in a lot of different countries where cultural awareness is critical,” said Lt. Gen. Benjamin C. Freakley, the top recruitment officer for the Army, which is leading the pilot program. “There will be some very talented folks in this group.”
The program will begin small — limited to 1,000 enlistees nationwide in its first year, most for the Army and some for other branches. If the pilot program succeeds as Pentagon officials anticipate, it will expand for all branches of the military. For the Army, it could eventually provide as many as 14,000 volunteers a year, or about one in six recruits.
About 8,000 permanent immigrants with green cards join the armed forces annually, the Pentagon reports, and about 29,000 foreign-born people currently serving are not American citizens.
Although the Pentagon has had wartime authority to recruit immigrants since shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, military officials have moved cautiously to lay the legal groundwork for the temporary immigrant program to avoid controversy within the ranks and among veterans over the prospect of large numbers of immigrants in the armed forces.
A preliminary Pentagon announcement of the program last year drew a stream of angry comments from officers and veterans on Military.com, a Web site they frequent.
Marty Justis, executive director of the national headquarters of the American Legion, the veterans’ organization, said that while the group opposes “any great influx of immigrants” to the United States, it would not object to recruiting temporary immigrants as long as they passed tough background checks. But he said the immigrants’ allegiance to the United States “must take precedence over and above any ties they may have with their native country.”
The military does not allow illegal immigrants to enlist, and that policy would not change, officers said. Recruiting officials pointed out that volunteers with temporary visas would have already passed a security screening and would have shown that they had no criminal record.
“The Army will gain in its strength in human capital,” General Freakley said, “and the immigrants will gain their citizenship and get on a ramp to the American dream.”
In recent years, as American forces faced combat in two wars and recruiters struggled to meet their goals for the all-volunteer military, thousands of legal immigrants with temporary visas who tried to enlist were turned away because they lacked permanent green cards, recruiting officers said.
Recruiters’ work became easier in the last few months as unemployment soared and more Americans sought to join the military. But the Pentagon, facing a new deployment of 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, still has difficulties in attracting doctors, specialized nurses and language experts.
Several types of temporary work visas require college or advanced degrees or professional expertise, and immigrants who are working as doctors and nurses in the United States have already been certified by American medical boards.
Military figures show that only 82 percent of about 80,000 Army recruits last year had high school diplomas. According to new figures, the Army provided waivers to 18 percent of active-duty recruits in the final four months of last year, allowing them to enlist despite medical conditions or criminal records.
Military officials want to attract immigrants who have native knowledge of languages and cultures that the Pentagon considers strategically vital. The program will also be open to students and refugees.
The Army’s one-year pilot program will begin in New York City to recruit about 550 temporary immigrants who speak one or more of 35 languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Igbo (a tongue spoken in Nigeria), Kurdish, Nepalese, Pashto, Russian and Tamil. Spanish speakers are not eligible. The Army’s program will also include about 300 medical professionals to be recruited nationwide. Recruiting will start after Department of Homeland Security officials update an immigration rule in coming days.
Pentagon officials expect that the lure of accelerated citizenship will be powerful. Under a statute invoked in 2002 by the Bush administration, immigrants who serve in the military can apply to become citizens on the first day of active service, and they can take the oath in as little as six months.
For foreigners who come to work or study in the United States on temporary visas, the path to citizenship is uncertain and at best agonizingly long, often lasting more than a decade. The military also waives naturalization fees, which are at least $675.
To enlist, temporary immigrants will have to prove that they have lived in the United States for two years and have not been out of the country for longer than 90 days during that time. They will have to pass an English test.
Language experts will have to serve four years of active duty, and health care professionals will serve three years of active duty or six years in the Reserves. If the immigrants do not complete their service honorably, they could lose their citizenship.
Commenters who vented their suspicions of the program on Military.com said it could be used by terrorists to penetrate the armed forces.
At a street corner recruiting station in Bay Ridge in Brooklyn, Staff Sgt. Alejandro Campos of the Army said he had already fielded calls from temporary immigrants who heard rumors about the program.
“We’re going to give people the opportunity to be part of the United States who are dying to be part of this country and they weren’t able to before now,” said Sergeant Campos, who was born in the Dominican Republic and became a United States citizen after he joined the Army.
Sergeant Campos said he saw how useful it was to have soldiers who were native Arabic speakers during two tours in Iraq.
“The first time around we didn’t have soldier translators,” he said. “But now that we have soldiers as translators, we are able to trust more, we are able to accomplish the mission with more accuracy.”
Saturday, February 14, 2009
74 Year Old Army Doctor Headed to Afghanistan
By: Associated Press
Dr. John Burson balked when a skeptical Army staffer asked him to undergo a three-day physical exam to make sure he was fit to deploy as a field surgeon to Afghanistan.
"Look, I'm training to run a half-marathon," replied Burson, 74, a retired lieutenant colonel. "You come down and check to see if I can make it."
Burson won the debate and was declared fit for duty. The ear, nose and throat specialist from northwest Georgia wrapped up a weeklong training course this week at Fort Benning before his scheduled deployment Friday for a 90-day rotation with a unit of the 101st Airborne Division.
The first of two stints in Iraq proved unforgettable back in 2005, he said. Burson was among several doctors assigned to keep watch over an imprisoned Saddam Hussein.
The fallen dictator, who was three years younger than Burson, told him: "I'm glad they sent me one with gray hair this time."
Several of Burson's uncles and cousins enlisted during World War II, inspiring him to seek an Army officer's commission in the 1950s. But it would be five decades before he went to war.
By the time Burson was trained as a young officer, the Korean War was winding down. Years later, after he left active duty to join the Army Reserve, his unit was told to prepare for a tour in Vietnam. But the call never came.
Burson retired from military service in 1985 and thought he'd hung up his uniform for good. Then an e-mail came a few years ago from the Army's surgeon general, who was seeking retired military doctors to volunteer for rotations in Iraq.
'He enjoys doing it'Burson, then 70, sent a reply asking if he was too old. The answer led to his first war tour.
"He likes to say, 'Where else can a 74-year-old go and have fun?'" said Barbara Burson, his wife of 53 years. "I don't know if I see it as fun, but he enjoys doing it. And anyone would feel good about being able to contribute."
Burson isn't the oldest service member to deploy since the U.S. went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he's certainly atypical.
It's not clear how many others in their 70s have volunteered, or who's the oldest, said Wayne Hall, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon. Retired Army Reserve Col. William Bernhard, a Maryland physician, was 75 when he served in Afghanistan in 2006.
Burson keeps a steady exercise regimen, working out four to five times a week lifting weights, playing racquetball and occasionally mountain biking. Burson runs on an elliptical machine at home, which is easier on his knees. He used it to run the 12-mile half-marathon to sway the Army from requiring a new physical exam.
However, all deploying soldiers must answer questions about their overall health during a screening. Army doctors can order a physical if there are concerns, said Master Sgt. Keith O'Donnell, a spokesman for the Army's Human Resources Command.
Before his first rotation to Iraq four years ago, Burson had to pass a physical exam and the Army fitness test. Soldiers 62 and older have to do 16 push-ups and 26 sit-ups, and run 2 miles in 20 minutes. The youngest recruits must do twice as many push-ups and sit-ups, and run 2 miles in less than 16 minutes.
These days, Burson said, his preparation involves more paperwork than physical training, though he does have to go to the firing range to qualify with a 9mm handgun — the only weapon he'll carry.
"I'm not really a very good shot," Burson said. "I could probably do better throwing the pistol at a target."
'He doesn't look 74'
In Afghanistan, Burson will oversee a medical staff treating about 1,000 soldiers. He'll likely spend much of his time working in a base clinic, but could be called to treat soldiers wounded during combat patrols. When he served in Iraq, it wasn't unusual for him to work through mortar rounds being fired at his base camp.
"There's an element of risk," Burson said. "But statistically it's probably not any more hazardous than driving to work."
Lt. Col. Twanda Young said about 400 soldiers, reservists and civilian contractors go through the Fort Benning training center she commands each week, preparing to join units already overseas. Burson isn't the only gray-haired volunteer she's seen — but she said his abilities make his age irrelevant.
"He doesn't look 74," Young said. "He's very vibrant. He just wants to soldier like anybody else, which is a testament to his character."
Burson's wife said it's not surprising he wants to keep soldiering. Retiring doesn't seem to be in his blood.
Several years ago, she said, Burson planned to retire from his medical practice and turn it over to his partner. When it came time to sign the paperwork, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Could Afghanistan be her husband's last deployment?
"We can't help but hope that," Barbara Burson said. "He doesn't make any promises."
Dr. John Burson balked when a skeptical Army staffer asked him to undergo a three-day physical exam to make sure he was fit to deploy as a field surgeon to Afghanistan.
"Look, I'm training to run a half-marathon," replied Burson, 74, a retired lieutenant colonel. "You come down and check to see if I can make it."
Burson won the debate and was declared fit for duty. The ear, nose and throat specialist from northwest Georgia wrapped up a weeklong training course this week at Fort Benning before his scheduled deployment Friday for a 90-day rotation with a unit of the 101st Airborne Division.
The first of two stints in Iraq proved unforgettable back in 2005, he said. Burson was among several doctors assigned to keep watch over an imprisoned Saddam Hussein.
The fallen dictator, who was three years younger than Burson, told him: "I'm glad they sent me one with gray hair this time."
Several of Burson's uncles and cousins enlisted during World War II, inspiring him to seek an Army officer's commission in the 1950s. But it would be five decades before he went to war.
By the time Burson was trained as a young officer, the Korean War was winding down. Years later, after he left active duty to join the Army Reserve, his unit was told to prepare for a tour in Vietnam. But the call never came.
Burson retired from military service in 1985 and thought he'd hung up his uniform for good. Then an e-mail came a few years ago from the Army's surgeon general, who was seeking retired military doctors to volunteer for rotations in Iraq.
'He enjoys doing it'Burson, then 70, sent a reply asking if he was too old. The answer led to his first war tour.
"He likes to say, 'Where else can a 74-year-old go and have fun?'" said Barbara Burson, his wife of 53 years. "I don't know if I see it as fun, but he enjoys doing it. And anyone would feel good about being able to contribute."
Burson isn't the oldest service member to deploy since the U.S. went to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he's certainly atypical.
It's not clear how many others in their 70s have volunteered, or who's the oldest, said Wayne Hall, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon. Retired Army Reserve Col. William Bernhard, a Maryland physician, was 75 when he served in Afghanistan in 2006.
Burson keeps a steady exercise regimen, working out four to five times a week lifting weights, playing racquetball and occasionally mountain biking. Burson runs on an elliptical machine at home, which is easier on his knees. He used it to run the 12-mile half-marathon to sway the Army from requiring a new physical exam.
However, all deploying soldiers must answer questions about their overall health during a screening. Army doctors can order a physical if there are concerns, said Master Sgt. Keith O'Donnell, a spokesman for the Army's Human Resources Command.
Before his first rotation to Iraq four years ago, Burson had to pass a physical exam and the Army fitness test. Soldiers 62 and older have to do 16 push-ups and 26 sit-ups, and run 2 miles in 20 minutes. The youngest recruits must do twice as many push-ups and sit-ups, and run 2 miles in less than 16 minutes.
These days, Burson said, his preparation involves more paperwork than physical training, though he does have to go to the firing range to qualify with a 9mm handgun — the only weapon he'll carry.
"I'm not really a very good shot," Burson said. "I could probably do better throwing the pistol at a target."
'He doesn't look 74'
In Afghanistan, Burson will oversee a medical staff treating about 1,000 soldiers. He'll likely spend much of his time working in a base clinic, but could be called to treat soldiers wounded during combat patrols. When he served in Iraq, it wasn't unusual for him to work through mortar rounds being fired at his base camp.
"There's an element of risk," Burson said. "But statistically it's probably not any more hazardous than driving to work."
Lt. Col. Twanda Young said about 400 soldiers, reservists and civilian contractors go through the Fort Benning training center she commands each week, preparing to join units already overseas. Burson isn't the only gray-haired volunteer she's seen — but she said his abilities make his age irrelevant.
"He doesn't look 74," Young said. "He's very vibrant. He just wants to soldier like anybody else, which is a testament to his character."
Burson's wife said it's not surprising he wants to keep soldiering. Retiring doesn't seem to be in his blood.
Several years ago, she said, Burson planned to retire from his medical practice and turn it over to his partner. When it came time to sign the paperwork, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Could Afghanistan be her husband's last deployment?
"We can't help but hope that," Barbara Burson said. "He doesn't make any promises."
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Coincidence? Third Soldier Who Signed Critical Column Against Iraq War Dies
By: CNN
A third soldier who signed on to a 2007 newspaper column criticizing the war in Iraq has died.
His peers are mourning their friend as an "outstanding soldier" with "a thirst for knowledge and intellectual curiosity."
Spc. Jeremy Roebuck, 23, of Splendora, Texas, died from injuries after a January 28 automobile accident near Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The paratrooper was an assistant team leader with 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, according to a news release issued by the military.
A relative confirmed that he was one of the people to sign an August 19, 2007, opinion article in The New York Times that called the prospects of U.S. success in Iraq "far-fetched" and said the progress being reported was offset by failures elsewhere.
Seven soldiers, members of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, signed the column.
In September 2007, two of the other U.S. soldiers who signed the piece were killed in a truck accident outside Baghdad, Staff Sgt. Yance Gray and Sgt. Omar Mora.
As for Roebuck, he reported to Fort Bragg in November 2004 and was initially assigned to 3rd Brigade Combat Team before being assigned to 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment as an assistant team leader in November 2005. He deployed to Iraq in 2006, the military said.
"Spc. Roebuck was an outstanding soldier who was respected by both his peers and his superiors alike. He had proven himself in combat on the front lines in Iraq and had established himself as an upcoming leader in the unit. He was a good man and will be profoundly missed by the men of C Troop," said Capt. Jon Hartsock, commander of C Troop, 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment.
Named as a sergeant in The Times article, Roebuck was listed at the lower rank of specialist when he died. A military spokesman would not elaborate on the circumstances involving his rank.
The Times column said, "Four years into our occupation, we have failed on every promise, while we have substituted Baath Party tyranny with a tyranny of Islamist, militia and criminal violence.
"When the primary preoccupation of average Iraqis is when and how they are likely to be killed, we can hardly feel smug as we hand out care packages," it said.
Another of the soldiers who signed the article, Staff Sgt. Jeremy Murphy, was shot in the head a week before the article appeared, but survived.
The military, in its news release on the death, said Roebuck's friends remember him as "a rare and gifted soldier." He received many awards and decorations.
"Spc. Roebuck is known throughout the troop for his consistent displays of courage and determination in 16 months of combat," Sgt. Buddhika Jayamaha said, "but he is also known for his thirst for knowledge and intellectual curiosity."
Sgt. Buddhika Jayamaha is one of the seven names on The Times article.
A third soldier who signed on to a 2007 newspaper column criticizing the war in Iraq has died.
His peers are mourning their friend as an "outstanding soldier" with "a thirst for knowledge and intellectual curiosity."
Spc. Jeremy Roebuck, 23, of Splendora, Texas, died from injuries after a January 28 automobile accident near Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
The paratrooper was an assistant team leader with 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, according to a news release issued by the military.
A relative confirmed that he was one of the people to sign an August 19, 2007, opinion article in The New York Times that called the prospects of U.S. success in Iraq "far-fetched" and said the progress being reported was offset by failures elsewhere.
Seven soldiers, members of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, signed the column.
In September 2007, two of the other U.S. soldiers who signed the piece were killed in a truck accident outside Baghdad, Staff Sgt. Yance Gray and Sgt. Omar Mora.
As for Roebuck, he reported to Fort Bragg in November 2004 and was initially assigned to 3rd Brigade Combat Team before being assigned to 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment as an assistant team leader in November 2005. He deployed to Iraq in 2006, the military said.
"Spc. Roebuck was an outstanding soldier who was respected by both his peers and his superiors alike. He had proven himself in combat on the front lines in Iraq and had established himself as an upcoming leader in the unit. He was a good man and will be profoundly missed by the men of C Troop," said Capt. Jon Hartsock, commander of C Troop, 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment.
Named as a sergeant in The Times article, Roebuck was listed at the lower rank of specialist when he died. A military spokesman would not elaborate on the circumstances involving his rank.
The Times column said, "Four years into our occupation, we have failed on every promise, while we have substituted Baath Party tyranny with a tyranny of Islamist, militia and criminal violence.
"When the primary preoccupation of average Iraqis is when and how they are likely to be killed, we can hardly feel smug as we hand out care packages," it said.
Another of the soldiers who signed the article, Staff Sgt. Jeremy Murphy, was shot in the head a week before the article appeared, but survived.
The military, in its news release on the death, said Roebuck's friends remember him as "a rare and gifted soldier." He received many awards and decorations.
"Spc. Roebuck is known throughout the troop for his consistent displays of courage and determination in 16 months of combat," Sgt. Buddhika Jayamaha said, "but he is also known for his thirst for knowledge and intellectual curiosity."
Sgt. Buddhika Jayamaha is one of the seven names on The Times article.
Army Suicides Increased for January
By: Associated Press
The Army is investigating what appears to be a stunning number of suicides in January — a count that could surpass all combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan last month.
According to figures obtained by The Associated Press, there were 24 suspected suicides in January, compared to only four in January of 2008, six in January of 2007 and 10 in January of 2006.
Yearly suicides have been rising steadily since 2004 amid increasing stress on the force from long and repeated tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The service has rarely, if ever, released a month-by-month update on suicides, but officials said Thursday that they wanted to re-emphasize "the urgency and seriousness necessary for preventive action at all levels" of the force.
An alarmed Army leadership also took the unusual step of briefing congressional leaders on the information Thursday morning.
The monthly count follows an annual report last week showing that soldiers killed themselves at the highest rate on record in 2008. The toll for all of last year — 128 confirmed and 15 pending investigation — was an increase for the fourth straight year and even surpassed the suicide rate among civilians.
General: Urgency heightened
"The trend and trajectory seen in January further heightens the seriousness and urgency that all of us must have in preventing suicides," Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff, said of the new monthly report Thursday.
The 24 suspected January suicides include seven confirmed and 17 still being investigated. Usually the vast majority of suspected suicides are eventually confirmed, and if that holds true it would mean that self-inflicted deaths surpassed the 16 combat deaths reported in all branches of the armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan last month.
In announcing the 2008 figures last week, the Army said it would hold special training from Feb. 15 to March 15 to help troops recognize suicidal behaviors and to intervene if they see such behavior in a buddy. After that, the Army also plans a suicide prevention program for all soldiers from the top of the chain of command down.
Yearly increases in suicides have been recorded since 2004, when there were 64 all year. Officials said they found that the most common factors were soldiers suffering problems with their personal relationships, legal or financial issues and problems on the job.
No cause determined
But Army Secretary Pete Geren acknowledged last week that officials have been stumped by the spiraling cases.
"Why do the numbers keep going up? We cannot tell you," Geren said at a Pentagon press conference last week. "We can tell you that across the Army we're committed to doing everything we can to address the problem."
The relentless rise in suicides has frustrated the service, coming despite numerous attempts to stem the tide through additional suicide prevention training, the hiring of more psychiatrists and other mental health staff, and other programs both at home and at the battlefront for troops and their families.
In addition to suicide prevention programs, the Defense Department also has been working to encourage troops to seek mental health care by reducing the stigma associated with getting help. Officials believe many who need help don't get it because they fear it will hurt their careers.
In October, the Army and the National Institute of Mental Health signed an agreement to do a five-year study to identify factors affecting the mental and behavioral health of soldiers and come up with intervention strategies at intervals along the way.
The Army is investigating what appears to be a stunning number of suicides in January — a count that could surpass all combat deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan last month.
According to figures obtained by The Associated Press, there were 24 suspected suicides in January, compared to only four in January of 2008, six in January of 2007 and 10 in January of 2006.
Yearly suicides have been rising steadily since 2004 amid increasing stress on the force from long and repeated tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The service has rarely, if ever, released a month-by-month update on suicides, but officials said Thursday that they wanted to re-emphasize "the urgency and seriousness necessary for preventive action at all levels" of the force.
An alarmed Army leadership also took the unusual step of briefing congressional leaders on the information Thursday morning.
The monthly count follows an annual report last week showing that soldiers killed themselves at the highest rate on record in 2008. The toll for all of last year — 128 confirmed and 15 pending investigation — was an increase for the fourth straight year and even surpassed the suicide rate among civilians.
General: Urgency heightened
"The trend and trajectory seen in January further heightens the seriousness and urgency that all of us must have in preventing suicides," Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff, said of the new monthly report Thursday.
The 24 suspected January suicides include seven confirmed and 17 still being investigated. Usually the vast majority of suspected suicides are eventually confirmed, and if that holds true it would mean that self-inflicted deaths surpassed the 16 combat deaths reported in all branches of the armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan last month.
In announcing the 2008 figures last week, the Army said it would hold special training from Feb. 15 to March 15 to help troops recognize suicidal behaviors and to intervene if they see such behavior in a buddy. After that, the Army also plans a suicide prevention program for all soldiers from the top of the chain of command down.
Yearly increases in suicides have been recorded since 2004, when there were 64 all year. Officials said they found that the most common factors were soldiers suffering problems with their personal relationships, legal or financial issues and problems on the job.
No cause determined
But Army Secretary Pete Geren acknowledged last week that officials have been stumped by the spiraling cases.
"Why do the numbers keep going up? We cannot tell you," Geren said at a Pentagon press conference last week. "We can tell you that across the Army we're committed to doing everything we can to address the problem."
The relentless rise in suicides has frustrated the service, coming despite numerous attempts to stem the tide through additional suicide prevention training, the hiring of more psychiatrists and other mental health staff, and other programs both at home and at the battlefront for troops and their families.
In addition to suicide prevention programs, the Defense Department also has been working to encourage troops to seek mental health care by reducing the stigma associated with getting help. Officials believe many who need help don't get it because they fear it will hurt their careers.
In October, the Army and the National Institute of Mental Health signed an agreement to do a five-year study to identify factors affecting the mental and behavioral health of soldiers and come up with intervention strategies at intervals along the way.
Veteran Patients at Risk for Hepatitis and HIV from Flawed Insulin Injections
Diabetic veterans treated at William Beaumont Army Medical Center are at risk for hepatitis or HIV due to possible tainted insulin injections.
Although each needle was new and sterilized, the pen portion of the multi-dose injectors may have been used on more than one person.
The discovery came last week after 18 months of improper use. Patients receiving insulin injections between August 2007 and January 2009 at the center may be at risk for developing blood-borne diseases.
William Beaumont spokesman Clarence Davis III said the mistake is under investigation. The process of notifying at-risk patients is under way, and that an Army-wide review of the insulin devices has been ordered.
Although each needle was new and sterilized, the pen portion of the multi-dose injectors may have been used on more than one person.
The discovery came last week after 18 months of improper use. Patients receiving insulin injections between August 2007 and January 2009 at the center may be at risk for developing blood-borne diseases.
William Beaumont spokesman Clarence Davis III said the mistake is under investigation. The process of notifying at-risk patients is under way, and that an Army-wide review of the insulin devices has been ordered.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Duckworth Nominated as Assistant Secretary at VA
By: Associated Press
Tammy Duckworth, the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs director, was nominated by President Barack Obama on Tuesday to serve as an assistant secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Duckworth was a helicopter pilot in Iraq who lost both her legs and partial use of one arm in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in 2004. She ran for Congress in 2006, but lost.
As assistant secretary of public and intergovernmental affairs, her duties would include directing VA's public affairs operations, as well as programs for homeless veterans.
In a statement released by the White House, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said communicating with veterans was a key part of improving services at the VA.
"Tammy Duckworth brings significant talent, leadership and personal experience to this important work," Shinseki said.
Duckworth was a major in the Illinois National Guard. She was appointed director of the Illinois veterans' agency in 2006.
Tammy Duckworth, the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs director, was nominated by President Barack Obama on Tuesday to serve as an assistant secretary at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Duckworth was a helicopter pilot in Iraq who lost both her legs and partial use of one arm in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in 2004. She ran for Congress in 2006, but lost.
As assistant secretary of public and intergovernmental affairs, her duties would include directing VA's public affairs operations, as well as programs for homeless veterans.
In a statement released by the White House, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said communicating with veterans was a key part of improving services at the VA.
"Tammy Duckworth brings significant talent, leadership and personal experience to this important work," Shinseki said.
Duckworth was a major in the Illinois National Guard. She was appointed director of the Illinois veterans' agency in 2006.
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