Veterans

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January 4, 2012 | 11:02 AM | By

Soldier Violates Code Stumping for Ron Paul (Video)

CNN / RonPaul.com

Army Cpl. Jesse Thorsen

Army Cpl. Jesse Thorsen appeared on CNN last night to speak on behalf of Ron Paul during the network’s Iowa Caucus results programming. The problem? Thorsen was wearing his uniform while expressing his political opinion. That’s a direct violation of military code. The Department of Defense guidelines read in part:

“…[M]embers on active duty should not engage in partisan political activity, and that members not on active duty should avoid inferences that their political activities imply or appear to imply official sponsorship, approval, or endorsement…”

Paul Rieckhoff of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America wrote on his Facebook page after seeing Thorsen on TV:

The soldier that spoke tonight on behalf of Ron Paul is gonna be in a bit of trouble. Politics in uniform is a big no-go. And Paul and his campaign should know better.

Paul has got a lot of support among the military. As Home Post reported earlier this year, Paul gets more donations from servicemembers than any other GOP candidate.

CNN attempted to contact Paul’s campaign to get a reaction about Thorsen’s controversial appearance, but as of this writing there’s been no response.

Here’s video of Thorsen speaking on behalf of Ron Paul:

FILED UNDER: Afghanistan, Iraq, Life in the Military, Veterans, War, Afghan war, Afghanistan, iowa caucus results, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Iraq War, Mitt Romney, Paul Reickhoff, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, U.S. Army Corp. Jesse Thorsen, Uniform Code of Military Justice, Veterans
December 30, 2011 | 10:19 AM | By

#2 USS Carl Vinson Buries Osama Bin Laden at Sea (Video)

Getty Images

A sailor looks out from a deck of the USS Carl Vinson

I remember waking up the morning after President Obama announced Navy SEAL Team 6 had killed Osama bin Laden. Like many of you, I was surprised to learn that bin Laden’s body had been almost immediately buried at sea.

Once at work, I began to scan the internet for any information on the disposal of bin Laden’s body. And then there it was, in the headline of an article on a British news organization’s website. The San Diego-based USS Carl Vinson was the ship responsible for burying bin Laden at sea.

According to the UK Telegraph:

“The deceased’s body was washed and then placed in a white sheet. The body was placed in a weighted bag. A military officer read prepared religious remarks which were translated into Arabic by a native speaker. After the words were complete, the body was place on a prepared flat board, tipped up, whereupon the deceased’s body eased into the sea.”

I know a lot of family members of the Vinson crew were worried there would be retaliation against the Vinson for its participation in such a momentous event. I also heard from a lot of parents who were so proud of their sons and daughters for being a part of a key moment in U.S. history.

What’s wild is just a few months later, the Vinson would be the scene of another historic event, but this time in the world of sports. The Vinson hosted the Carrier Classic on Veterans Day, the first-ever college basketball game to be played on a live flattop.

Here’s some great time-lapse video showing how the flight deck of the Vinson was turned into a basketball arena:

FILED UNDER: 9/11, Afghanistan, Life in the Military, Osama bin Laden, Spouses & Families, USS Carl Vinson, War, 11-11-11, Afghanistan, Carrier Classic, Carrier Classic tickets, college basketball, DNA, ESPN, James Worthy, life in the military, Magic Johnson, Michigan State Spartans, Navy SEAL Team 6, Osama bin Laden, Osama bin Laden burial at sea, Osama bin Laden dead, President Barack Obama, San Diego, Spouses & Families, University of North Carolina Tar Heels, USS Carl Vinson, Veterans, Veterans Day, war, Women in the Military
December 29, 2011 | 9:16 AM | By

Parade for Returning Iraq War Vets? Your Responses

Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo / Department of Defense

The mission flag is cased at the end of mission ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq December 15, 2011

Home Post put the question out to readers yesterday: Would you like to see a parade to celebrate the end of the Iraq War? The question was triggered by criticism from GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry while on the campaign trail. He slammed President Obama for not organizing a parade in honor of the troops who fought in the Iraq War.

The KPBS web page got several responses to the question. David65 wrote:

“That’s quite a question. What did we win? The country has been at civil war since ’06 despite our presence. They’re still in turmoil. We never found WMDs. I think the veterans would appreciate improved healthcare versus a parade. At least that’s something they can use.”

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Iraq, Life in the Military, Veterans, War, Afghan war, Afghanistan, end of Iraq War, Gulf War, Hall of Heroes, Iraq, President Barack Obama, Rick Perry, ticker-tape parade, Veterans, war, War in Iraq, World War II
December 26, 2011 | 12:02 PM | By

San Diego VA Hospital to Get Influx of Iraq War Vets

Combat troops in Iraq

Reid Report

Combat troops in Iraq

More than 16,000 veterans of the war in Iraq who were part of the recent mass troop withdrawal from that country are expected at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals in Southern California this Spring, according to the San Bernardino Sun.

One of the hospitals gearing up for an influx of the newest Iraq War veterans is the VA San Diego Healthcare System in La Jolla.

Jacqueline Taylor of Loma Linda VA hospital told the San Bernardino Sun that most servicemembers returning home to Southern California report to VA San Diego Healthcare System, and also the VA hospital in Long Beach.

Taylor says that while all U.S. troops are now out of Iraq, the impact at Southern California’s VA hospitals won’t be felt until March. That’s because servicemembers will first use up leftover leave before they discharge from the service.

FILED UNDER: Iraq, Life in the Military, San Diego, Veterans, War, Iraq War, Iraq War withdrawal, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA San Diego Healthcare System, Veterans, War in Iraq
December 19, 2011 | 1:16 PM | By

J.R. Martinez Dad-to-Be to Little Girl

Department of Defense / Flickr

J.R. Martinez showing dance moves to Leon Panetta

Iraq War veteran and Dancing with the Stars champion J.R. Martinez is going to be a father. Martinez told People magazine his girlfriend Diana Gonzalez-Jones is pregnant with a girl:

“God has a tremendous sense of humor that he wants to continue to surround me with women. I was raised by a single mom so I think I’m sensitive to women. I just like spending time with women. I like to talk with women and listen to what they have to say.”

In April 2003, less than a month after he was deployed to Iraq, the Humvee that Martinez was driving hit a land mine. The vehicle caught fire and Martinez was trapped inside. He suffered burns to more than 40 percent of his body, according to his website. Martinez spent 34 months recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas – where he underwent 33 different surgeries.

Martinez is now somewhat of a renaissance man: working as a motivational speaker, actor, and television host. He has been named the Grand Marshal of the 2012 Tournament of Roses.

FILED UNDER: Iraq, Life in the Military, Spouses & Families, Veterans, War, All My Children, Brooke Army Medical Center, Dancing with the Stars, Diana Gonzalez-Jones, Humvee, Iraq War, Iraq War veterans, J.R. Martinez, Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Veterans, War in Iraq
December 9, 2011 | 10:03 AM | By

Police Officer Killed at Virginia Tech a Veteran (Video)

The police officer gunned down yesterday during a routine traffic stop at Virginia Tech was an Army veteran. CBS news reports Deriek W. Crouse joined the Virginia Tech police force six months after the school’s infamous 2007 massacre. Crouse was 39-years-old, married, with five children and stepchildren.

Virginia Tech police chief Wendell Flinchum told a news conference this morning:

“[Crouse's] death is a tremendous loss to our department. Each and every one of us. Words can’t express the loss we’ve felt within our own department.”

CBS news has more on the story in this video report:

FILED UNDER: Life in the Military, Veterans, Deriek W. Crouse, Seung-Hui Cho, U.S. Army, Va Tech, Veterans, Virginia Tech police force, Virginia Tech shooting, Virginia Tech shooting 2011, Wendell Flinchum
December 8, 2011 | 11:37 AM | By

Watch Live Air Force Briefing on Dover AFB Mortuary Scandal

The Air Force is holding a media briefing at 1:00 PST on the mishandling of servicemember remains at the Dover Air Force Base mortuary. You can watch it live here:

FILED UNDER: Afghanistan, Iraq, Life in the Military, Spouses & Families, Veterans, War, Afghanistan, Afghanistan War, Air Force briefing, Air Force Inspector General, Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations, Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, body parts scandal, Dover Air Force Base, Dover Mortuary Panel, fallen servicemembers, Iraq, Iraq War, Leon Panetta, life in the military, Spouses & Families, U.S. Air Force, Veterans, war
December 1, 2011 | 11:59 AM | By

PTSD on the Rise for Military Working Dogs (Video)

U.S Marine Corps/Flickr

Military dog and his Marine

At least one in five veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a Rand study. And it turns out it’s not just human veterans who are plagued by symptoms of PTSD.

Last September, Home Post reported on the new diagnosis of PTSD in military working dogs, and the expectation by military officials that as the number of military working dogs grew, so would the number of dogs with PTSD:

Lt. Col. Richard A. Vargus, chief of the law enforcement branch at CENTCOM, tells USA Today that as more military working dogs are sent into battle, an increasing number of the four-legged warriors will suffer the consequences.

Now the New York Times is confirming Vargus’s prognostication. Dr. Walter F. Burghardt Jr., of the Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, tells the Times:

[M]ore than 5 percent of the approximately 650 military dogs deployed by American combat forces are coming down with canine PTSD. Of those, about half are likely to be retired from service.

There are a total of 2,700 active-duty military working dogs in the United States military, according to the Times. About 500 of those dogs go to Holland Military Working Dog Hospital each year for treatment of injuries suffered in the line of duty. Recently, the hospital started treating dogs for PTSD. Treatment can range from simply giving the pooch a break from duty, to more intense therapy like desensitizing counter-conditioning.

The Army posted a video about the Holland Military Working Dog Hospital, and what they do there. Take a look:

FILED UNDER: Afghanistan, Iraq, Life in the Military, Veterans, War, Afghan war, Afghanistan, Cairo the dog, combat fatigue, Daniel E. Holland Military Working Dog Hospital, desensitization counter-conditioning, dogs and PTSD, Holland Military Working Dog Hospital, IED's, Improvised Explosive Device, Iraq War, Lackland Air Force Base, life in the military, Military Working Dog Veterinary Service Hospital, military working dogs, post traumatic stress disorder, PTSD, shell shock, Veterans, war
November 28, 2011 | 10:03 AM | By

Virtual Reality Helps Wounded Warriors in San Diego (Video)

Wounded warriors who have lower leg amputations are participating in a groundbreaking study at Naval Medical Center San Diego. Called the Postural Active Disturbance Study, researchers hope what they learn will help injured troops gain confidence in their prosthetic devices.

Take a look at this Navy video that has all the details:

FILED UNDER: Life in the Military, San Diego, Veterans, War, amputations, Naval Medical Center San Diego, NMCSD, Postural Active Disturbance Study, prosthetics, U.S. Navy, Veterans, virtual reality, wounded warriors
November 25, 2011 | 9:53 AM | By

Iraq War Vet and DWTS Winner Gets Special Thank You (Video)

The Pentagon Channel

J.R. Martinez

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta sent a special thank you letter to J.R. Martinez, the Iraq War veteran who won this season’s Dancing with the Stars.

As Home Post has previously reported, Martinez was brutally injured in Iraq in 2003 when his Humvee caught fire after hitting a land mine. Martinez was trapped inside the burning vehicle for 15 minutes before pulled to safety.

Martinez now works as an actor, motivational speaker, and television host.

For more about the special thank you, here’s a full report from The Pentagon Channel:

FILED UNDER: Iraq, Life in the Military, Veterans, War, "Jump, All My Children, an' Wail", CNN Heroes: Where Are They Now?, Dancing with the Stars, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Grand Marshal, Heroes: An All-Star Tribute, Iraq, Iraq War, J.R. Martinez, Jive, JR Martinez, Karina Smirnoff, life in the military, mirrorball trophy, Ricki Lake, Rob Kardashian, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Tournament of Roses, Veterans, war, who won dancing with the stars 2011