Peace talks not harmed by urinating-Marines video

Its a fine line between fighting terrorists and making terrorists. Makes me even more mad knowing that this is a Sniper team (or STA, Surveillance and target acquisition). Marines are better than this and like every other service you unfortunatly suffer from the thoughless acts of others.

Peace talks not harmed by urinating-Marines video

By NBC, msnbc.com staff and news services

Updated at 6:58 a.m. ET:
President Hamid Karzai's government "strongly condemned" the video and called the actions by American soldiers "insulting" and "insane."
"The Islamic republic of Afghanistan is demanding the investigation and punishment for the solders from the U.S. government regarding this film as soon as possible," the presidential palace says in a statement released Thursday.
Updated at 6:31 a.m. ET:
The NATO-led International Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan comes close to acknowledging that it thinks the video is real and promises a criminal investigation.
"ISAF strongly condemns the actions depicted in the video, which appear to have been conducted by a small group of U.S. individuals, who apparently are no longer serving in Afghanistan," the coaltion says in a statement on Thursday. "This behavior dishonors the sacrifices and core values of every service member representing the fifty nations of the coalition."
"Therefore, a United States Criminal Investigatory agency has launched an investigation. It will be thorough and any individuals with confirmed involvement will be held fully accountable,” ISAF's statement adds.
Published at 5:15 a.m. ET:

An Internet video showing what appear to be U.S. forces in Afghanistan urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters will not affect efforts to broker peace talks, a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban said Thursday.

The video, posted on YouTube and other websites, shows four men in camouflage Marine combat uniforms urinating on three corpses. One of them jokes: "Have a nice day, buddy." Another makes a lewd joke.

"This is not a political process, so the video will not harm our talks and prisoner exchange because they are at the preliminary stage," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters.

The footage, which the U.S. military said appeared to be authentic but had not been officially verified, could complicate efforts to promote reconciliation as foreign troops gradually withdraw.

The Obama administration, seeing a glimmer of hope in its effort to broker talks, is launching a fresh round of shuttle diplomacy with an immediate goal of sealing agreement for Taliban insurgents to open a political office in the Gulf state of Qatar.

Marc Grossman, Obama's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, begins a diplomatic blitz this weekend that includes talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul and top officials in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

'Very, very bad impact'
The video will not help his efforts to build confidence among the warring parties.

"Such action will leave a very, very bad impact on peace efforts," said Arsala Rahmani, the top negotiator from Karzai's High Peace Council.

"Looking at such action, the Taliban can easily recruit young people and tell them that their country has been attacked by Christians and Jews and they must defend it," he said in the first comments from a high-ranking Afghan.

The New York Times reported that Grossman's efforts have been going on for the past year and involved a small team of American officials who secretly met multiple times with a shadowy representative of Afghanistan’s Taliban leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, in the hope of starting peace talks.

It reported the administration’s best chance for ending the war in Afghanistan had reached "a critical juncture."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the newspaper on Wednesday there appeared to be support, for the first time, for a political resolution that included Taliban leaders who ruthlessly ruled the country from 1996 until the American invasion after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

“The reality is we never have the luxury of negotiating for peace with our friends,” it quoted Mrs. Clinton as saying. “If you’re sitting across the table discussing a peaceful resolution to a conflict, you are sitting across from people who you by definition don’t agree with and who you may previously have been across a battlefield from.”

The U.S. Marine Corps has said it would investigate the Internet video of abuse.

Marines to be 'held accountable'
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan described the acts depicted in the video as "highly reprehensible" and "disgusting".

"The behavior depicted in this video is reprehensible and is not in keeping with the values of U.S. Armed Forces," ISAF spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Cummings said.

A U.S. official said "it should be pretty easy" to identify the Marines in the video and those involved "will be held accountable for their actions."

The Marines, though not identified by name, were confirmed to be a sniper team out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., U.S. military officials told NBC News. They were deployed to southern Afghanistan from early 2011 until August of 2011.

In a formal statment, a Marine Corps official said: "The actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps."

At first, the Marines could not determine whether the incident took place in Iraq or Afghanistan, but it was later determned to be Afghanistan.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights group in the United States, condemned the alleged desecration of corpses in a letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and obtained by Reuters.

"Any guilty parties must be punished to the full extent allowed by the Uniform Code of Military Justice and by relevant American laws," the letter said.

"For those I love, I will sacrifice"

I true look at why we serve our families, our Nation and our brothers in arms.

Wounded Big Red One Soldier continues to serve Army family

January 9, 2012
By Mollie Miller, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs
FORT RILEY, Kan. (Jan. 9, 2012) -- Love can make people do some crazy, unusual, heroic things.

A dance outside in a rain storm, a midnight flight across the country, a dash into a burning home, none of these are outside the realm of what people will do for those they love.

For one 1st Infantry Division Soldier, his love for his family and his country led him into an Army recruiter's office, onto basic training, up the road to Fort Riley, Kan., and around the world to Afghanistan.

And then that love led him right to death's front door.

Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry, 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, joined the Army in the fall of 2010 after a summer full of friends, dirt bikes and post high school graduation parties. Joining the Army was the realization of a dream for the young man from Marietta, Ohio.

"I always wanted to serve my country, protect our freedom, to keep the life that all the ones I love live safe," the 19-year-old said recently.

Hockenberry's enlistment wasn't much of a surprise for his parents, Chet and Kathy Hockenberry.

"Being a Soldier was all Kyle ever talked about, even when he was little," Kathy said of her youngest son. "I still have all his G.I. Joe guys that he always used to play with because he didn't want me to get rid of them."

Kyle graduated from basic training in January 2011 and was assigned to the Big Red One's 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment "Pale Riders." The Pale Rider team was already busy making final preparations for a deployment to Afghanistan when Kyle arrived and the new Soldier began his own preparations for this upcoming mission -- a mission that would have him leaving Kansas in less than six weeks.

First on Kyle's list of deployment preparations was a visit to a tattoo shop in Manhattan, Kan.

"I had wanted a tattoo for a long time and I wanted to finally get one before we left," he said.

One evening, shortly before the deployment, Kyle and a few fellow Soldiers "went under the needle." One of the Soldiers had his children's names or birth dates tattooed, some had a lucky number or special picture done but Kyle selected a seven word phrase that had been rolling around in his head ever since he decided he was going to be a Soldier.

That night, the tattoo artist etched, "For those I love, I will sacrifice" onto Kyle's right side.

"I thought since I was in the military that it would be a good one to get," he said. "'Those I love' is for everyone -- for my parents, my brother and all my family but it really for everyone in the country."

Kyle left for Afghanistan in February 2011. Less than four months later, during a June 15 patrol outside of Haji Ramuddin, the young man who never wanted to be anything other than a Soldier was forced into a better understanding of sacrifice.

"We were in a firefight in Haji Ramuddin and I don't know if I was trying to move into cover or something but I stepped on a pressure plate (improvised explosive device)," he said. "I don't remember anything after that for a long time."

The blast from the pressure-plate-initiated improvised explosive device cost Kyle both legs and his left arm. It cost Spc. Nick Hensley his life.

"I received a phone call at work on June 15 and the caller said Kyle had been seriously wounded in Afghanistan and that we would get another call later with more information," Chet said. "Every call, they kept telling us that they were right by his side doing everything they could for him. They were dedicated 100 percent to getting him home to us and we are very appreciative of what everyone did for Kyle."

Getting Kyle home to his family was no easy task. Kathy said medics "lost" her son several times on the battlefield and in the medical evacuation helicopter. Kyle's kidneys and liver failed and Army representatives prepared Chet and Kathy for a trip to Germany as they didn't think Kyle would survive the flight back to the states. But then Kyle stabilized and the Army transported him to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

The young infantryman has been there ever since.

Kathy said the recovery and rehabilitation process has been challenging but her son has shown an amazing strength in the face of some great tests.

"I'm not surprised though," she said. "Kyle has always been very tough."

If it weren't for people like Kyle and his fellow Soldiers who sacrifice so much, the country would be in pretty bad shape, according to Chet.

"We are just so proud of them and all their service," he said. "They are all heroes in our eyes."

Although many pieces of the future remain uncertain for the young man from Ohio, Kyle is sure of one thing -- if the Army will have him, he wants to stay on active duty and do whatever he can to continue to help his brothers and sisters in uniform.

"I want him to be happy," Kathy said. "Whatever he chooses to do, I just want him to be happy."

For now, Kyle is looking forward to being fitted for his prosthetics and getting healthy enough so his doctors will clear him to travel to Fort Riley in April to attend the 4th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt. Welcome Home Ball.

"If everything is good, I plan to be there," he said.

As far as his mom is concerned, this is certainly a goal easily within her son's reach.

"If there was ever something out there you told him he couldn't do, he would tell you he could and then he would do it," Kathy said. "Kyle wants to be at that ball and if he has anything to say about it, he will be at that ball."

For Lt. Col. Michael Katona, commander of 4th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt., having the 19-year-old Soldier who has served as an inspiration to so many at the ball would be an honor.

"He is still part of this squadron," he said. "He will always be part of our family."   

Refections on hating Christmas

This is a piece shared by my great friend Raub Nash whom I served with in "Deuce Four" 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry in Mosul, Iraq.
He makes a great point when he speaks about reflecting "I see it as a cathartic view into how people need, and should, reflect on everything that happens to them that they did not control." I encourage people to think back about some times when you served write it down and send it to me. Respond and tell us what you think;

Reflections on hating Christmas

By Raub Nash

Last year in Graduate School I was inundated with the idea of reflection and how it is the key to successful development. For 30 years I pretty much took every day for what it was worth and I rarely looked back on what I did or, more importantly, what events happened to me that I could not control. As I prepared to take over my new job as a leader developer at West Point, I felt as though I should at least try out what I would be preaching – it was scary.

A lot of things have happened in my short career, as I no doubt know is the same for all Soldiers in this time of a two-front war. What scared me was how little I knew how these events have changed me –both for good and bad.

As we come out of the traditional Christmas leave period, I was forced into a realization that, I hope, will make future Decembers better for me and those I spend the time with. For the longest time, or since about 2004, I have never really been in the uplifting mood that a father and husband should be in around this time. The old me would say that it was because I was raised on little extravagance, especially with respect to Christmas and gifts in general. After one evening of some rather disturbing and violent actions on my part – no one was hurt, just a sliding glass door, a scotch glass, cooler, and a shirt – I had to look in the mirror and try to understand why and where that person came from.

I was forced to think about several things on the journey to the realization of what caused my actions and what consistently causes my less than uplifting spirit over this time every year. The first event that came to mind was December 21^st, 2004. It was a pristine day in Mosul, Iraq. Clear skies and mild temperatures made it quite bearable. I was a young 2^ndLieutenant Platoon Leader in 1/24 IN. We had been in Mosul for only about 2 months. I finally had some sort of routine, without which I am a mess, and normalcy was setting in – normalcy does not mean complacency. Our platoon had already had our share of the“baptism-by-fire” incidents and we were operating as a cohesive unit for the first time. A routine patrol day started out with the usual events; drive up to our platoon area, search houses/garages/offices, chase some people that ran from our patrol and drive back.

By the time we returned to the FOB it was time for lunch. So, we dropped our gear and headed on the long walk to our chow hall. Before we headed out, our commander and a few other officers asked my Platoon Sergeant and me to go with them to get lunch. We declined so we could help close up our vehicles and let our Soldiers get to chow before us. The routine was almost always the same: clear your weapon and wash your hands outside, get a tray and choose main or short order line, get some salad and dessert in the middle of the chow hall, sit down to eat and talk about whatever, and finally clean up and leave. This day however would deviate drastically from the routine.

About the time I sat down, I noticed that I was the first one in our group of 4 that would sit together. I took a quick look around and quickly saw the other 3 heading over. I followed this with obligatory wave of the hand to let them see where I sat and for them to join me. No sooner did my Platoon Sergeant sit down in front of me than a flash of light and a loud boom shocked our world. I did what I think, especially regarding the fact that normalcy also included the occasional mortar attack, most everyone did – I jumped up, looked for those by me and we ran to a bunker just outside the door. I won’t write anymore about what happened next. It is an image and an event that I still want to keep buried somewhat. The result of the event was that I had my first experience with the loss of a comrade. My commander, CPT Bill Jacobsen, and our NBC NCO, SSG Robert Johnson, were killed while they ate lunch on the safety of their own FOB. They were not the only ones that died that day, but they were the ones I knew.

8 days later, our Platoon responded to an event that would also change me. A suicide car bomber drove a dump truck full of explosives precariously close to an outpost and detonated the device. PFC Oscar Sanchez was killed in the blast, but what most people don’t know is that he probably saved his entire platoon mates lives. If that truck made it another 100 feet or so, the entire building would have most certainly collapsed. This event I recall not because of the incident in itself, but of my actions during this. I was forced several times to place my Platoon Sergeant and the squad with him in danger. When I say forced, I really mean it. I did not like the orders I was getting, but a leader understands that sometimes orders must be followed and that people can get hurt following them. What scares me about this incident is how happy it made me to see things get destroyed while in this firefight. It was eerie how I could feel great joy as we engaged suspected – yes, suspected – targets with heavy machine guns and strafes from F-16s and, the now retired, F-14. I don’t know why I felt as though I did, but I suspect it was because I was in the young stages of burying my emotional destruction that came from the chow hall bombing.

Fast forward to December 20^th, 2007. I am a young Company Commander in the 101^st and we were finishing up an operation that my Soldiers dubbed “Operation Shitty Christmas”. This was one of those times that, much like the outpost bombing, I really did not agree or understand the intent of what we were trying to accomplish. But, the orders were legal, ethical, and moral and I was given ample time to object and add my spin on the operation – so, we executed it. After about 5 days in the middle of nowhere during an unusual cold spell, we trudged away at the invisible goal trying to find a non-existent enemy. This day was just like the others – except that we had finished our mission and were moving back to our base. One of my platoons was tasked with following a route clearance team on an untraveled route to open it for further use by our sister company. I chose to move with my main effort, getting all of our equipment safely back to our company patrol base, and I chose not go with my boss’ main effort. Well, these choices never end up good.

When I first showed up to Fort Campbell and found out which company I would be afforded the opportunity to command, I was given the green light to go and start poking around. The first person I met was SPC Leon. He was youthful looking but had an air of experience that just emanated from him. I was immediately drawn to Wesley. I can remember always looking for him at formations, during PT, and while out at training. As I got to know the Soldiers in the company, I quickly found out that Wesley was a consummate warrior. I knew I liked this kid and I knew that I could always count on him. He was in the patrol that went with the route clearance team, probably located in the order of march where my vehicle should have been, when his vehicle was hit with an IED. This event took both of his legs and cut me to the core. I was already not very good with empathy, and this event made me separate myself from my feelings more than ever which resulted in the desire to never get close to another Soldier. Terrible decision on my part. Even though Wesley hasn’t slowed down accomplishing more than most people, it doesn’t take away the deep feeling that it should have been my vehicle, an MRAP and not a HMMWV, that got hit.

Three pretty major events in my life that happened close to Christmas. No wonder I am a scrooge. This story is much more to me than a revelation of why I hate the Christmas season. I see it as a cathartic view into how people need, and should, reflect on everything that happens to them that they did not control. I wish that more people would partake in this venture and critically look at their actions and reactions to these types of events. I know now why I feel the way I do and this fact will allow me to accomplish my ultimate goal – being a great dad. There is no greater joy for me than to see my sons smile and see them do new things. It would be shame if my failure to change my attitude based on events I had no control over affected my children in a way that would have them dread the Christmas season as I do. I will let you know how I do next year.

Lockdown

This is nothing new, I would have been in the news many times. This is a standard procedure in the Army, that and "get on line" to walk through a training area to find something that should have been tied down in the first place.

Dozens of soldiers on lockdown over missing military equipment

From Maria P White, CNN

 

(CNN) -- Nearly 100 soldiers are confined to a Washington state base following a report of missing sensitive military equipment, including scopes and night lasers, a spokesman said Sunday.
Soldiers in the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division unit can have day visits but must sleep at the base at night, said Maj. Chris Ophardt, a spokesman at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Authorities conducted an inventory last month and are trying to determine how long the equipment has been missing, he said.
The unit has been home from Iraq since September 2010.
Authorities have offered a $10,000 reward. No more information was immediately available.

Response to "A deeply troubled base" Post

I recived some very intereting responses from a couple of my friends I served with at Fort Lewis and in Korea who are no longer in the service but non the less had some very intersting things to say. Andy was an Infantry Company Commander with a few combat tours under his belt I served with him in 1st BN, 503rd INF in Korea and John was an Infatry Soldier who served with me in Iraq with "Deuce Four" 1st BN, 24th INF SBCT.

John: "Embarrassing. 4th Styker brigade was pretty messed up when I left lewis in the beginning of 2008."

Me: "I agree it is a little embarrassing that a base this big can't "police" itself up. But the Army is changing and so are the Soldiers. They do what they see their leaders do and sometimes they are just as bad!!"

John: "Unfotunately this guys rambo actions reinforce stereotypes veterans battle everyday. Leadership failure for sure."

Andy:"Leadership starts at home. Even the best NCO can't undo 18 years of bad parenthood overnight."

Andy: "I got found it ironic that one of police officers interviewed about crime around JBLM tried to blame the military for causing most of the violence. Yeah, right. Lakewood, WA has plenty of its own problems, (http://www.komonews.com/news/local/78088192.html)." This link takes you too the unfortunate story of the four Lakewood Police Officers who were killed. 

Andy: " I hope the Soldiers and Airmen around JBLM take heed. Police officers read the news, too. You can be damn sure that this recent series of unfortunate events will bias them against the local military much the same way that a platoon will treat locals from a town differently after an IED strike against one of their own. Don't expect to get a break on that speeding ticket or be cut any slack for that DUI. The word is out on the street and in the national newspapers: JBLM is a hot bed for military misbehavior."

Me: "Totally agree Andy it's just poor business when that 10% pit the military community against the surrounding communities. There is already a pretty exclusivness by military families that live on post against the "civilians" but I believe this widens that rift."

Andy: "Gene - a former squad leader shared this article with me. It clearly articulates that the Rainier gunman wasn't a crazed military killer devoid of positive Army leadership. Instead, he was just a nutjob who had no place in the Army to begin with. It's too bad that the "Rambo with PTSD" storyline sells more newspapers than the truth."

Here is that article:

The Mt. Rainier Shooting and PTSD: How the Media Got It Wrong
January 6, 2012 by Alex Horton

The massacre at Ft. Hood two years ago stunned the nation in its cold-blooded calculation. The high body count was just as shocking as the fact soldiers were killed not in combat, but on the grounds of a military installation. Before the slain soldiers were buried, many in the media speculated on a link between combat stress and the shooting, the correlation being that war trauma had driven a soldier to commit those crimes.
When news reports finally explained that Nidal Hasan hadn’t deployed during his Army career, the narrative shifted to secondary PTSD. The thought was that his work as a psychiatrist could have caused it. The reality, however, was that Hasan’s personal beliefs about the United States and the military were among the chief motivations behind the killings. Taken together, the prevailing narrative from those early reports—intentional or not—was this: Post-traumatic stress is a strong factor in violent crimes, and anyone who has deployed to a combat zone is capable of the same.
That narrative—fairly common since John Rambo hit movie screens in 1982—bubbled to the surface once again with the killing of Park Ranger Margaret Anderson on January 1st by Benjamin Colton Barnes, a 24 year-old Iraq Veteran. Within hours of the Rainier shooting, journalists and writers clamored to mention Barnes’ war record, combat stress, and even his duty station in a dizzying effort to find a connection:
The problem? It wasn’t true.
As more information became available on Barnes, it grew clear that his troubles had little to do with his service in Iraq or his assignment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. According to The Seattle Times, Barnes was apparently disturbed before he entered the Army—having been expelled from school as a teenager. Additionally, military records show Barnes served in a headquarters communications job in Iraq. A spokesman at Lewis-McChord told the Times there was no record of Barnes having received a Combat Action Badge, indicating he probably never came under fire in Iraq.
While violence is undoubtedly a potential consequence of war-related trauma, highly publicized crimes by active duty members and Veterans cast the overwhelming majority of law abiding Vets in a horrifying—and typically unfair—light. As one Army officer pointed out recently, sensational stories devoid of context (like those about Barnes) inhibit the ability for people to assess likelihood and frequency in a given population. He cites the availability heuristic, which says people “predict the frequency of an event, or a proportion within a population, based on how easily an example can be brought to mind.”
When I asked her today, VA clinical psychologist Dr. Sonja Batten said that “despite this image in pop culture of the dangerous, unstable Veteran, there is no direct, causal link between combat-related PTSD and the type of violence shown at Mt. Rainier. Although PTSD is associated with increased anger and irritability in some individuals—whether civilians or Veterans—this sort of negative portrayal of Veterans is unfair and does a disservice to those individuals who have served our country. We work every day in VA to dispel these negative and inaccurate stereotypes.”
In other words, the misguided and incorrect correlation between military service and violent crimes like murder can lead to damaging stereotypes that can inhibit the success of Vets once they leave the military. The Texas Veterans Commission says some employers have reservations about hiring Veterans because they may show signs of post-traumatic signs in the workplace. Hiring managers may think they’re getting a Travis Bickle instead of a “Sully” Sullenberger.
In an MSNBC article about the Mt. Rainier shooting, reporter Alex Johnson connected Barnes to the “deeply troubled base” of Joint Base Lewis-McChord. While he later walked the piece back, his original reporting joined the media-constructed narrative that JBLM is in crisis without offering a valid explanation why. There were no mentions of inadequate mental health services or of a distinct culture of the base that would indicate a trend of violence—only some data showing that violent incidents happen there and in the surrounding communities.
But Johnson made no mention that those who murder are overwhelmingly men between 15-30 years old, and that men make up 92 percent of the U.S. Veteran population. If you accept that folks in the military represent a cross section of society, it will always attract the best and the worst our nation has to offer, from Sal Giunta to Benjamin Barnes.
That simple reality didn’t jive with Johnson, whose angle wasn’t helped by the fact that, despite problems with violence around the base, Veterans in general are incarcerated at half the rate. of non-Vets.
I’m a former infantryman who saw combat in Iraq. I was based at JBLM my entire Army enlistment. And I know dozens of those just like me—representing a larger sample than that from which Johnson and his cohorts seemed to draw. All of us are men and most of us are between 25 and 35 years old, like Barnes. And many of us dealt with the residual effects of combat trauma, like hyper-vigilance, an inconveniently short temper, and substance abuse. As far as I know, none are guilty of murder or any violent crimes. Unless evil spirits inhabit the base, I see no connection between that facility and the murderous tendency of one of its former dwellers.
To his credit, Johnson published an update with a warning from Brandon Friedman, my boss and fellow combat Veteran. Friedman cautioned against linking post-traumatic stress to Barnes’ behavior before facts were established, adding that “having PTSD doesn’t signify a propensity to murder Americans.”
We must confront the serious issues of mental health that affect those who served. Post-traumatic stress is one of the most common subjects on this blog—and one of the most vital aspects of VA’s presence online has been connecting Veterans in crisis with support services. At the same time, Veterans, the public, and the media must do two things.
First, we must step out of the feedback loop that both feeds and informs the stereotype of the broken, mentally unstable Vet. The damaging caricature proved to be difficult for Vietnam Vets to overcome. And with a new generation coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, history will repeat itself until we take a moment and realize that faulty assumptions are dangerous and that anecdotal, sensationalist conclusions are designed to help sell newspapers and generate hits rather than responsibly inform.
Second, we must overcome the availability heuristic by keeping perspective on the prevalence of post-traumatic stress and, more importantly, violence committed by those who experience it. A 2008 RAND study estimated that 18.5 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans have symptoms of post-traumatic stress or major depression. But the vast majority of folks with post-traumatic stress recover successfully with support from family, friends, community, and effective treatment. PTSD and other mental health issues don’t just lead to challenges, but also to post-traumatic growth for many people. And that’s a story that needs to be told more often.
The rush to connect Barnes’ wartime service to his horrific crime makes for good drama but bad journalism. There are serious mental health consequences that stem from serving in the line of fire, but we do a disservice to those who suffer from those problems—as well as those who do not. Our communities need the experience and skills Veterans bring now more than ever before. But before that happens, we must chase away the lurid cloud of stereotypes and conjecture that hang over Veterans as they try to find their way after war.
If you feel you might be struggling with post-traumatic stress, visit our PTSD resource directory for information on symptoms, treatments, issues specific to female Veterans, and more. For immediate help, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255. It’s open day and night, along with our online chat. If you prefer text messaging, send a message to 838255.
What do think? Thank you Andy for providing this link. I want to say more but I will take the time put it all in order before I post it.

Jesus Loves an Ethical Warrior

This is a piece I did as an undergraduate at Saint Martin's University about the conundrum that exists between religion and military training and the tolerance of all religions we should all have and exhibit. I know this may draw criticism but remember this forum is open to anybody and all work will be uncensored. I hope you respond to it but please be nice, families read this also.

There should be a definite line between a person’s personal belief in a higher power and what the military believes a person should believe in right? Should there be a specific religion used in military training to teach young officers and leaders in matters regarding ethical decisions and internal conflicts that are no doubt associated with war? I don’t believe there should be, but this is happening and has been happening for more than 20 years. I have served in the both the Marine Corps and the United States Army for 21 ½ years and during this time have attended numerous schools of leadership. These leadership schools used religious quotes and biblical examples to raise discussions in ethical behavior as it applies to leading Soldiers in combat. Until I read an article titled “Air Force yanks nuke ethics course.” By Markeshia Ricks did I really begin to reflect back on these days in class and I realized that there had been many times religion had made its way into the course curriculum. So how is it that certain religious texts or fundamentals make it into the everyday lives of service members and what is being done about it? These are the key questions I hope to answer in this paper.

            Soldiers deployed in combat struggle with many internal conflicts and these conflicts center on religion. I remember vividly praying before going out on combat patrols that “our faith (Christian) would prove to stronger than our enemies (Islam) and our fight for justice and what was right would help us kill them.”  In 2009 an email circulated through the Air Force command and staff officers at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada inviting them to attend a Bible study class in which the topic of discussion referred to Jews as “whiners”. Not that this could get any worse but the email was sent from a staff Captain at the behest of the base Chaplain. In another instance 5,000 service members stationed at RAF Lakenheath, the largest Air Force base in England received a presentation titled “Purpose Driven Airmen” which incorporated the teachings of mega church leader Rick Warren and creationism as a means of suicide prevention (Leopold, 2011). This training was sent out from a commander’s official email. The problem with doing this is that any email from an “official” government account implies that the service branch condones the training or information. Many commanders in the zealous to promote spiritual fitness as much as they promote physical fitness unintentionally push one religion (usually their own) over others when getting information out to the troops. It is vital that commanders remain neutral when speaking about religious activities being put on by the base or unit chaplain, as well as allow the Soldier’s the opportunity to attend services even though they may conflict with patrols or operations. This was one of the hardest things I had to do as a First Sergeant in Afghanistan. I had 166 Soldiers in four platoons; each of these platoons would be responsible for patrolling every day for about eight hours. The patrols took place in a 24 hour, but no matter what time a platoon went it was imperative that each Soldier had the opportunity to attend a religious service they wanted to. He time for fellowship and worship is a very important activity in the day or week of a combat Soldier, because it allows them the opportunity to release stress and decompress after some trying times in the field.

            Understanding that the possibility of American Soldiers turning the war in Afghanistan and Iraq into a war of “bad Muslims” and the righteous “Christians of America’ and whose God is stronger definitely holds its possibilities. So how is the military trying to change this perception? In his policy memorandum dated September 1, but sent Tuesday to all major commands, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz said, "Leaders ... must balance Constitutional protections for an individuals free exercise of religion or other personal beliefs and its prohibition against governmental establishment of religion." (Leopold, 2011) So how did the Air Force respond to the fact that religion had made its way into a training curriculum for Nuclear Missile Officer’s “The Air Force suspended the mandatory Nuclear Ethics and Nuclear Warfare training immediately following the publication of Truthout's report. David Smith, a spokesman for the Air Education and Training Command told Truthout last month the ethics training "has been taken out of the curriculum and is being reviewed." And in an even more knee jerk reaction it “pulled all of its training materials "that address morals, ethics, core values and related character development issues" pending a "comprehensive review," Smith told the Air Force Times. That decision was made after a Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) instructor, who read Truthout's report, sent the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), a civil rights organization, copies of ROTC leadership training materials, which also contained Christian-themed citations from the Bible. The PowerPoint slides in that presentation the unnamed instructor sent MRFF are used in all colleges and universities that have an ROTC program. (Leopold, 2011)

            This is not to say that religion has no place in war I am sure everyone has heard the adage” there is no atheist in war” in a movie or a book. What does the church say a just war is? In the Just War in the Catechism of the Catholic Church it is described that All citizens and all governments are obliged to work for the avoidance of war. Despite this admonition of the Church, it sometimes becomes necessary to use force to obtain the end of justice. This is the right, and the duty, of those who have responsibilities for others, such as civil leaders and police forces. While individuals may renounce all violence those who must preserve justice may not do so, though it should be the last resort, "once all peace efforts have failed." [Cf. Vatican II, Gaudium et spes 79, 4] As with all moral acts the use of force to obtain justice must comply with three conditions to be morally good. First, the act must be good in itself. The use of force to obtain justice is morally licit in itself. Second, it must be done with a good intention, which as noted earlier must be to correct vice, to restore justice or to restrain evil, and not to inflict evil for its own sake. Thirdly, it must be appropriate in the circumstances. An act which may otherwise be good and well-motivated can be sinful by reason of imprudent judgment and execution.” (What is Just War?, 2011)

            I am a Soldier and my obligation is to fight for those who can’t fight against injustice, I may have to use violence to right a wrong, and I may have to kill. But this must be done in a manner which is ethical and moral. The determination of whether war is right or wrong is not ours to make, only those actions we choose take while engaged in combat are.

Works Cited

Leopold, J. (2011, September 14). Top Air Force Official Issues Religious Neutrality Policy in Wake of Truthout's "Jesus Loves Nukes" Exposé. Retrieved September 23, 2011, from Truthout: http://www.truth-out.org/aftermath-jesus-loves-nukes-scandal/1316010154

Ricks, M. (2011, 09 01). Air Force Yanks nuke Ethics Course. Air Force Times , p. 45.

What is Just War? (2011, September 1). Retrieved September 23, 2011, from Global Catholic Network: http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/just_war.htm

 

A deeply troubled base

Stars and Stripes "rated Lewis-McChord as the most troubled base in the entire U.S. military, with multiple criminal and military investigations under way into troops' behavior and the quality of the medical and mental health care for service members returning from the war." Amazing, and my friends from 5th BDE did you hear this? "The Army directed base officials last year to focus specifically on the mental health of members of the 5th Stryker Brigade, which saw heavy action in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010." The question that comes to mind is "what about the Soldiers that have either retired or have left the Army, do they not matter or is that they just don't need to "focused" on because they are no longer the Army's problem, really pisses me off.
This article does not suprise me at all. Especially when I as a First Sergeant had to pull Courtesy Patrol at the Shoppette on North Fort along with a few of my fellow First Sergeants on weekends to watch Soldiers.


Ex-soldier in Mount Rainier killing stationed at deeply troubled base

By M. Alex Johnson, msnbc.com

Updated at 8:50 p.m. ET: Brandon Friedman, an Army combat veteran in Afghanistan and Iraq and author of the highly regarded memoir "The War I Always Wanted," warned against linking post-traumatic stress disorder or conditions at Joint Base Lewis-McChord to Barnes' alleged behavior.
There's "obviously no question of a tie between combat and PTSD," Friedman said in a Twitter message to msnbc.com. "But having PTSD doesn't signify a propensity to murder Americans."
Mount Rainier National Park remains closed until at least Saturday, park officials said.

Barnes was from Riverside County, Calif., and as a teenager attended a community day school for expelled and troubled students, the Press-Enterprise newspaper reported. A young man who answered the door at the family's home said the family had no comment, the paper said.
Original post: The Iraq war veteran believed to have killed a park ranger Sunday was last stationed at a Washington base considered among the military's most troubled facilities, where suicides and violence among service members have reached record levels.
Authorities said they believed Benjamin Colton Barnes, 24 — who was found dead Monday, apparently of hypothermia, in Mount Rainier National Park — shot and killed Park Ranger Margaret Anderson, 34, on Sunday. He is also believed to have shot and wounded four people, two of them critically, earlier in the day at a New Year's party in Skyway, near Seattle, authorities said.
Barnes, a private first class, was discharged from the Army for misconduct in 2009 after he was charged with drunken driving and improperly transporting a privately owned weapon at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Lewis-McChord has drawn national attention for widespread problems with post-traumatic stress disorder among service members returning from Afghanistan and from Iraq, where Barnes served in 2007 and 2008.
In July, the mother of Barnes' young daughter said in court papers seeking a protection order that he "has possible PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) issues," NBC station KING of Seattle reported. In seeking sole custody of the girl, she said Barnes was suicidal and "gets easily irritated, angry, depressed and frustrated."
The woman said Barnes had numerous weapons in his home, including firearms and knives, adding: "I am fearful of what Benjamin is capable of with the small arsenal he has in his home and his recent threat of suicide."
A year ago, the military newspaper Star and Stripes rated Lewis-McChord as the most troubled base in the entire U.S. military, with multiple criminal and military investigations under way into troops' behavior and the quality of the medical and mental health care for service members returning from the war.And that was before the base set a record for presumed suicides in 2011, with 12, according to military statistics scheduled to be released this month but obtained by The Tacoma News-Tribune.
The Army directed base officials last year to focus specifically on the mental health of members of the 5th Stryker Brigade, which saw heavy action in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010. Barnes served with a Lewis-McChord Stryker brigade, although officials said they didn't immediately know whether it was the 5th.
The problem isn't confined to Lewis-McChord. In a paper for the Army War College last year (.pdf), Army Col. Ricardo M. Love reported that "veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at an alarming rate."
A 2008 RAND Corp. study indicated that 18 percent of all service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 had "PTSD or major depression." Only about half seek treatment, it said.
"Although Commanders are conducting tough and realistic training prior to deployment, the high number of returnees diagnosed with PTSD indicates we are not doing enough," Love concluded.
But the problem is especially severe at Lewis-McChord, which the Los Angeles Times profiled as "a base on the brink" just last week.
"I can tell you that in the last two years, we have had 24 instances in which we contacted soldiers who were armed with weapons," Bret Farrar, police chief in nearby Lakewood, told the newspaper. "We've had intimidation, stalking with a weapon, aggravated assault, domestic violence, drive-bys."
The issues have come to widespread public attention after Lewis-McChord's heaviest year of deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, where 18,000 soldiers from the base served in 2009-10.
The base, near Tacoma about 50 miles south of Seattle, has seen numerous violent incidents, leading to several charges and convictions of soldiers for serious crimes. According to The Seattle Times, they include:

• Pfc. Dakota Wolf, 19, who is charged in the stabbing death Nov. 30 of a 19-year-old woman in a Seattle suburb while AWOL.
• Sgt. David Stewart, 38, who killed himself and his wife after leading authorities on a high-speed chase in April. Their 5-year-old son was found dead at home.
• Spc. Ivette Gonzalez Davis, 24, who was sentenced to life in prison in August 2010 for shooting two soldiers and kidnapping their baby.
• Sgt. Sheldon Plummer, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for strangling his wife in February 2010.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/03/9923187-ex-soldier-in-mount-rainier-killing-stationed-at-deeply-troubled-base

Are politicians ignoring the costs of War?

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Pols ignoring costs of war By: Mike Barnicle January 3, 2012 05:12 AM EST

Council Bluffs, Iowa – On a day when so many in Iowa will assemble  to start the process of picking a president, Mary Ellen Ward will drive  a short distance to St Joseph’s cemetery to say a prayer for the soul of her son. Sgt. Thomas Houser died exactly seven years ago, Jan. 3, 2005,  while serving with the Marines in the violent city of Fallujah, Iraq. He is one of 70 from Iowa killed in Iraq or Afghanistan fighting two wars   that have had so few serving for so long as America plods into the second  decade of a new century, exhausted and isolated from battles that crush  the families of the fallen at home. “I was just looking at a picture of Tommy and his older brother Joe,” Mary Ellen Ward was saying the other day. “It was taken on Oct. 31, 1987. “He would have been about five years old. His brother was seven. A Halloween picture. Joe was dressed as a Ninja. Tom was in camouflage. He always wanted to be a Marine. “The last time I talked to him was Christmas Day, a few days before he was killed. He was going to play flag football in the sand. He was on his second tour.” “How old was he,” his mother was asked. “Twenty-two,” she answered. “He was only 22.” “It’s funny,” she was saying, “but the last time he was home, just before he left for his second tour of Iraq, we went shopping, just the two of us. And I had this feeling, this strange feeling, that I’m never going to see him again. I knew…I just knew.” Across Iowa, the candidates appear in cities and towns like fast-moving clouds pushed across the flat landscape on a wind of ambition. Here is a Gingrich, then a Romney, a Santorum, a Paul, a Bachmann or Perry smiling, glad-handing, promoting, promising, pleading to be sent forward to New Hampshire and beyond by the handful of Iowans who will show up at caucuses Tuesday night. “I don’t have much interest in it, politics,” said Mary Ellen Ward, who works for the state Child Support Recovery Unit. “And I kind of hate to say this but I think  we ought to get everybody out of there, out of Congress. Why does it cost so much to run? I don’t understand that. Why do they get free health care, better health care than the rest of us do, for nothing? They get a nice pension too. They shouldn’t be serving more than two terms either. And none of them talk   about the wars. It’s like it’s not there to them.” She lives with her husband Larry in a city framed by the mythic elements of the  country’s history. Council Bluffs sits at the edge of the great Missouri River, separated from Omaha, Neb., by waters that divide two states and dominate the landscape. It was once a huge railroad center when America moved mostly by train, before the automobile, the interstates, long after Lewis and Clark came through on the way to the Pacific. The town, like most, has a narrative to it, a story that is both parochial and universal: It was built by pioneers who suffered and prospered yet greeted each sunrise with a  sense of optimism. Now, in a country confronted with and confused by political people, including an  incumbent, all submitting a job application for the position of president of the United States, anxiety about the immediate future fills the air. The economy has  flat-lined for three years. Washington is totally isolated from the rhythms, the mood, the fears and apprehension felt by most Americans. And the wars drag on, touching only the few who serve and their families who remain here, praying nobody knocks on the door at night to tell them a sniper, an IED, an ambush or a fire-fight has claimed a son, husband, daughter or dad. So on Jan. 3, 2012, as candidates organize and hope for a finish that will fuel a continued campaign, Mary Ellen Ward will again - and daily - think of her son Tommy: Sgt. Thomas E. Houser, USMC, 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company,  First Marine Division, killed on this day in 2005 in Iraq. And she will barely notice the passing parade of politics because she has other concerns, another worry, one more mother’s burden: Her oldest boy, Joe, is scheduled to depart with the Marines in two months. For Afghanistan.  For another tour in a war that has made much of our nation weary and too many of our politicians silent. Mike Barnicle is an award-winning print and broadcast journalist and regular on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”.

© 2012 POLITICO LLC

Special moments in 2011

April

I officially retired from the United States Army after serving more than 21 years. My friend LTC Darren Blagburn and my beautiful fiancé set up a party that included my family and friends here in Boise and those from out of town.

My mother and I before the ceremony

Me and my girl on my last day wearing a uniform



My brother Will makes a toast

My family

My retirement gift from my Cynthia and my friends

Me and LTC Darren Blagburn

Me and Cynthia

August

Cynthia and I ran our first race together called the Boise Foothill XC12k it was so fun to run with her.  You can see it on her blog at http://rundreamlaugh.blogspot.com/2011/08/foothills-xc12k-race-recap.html

Then we ran the Project Athena 10k

We rounded out the month with a great run called the Dirty Dash at Bogus Basin. I got to meet Cynthia's very awesome sister Elisa whom I had never met before and run with one of Cynthia's friends Linzi.



Me, Linzi, Cynthia, Dash (our mascot) and Elisa Our team name was the "Dirty Booty Chaser's"

December
It was Vegas time with my brother Will, Tiffany his wife, Jason my cousin, and Bill and Tiana.  Cynthia went to run the Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon and I went to support her and play a few slot machines, haha. There was speculation that we would get married but that was not in the cards. Maybe 2012 will tell a different story.

Cynthia and I on the strip!!

Will, Tiffany and Cynthia

Jason, me and my little brother Will

I am excited to see what new adventures will happen in this coming year and I hope that all of you will stick with me and continue to support my endeavor to get information out to our Veterans and Soldiers. No matter what your stance is on the war and in politics let us not forget that it’s the Soldier that bears the responsibility of being faithful to our United States and its citizens.

I hope my stories will help another Soldier realize that they are not unique in their experiences and writing is an outlet that can be powerful not just for the person writing but for those that read it. I challenge you to open that door maybe just a crack and peek in then write about it. This page will always be an outlet for my fellow Soldiers old and new to express themselves without fear of being judged.

“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives, and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday”

-inscription on John Wayne’s Headstone



Happy New Year!!

Making resolutions is a cleansing ritual of self-assessment and repentance that demands personal honesty and, ultimately, reinforces humility. Breaking them is part of the cycle.

 - Eric Zorn