Gunner's Blog

Monday, July 30, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/30/07

"Outstanding Service Members Receive Monthly Award"
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11504

"Service Members Get a CLU"
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11505

"Airpower Summary for July 27 "
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11519

"Seven More Detained During Marne Avalanche"
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11521

"Lieutenant 'takes Reins' of Brigade for a Day"
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11523

"1st Air Cav Pilots Recognized for Daring Rescue"
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11526

Labels: 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Lt. Michelle Geffert, 615th, CLU, Operation Marne Avalanche, PO1 David Trimble

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 6:16 PM | 0 comments

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007

IRAQ Google News Alerts - 07/18/07

A Nonsensical Plan For Iraq
CBS News - New York City,NY,USA
If this is the best that the GOP's elder statesmen in the Senate can do, let's hope a new generation of statesmen rises soon. Lugar and Warner are frank ...
See all stories on this topic

National Intelligence Estimate Fuels Iraq War Opponents
FOX News - USA
Still, critics contend the war in Iraq is feeding Al Qaeda's jihadist ambitions, and it's best to get out of there now. Speaking with UN Secretary-General ...
See all stories on this topic

Electricity rationing in Iraq
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
Kareem didn't know it then, but he and his neighbors had become guinea pigs in an Iraqi government experiment to limit electricity use as demand soars, ...
See all stories on this topic

The Best Of The Brothers
Atlantic Online - USA
Fallows notes: Before he went to Ft. Leavenworth, David Petraeus' assignment was to create an Iraqi defense force -- to allow them to "stand up" so ...
See all stories on this topic

Pentagon dithering turned US forces into sitting ducks
USA Today - USA
Gates, to his credit, has promised to get MRAPs to Iraq "as best we can" and has publicly prodded contractors to hurry because "lives are at stake. ...
See all stories on this topic

More troops to Iraq possible
Detroit Free Press - United States
Pace said the White House must consider not only what works best on the battlefield, but also the stress of war on troops and their families. Iraq ...
See all stories on this topic

Coming Weeks Crucial for Iraq's Prime Minister
Voice of America - USA
By Margaret Besheer Political pressure on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is growing in Washington as well as Baghdad. VOA's Margaret Besheer reports ...
See all stories on this topic

Future could be bright for young stars
Bangkok Post - Thailand
Thailand drew 1-1 with Iraq and beat Oman 2-0, while the star-studded Socceroos snatched a 1-1 draw with Oman and were embarrassed 3-1 by the Iraqis. ...
See all stories on this topic

Homeland Security Advisor Frances Townsend
Washington Post - United States
TOWNSEND: And by the way, that wasn't just a one-off; because we also know that they tried to move Abdul Hadi al-Iraqi from Afghanistan to Iraq. ...
See all stories on this topic

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 6:50 PM | 0 comments

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Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/17/07

"Iraqi Army Troops Lead Joint Medical Effort in Hor A..."
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11319

"Chinook Crews Move, Supply Troops"
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11321

Labels: Chinook Crews, Joint Medical Effort

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 6:56 PM | 0 comments

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Monday, July 16, 2007

IRAQ Google News Alerts - 07/16/07

No cakewalk from Iraq, maybe much longer stay
Chicago Tribune - United States
When we pulled out of Kuwait in 1991, '92, it took about a year to get out of there, in a completely permissive environment, where we had some of the best ...
See all stories on this topic

Keep on Surgin'
Yahoo! News - USA
Last week, 95 percent of Democrats in the House voted in favor of legislation requiring that the United States withdraw most combat troops from Iraq by ...
See all stories on this topic

UN is best hope for leaving Iraq
Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Sarasota,FL,USA
Control of Iraq's borders will allow time for the Iraqi national forces to deal with both sectarian violence and foreign-instigated violence. ...
See all stories on this topic

Pace: US Troops in Iraq Could Rise
Forbes - NY,USA
What I've got to determine is what do I need in order to continue that progress so that the political piece can then take hold and Iraqi security forces can ...
See all stories on this topic

Clouds have gold lining
Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
They, like the Thais, were dependent on the score across town at the National Stadium in the game being played simultaneously between Iraq and Oman: the ...
See all stories on this topic

Us Vs. Them -- But Who Are They?
CBS News - New York City,NY,USA
We're more than four years into the war, and the media may now be digging deeper into the brutal realities of Iraq than they ever have before. ...
See all stories on this topic

Shortage of Iraqi troops leads to call for civilians
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske BAGHDAD, Iraq - A top US military commander in Iraq called for more Iraqi troops to police troubled areas Sunday, a day in which at ...
See all stories on this topic

Dems Trounce GOP In Campaign Cash
U.S. News & World Report - Washington,DC,USA
USA Today says Iraqi Brig. Gen. Qassim Atta "sought to soften" Maliki's comments, saying Iraq's troops "are capable but they need support" targeting enemies ...
See all stories on this topic

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 7:09 PM | 0 comments

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Ageless Wit and Observations

"If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed."
-Mark Twain

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress.... But then I repeat myself.
-Mark Twain

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.-George Bernard Shaw

A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which he proposes to pay off with your money.
-G Gordon Liddy

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.
-James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.
-Douglas Casey

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
-P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.
-Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
-Ronald Reagan (1986)

I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.
-Will Rogers

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!
-P.J. O'Rourke

In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.
-Voltaire (1764)

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!
-Pericles (430 B.C.)

No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.
-Mark Twain (1866)

Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it.
-Unknown

The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.
-Ronald Reagan

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.
-Winston Churchill

The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.
-Mark Twain

The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.
-Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

There is no distinctly Native American criminal class...save Congress.
-Mark Twain

What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.
-Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995)

A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Thomas Jefferson

Labels: Douglas Casey, Frederic Bastiat, G. Gordon Liddy, George Bernard Shaw, James Brovard, Mark Twain, P.J.O'Rourke, Pericles, Ronald Regan, Thomas Jefferson, Voltaire, Will Rogers, Winston Churchill

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 4:50 PM | 0 comments

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Sunday, July 15, 2007

Military burn unit filled with pain, hope, humor

The San Diego Union-Tribune

By Sharon Cohen
ASSOCIATED PRESS
July 15, 2007

SAN ANTONIO – The five badly burned soldiers arrived around 11 p.m., sedated and swathed in bandages from head to foot – the screech of the plane's wheels on the tarmac and waiting ambulances marking the end of a 7,500-mile journey.

Sgt. Merlin German was treated at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio for burns to more than 97 percent of his body.

Dr. Kevin Chung waited inside Brooke Army Medical Center as the ambulance convoy zipped through the gates. He knew the soldiers were coming from Germany after being evacuated from Iraq. A three-continent marathon, and this was the finish line. Now Chung and some 30 doctors, nurses and others took over. They cut open the men's bandages and, using diagrams of the human body, mapped the soldiers' burns – shading in red for third-degree, blue for second-degree – to plan for surgery.

They called the soldiers' families. They needed permission to operate. Quickly. The men had been injured days earlier when a roadside bomb turned their Bradley fighting vehicle into an inferno. One man who had escaped ran back to help a trapped comrade. "This one's the hero," Chung said as the first stretcher rolled in.

"They're all heroes," a nurse replied. Chung did a broncoscopy to check the patient's lungs. He threaded a fiber-optic scope into the tube connecting the soldier to a ventilator. Tarlike soot deposits appeared on a monitor. To Chung, it looked as though someone had smoked 100 packs of cigarettes in 10 minutes. If this soldier – the one who had escaped – had so much lung damage, what about the men who had been trapped? He examined them and answered his own question. Their lungs were worse.

Brooke's burn center – the only one of its kind for the nation's military – has its own rhythms and rituals. The center's 40 beds are tucked in a fourth-floor wing of the sand-colored hospital at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. In the halls and on the walls are constant reminders of war: the scarred young men, the clocks set to Iraq and Afghanistan time. This is a place where patients celebrate every small step toward recovery and where a clenched-teeth grimace speaks more eloquently than words. It's also a place with a quiet sense of urgency.

Doctors operate in womblike, 90-degree heat, sometimes six at once working on a soldier; nurses in boots, masks and long gowns sweat as they scrub down patients in steaming showers; families congregate, longing for the day loved ones will emerge from the cocoon of bandages. In another era, another war, many patients probably would never have made it this far.

But troops today have better body armor, fast evacuation from the battlefield to war-zone hospitals, then state-of-the-art treatment in Germany and the United States. Brooke has special teams that fly to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany to bring home the most severe cases on a C-17 transport, sometimes handling emergencies in the air. A soldier burned in Iraq can be in a hospital bed in San Antonio within 72 hours, sometimes less. In the Persian Gulf War, it took nearly 12 days.

In Vietnam, it was closer to 17 days. Once patients arrive at Brooke, skin grafts are usually done within 24 hours to stave off infection, the major cause of death. Decades ago, doctors waited days or weeks to perform surgery. "The faster you get the burn off the patient, the better off you're going to do," says Dr. David Barillo, chief of the flight evacuation team. Brooke's burn center also treats civilians.

But these days there is a steady flow of wounded from Iraq and Afghanistan – more than 570 thus far, of which only about 6 percent have died. Many survivors, however, are permanently scarred. Some also suffer from blast-related wounds, such as head injuries or fractures. Others can't walk, cut their food or tie their shoes. "We now have an entirely new population of burn survivors . . . with oftentimes lifelong and life-changing injuries," says Dr. Evan Renz, a Brooke surgeon.

Some will recover. Others will learn new ways to become independent. "You have to believe that you're doing the best thing for the patient by helping them survive," Renz says. "You have to believe that in the end, when all is said and done, they will be glad they made it through."

Chung woke from a quick nap on his office couch the morning after the five badly burned soldiers arrived and walked down the hall to check on them. All were stable, but the news quickly turned grim. One soldier went into shock. His heart, lungs and kidneys failed. He died without regaining consciousness. With burns, Chung says, patients can rally, then suddenly take a turn for the worse – all the while dealing with excruciating pain. "I can't think of a more devastating injury," he says.

"In the most tragic instances, a lot of us say to ourselves . . . sometimes life is worse than death." Of the five burn patients, one was transferred out of intensive care. The soldier who had escaped was rebounding, too. Then an infection set in, and he died. Within three weeks, four of the five were gone. Chung had lost patients before, but each one, he says, leaves him shaken.

"You walk a tightrope," he says. "I tell the family members that they need to be realistic. At the same time, I don't want to be the person to take away hope. How can you justify giving up on anybody?" Chung always reminds himself of the most critically burned patient he helped treat who survived. That would be Sgt. Merlin German.

German's survival is a story of numbers: Burned over 97 percent of his body. Nearly 17 months in the hospital. More than 40 surgeries, and counting. Practically everyone who has met the Marine describes him with one word: miracle. Sitting in the therapy gym, sucking on a "fentanyl pop" – a plastic stick tipped with a morphinelike painkiller – he pulls a T-shirt of his own design from his gym bag. On the front, it says: "Got 3 percent chance of surviving; What ya gonna do?"

The back lists four options: "a. Fight Through. b. Stay Strong. c. Overcome Because I Am A Warrior. d. All Of The Above!" The last one is circled. But living choice "d" isn't easy. It means one surgery after another, learning to walk again with grafts and adjusting to a ripple-scarred face. But more than two years after German, 21, nearly died from a roadside bomb, he has a steely resolve and a tremendously supportive family led by his mother, Yvonne.

Last December, after months of practice, he donned his Marine dress blues and hit the dance floor at Brooke's Holiday Ball. He surprised his mother, taking her into his wounded arms and gliding across the room to a Rod Stewart song, "Have I Told You Lately That I Loved You?" The crowd stood and applauded. And cried.

German's path to the dance floor began in the intensive care unit. It's where Capt. Kristine Broger, an ICU nurse, thrives in heat and silence. She's accustomed to rooms set at 80 degrees or higher to help those who can't control their body temperature after their burned skin has been removed. And she's familiar with patients who can't speak – at least, at first – because they're sedated or hooked to ventilators.

Broger meets those patients by talking with loved ones and looking at photos they tack up on the walls, snapshots that remind everyone of the person beneath the bandages. Seeing these "kids" month after month, "they become part of you and you get to know the family like your own," says Broger, who at 27 is a veteran of Iraq. She has a strategy for coping with the ICU's stresses. "After the locker room, I try not to bring anything home with me. But some days," she says, "it's more difficult than others."

Chris Edwards is in Year 3 as a burn-center regular. The Army staff sergeant was wounded when a 500-pound bomb exploded under his Bradley as he was crossing a bridge in Iraq. He was burned over 79 percent of his body. Since then, he has endured 34 surgeries, including grafts over his entire body, eye operations and holes drilled through his lower right leg bones and heel and metal rods inserted to stabilize them.

"You start thinking, what did I do to deserve this?" says Edwards, 36, who also served in the Marines. "It really tests your faith. Not only that, you're really thinking: What did my family do to deserve this?" Some days, he says, "I just . . . beg somehow for God to kill me and take away the pain and just let me die." Yet Edwards still looks for humor – as he has all his life. "If you're a patient and you laugh for a second, that's one second more that you don't have to worry about how bad things hurt. . . . For that second, you're a regular person. I try to keep people laughing as much as I can."

Sgt. Shane Elder patched up the wounded in Iraq and sent them home to be healed. Now he's treating burn survivors at Brooke, gently massaging and stretching their scars so they don't shrink and turn fingers into claws. Elder, a former medic, is an occupational therapist's assistant. Off duty, he's just one of the guys, hosting an occasional poker game for patients at his home or joining them for dinner or a movie. "You don't work with these guys . . . and just talk about your burn scar," he says.

"They become your friends." One of his first patients was a severely burned Marine. The men shared the same dry wit and taste in rock music. When the Marine was about to be discharged, Elder invited him over. Elder prepared his older son, then 3, knowing he might be frightened by the Marine's disfigured face. Instead, the little boy was fascinated by his prosthetic arm and asked, "Are you a robot?" "Sort of," the Marine replied.

After that, Elder's son joyfully squealed the Marine's name every time he visited. Last fall, Elder was a groomsman at his wedding. Elder helps burn patients face their fears. His advice is simple: "You're not the same person you were before," he tells them. "If anything, you're a stronger person. . . . Get back out there."

Marine Cpl. Roy VanWey is plotting his path away from the burn center. A year ago, a bomb turned VanWey's Humvee into a fireball, killing three Marines who were with him and leaving him with burns over 70 percent of his body. Since then, he has been through 10 surgeries. He recently had one to hold his head straight. Slowly, he is regaining his independence. He can now spool pasta, draw and sign his name even though he lost most of the fingers on his right hand.

But he still is adjusting to his changing face – pink, blotchy, raw. He knows people stare when he goes to the mall, the movies or out to dinner. "When I'm talking to people, I feel like the same person inside," VanWey says. "But when I look in the mirror, I feel like I'm looking at a stranger." His wife, Cassi, offers a visitor a laminated Marine photo identification card showing a handsome man with bright eyes and a wide smile.

Then she turns to her husband of 18 months and says: "I don't care what you look like. I love both faces the same." With her at his side, VanWey sorts out his life after Brooke, "mourning the death of the person I used to be," he says, "and having to come to terms with who I'm going to be the rest of my life." Determinedly, he looks ahead. "I've got to make the best of it," he says. "At least I'm alive."

Labels: Brooke Army Medical Center, Capt. Kristine Broger, Chris Edwards, Cpl Ron VanWey, Dr. Kevin Chung, San Antonio, Sgt Merlin German, Sgt Shane Elder

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 11:25 AM | 0 comments

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Friday, July 13, 2007

No News Releases from "Over There"

I don't understand it. I am signed up for several sources with filters to limit the news articles that I get regarding Iraq to "good" ones. For the past week, I am hardly getting any news articles, from any source, and there haven't been any Army and Air Force Hometown News releases since July 3. Wierd.

Is anyone else experiencing a scarcity of news from "Over There"?

~G

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 9:53 PM | 0 comments

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Thursday, July 12, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/12/07

"Soldiers, Families Mix It Up at Striker Organization..."
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11215

"Joining the Army Can Be a Family Tradition"
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11243

Labels: Families, Family Tradition, Soldiers, Striker's

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 8:40 PM | 0 comments

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Tuesday, July 10, 2007

IRAQ Google News Alerts - 07/10/07

Better protection promised
Colorado Springs Gazette - Colorado Springs,CO,USA
By TOM ROEDER
Soldiers will get better bomb protection on the roads of Iraq, even if the Army has to use World War II production methods to provide it, ...
See all stories on this topic

Watch It: 'Iraq in Fragments'
Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
The documentary won three awards at Sundance for best director, best cinematography and best editing, and was nominated for best documentary feature at the ...
See all stories on this topic

Iraq fails to meet goals set by Bush
Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
The first is for its reports; the second, to assess whether the situation in Iraq is improving. The first deadline is Sunday, and the Pentagon yesterday ...
See all stories on this topic

Warning from Iraq...Better firefighting conditions...Forecaster ...
KXMC - Minot,ND,USA
AP BAGHDAD (AP) If there's a quick US pullout from Iraq, the country could collapse into a full-scale civil war. The warning comes today from Iraq's foreign ...
See all stories on this topic

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan costing Americans $12 billion a month
Blogger News Network - USA
We have spent so much to perhaps gain nothing. The American people deserve better. The Iraqi and Afghan people deserve better, and world deserves better.
See all stories on this topic

Reid tells GOP Iraq defectors: 'Put words into action'
Chicago Tribune - United States
There's no better place to start than to correct our troop rotation policy. With our military moving closer to the breaking point, and states finding ...
See all stories on this topic

A Formula For Victory In Iraq
CBS News - New York City,NY,USA
After the uprisings of 2004, the United States focused its efforts on moving the political process forward in Iraq and on training the Iraqi army and ...
See all stories on this topic

More GOP Defections On Iraq? The Skinny: White House Concerned ...
CBS News - New York City,NY,USA
Pete Domenici Calls For Strategy That Will Bring Troops Home Next Spring (CBS) The Skinny is Joel Roberts' take on the top news of the day and the best of ...
See all stories on this topic

Iraqi FM: Turkey Massing 140000 Troops
Washington Post - United StatesWe are against any military interference or violation of Iraqi sovereignty," Zebari said in Baghdad. Turkey has been pressuring the United States and Iraq ...
See all stories on this topic

Talking, the best strategy
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
This month could be a turning point in the Iraq war, especially if more Republicans turn against the president. The best way for Bush to prevent a ...
See all stories on this topic

Labels: Baghdad, Better Protection, BLogger News Network, Chicago, Colorado Springs, Formula for VIctory, Iraqi FM, LA CA, Minot ND, NYC NY, Seatle, Sundance, Sydney Australia, Turkey

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 4:25 PM | 0 comments

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Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/10/07

"Soldier Trades Teaching for Infantry Life"
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11165

"Another Day on the Job: Army Medics Save Air Force B..."
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11166

"Chaplains Provide Guidance to All Services"
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11185

"Gina Whitney's 'Bootleggers' Rock Baqubah"
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11186

"Red Horse Airmen Support Army in Southern Baghdad "
Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11192

Labels: 1-15 Soldiers, Airmen, Army Medics, Baqubah Police, Bootleggers, Chaplains, Infantry Life, Red Horse, Southern Baghdad, Teaching

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 4:03 PM | 0 comments

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Thursday, July 05, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/05/07

"Let Freedom Ring: Spending the Fourth of July in Iraq " Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11126

Labels: Let Freedom Ring, The Fourth in Iraq

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 7:10 PM | 0 comments

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IRAQ Google News Alerts - 07/05/07

US waging privatised war in Iraq
The Age - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
The array of private workers promises to figure in debates on policy regarding the privatisation of military jobs and the number of Iraqi refugees allowed ...
See all stories on this topic

Abdulla 'cheered the deaths of British troops'
Times Online - UK
A former friend who studied with British-born Bilal Abdulla at Cambridge said last night that the Iraqi had watched a video of a man being beheaded before ...
See all stories on this topic

Bush Lauds US Troops, Vows to Resist Iraq Pullout `Politics'
Bloomberg - USA
The president yesterday spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, urging him to focus on combating al-Qaeda, securing Iraq's borders, ...
See all stories on this topic

IRAQ-JORDAN: Palestinian refugees from Iraq heading to Brazil
Reuters AlertNet - London,England,UK
With the departure of the Palestinian refugees, only a handful of Iraqi families will be left facing an uncertain future. Jordan, already hosting 1.2 ...
See all stories on this topic

Denial of the link with Iraq is delusional and dangerous
Guardian Unlimited - UK
"Islamists have the best antidotes to al-Qaida propaganda." Given Britain's role in the Muslim world, the surprise must be that there haven't been more ...
See all stories on this topic

Iraq oil legislation advances
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
The reform of Iraq's oil industry is considered the most important of several benchmarks that Washington says are crucial to proving that Iraqi politicians ...
See all stories on this topic

Iraqis, CF work together to make eastern Baghdad routes safer
Blackanthem.com - Clinton Township,MI,USA
"By cleaning up the roads we mitigate where an IED can be placed, and by adding lights, you give the citizens, Coalition Forces, and the Iraqi Army better ...
See all stories on this topic

AFGHANISTAN/IRAQ: EXPERT QUESTIONS ELECTION VALIDITY IN CONFLICT AREAS
EurasiaNet - New York,NY,USA
In theory, could the elected members of the [Iraqi] parliament, representing their communities [and] representing the armed factions to which they are close ...
See all stories on this topic

Labels: AFGHANISTAN/IRAQ, Bilal Abdulla, Bush Lauds US Troops, IRAQ-JORDAN, Iraqis/CF, Privatised War

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 6:58 PM | 0 comments

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Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/04/07

"'Send Me' Mail" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11123

"Arifjan Peachy as Peachtree Race Run" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11115

"Top U.S. Commander in Iraq Enters the "Lions' Den"" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11118

"IAs, GIs Bring Security to Arab Jabour" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11119

"Engineers Raise Standard of Living" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11120

Labels: 'Send Me' Mail, 27th Engineers, Arab Jabour, Arifjan, IAs and GIs, Lions' Den, Peachtree Race, Peachy, Standard of Living

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 3:21 PM | 0 comments

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Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/03/07

"A Day in the Life of a Paratrooper" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11097

"IRoA, ISAF Provide Emergency Relief in Gayan District" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11109

"Operation Geronimo Strike Finds Al-Qaida Safe Houses" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11111

Labels: A Day in the life of..., Al-Qaida Safe Houses, Emergency Relief, Gayan District, IRoA, ISAF, Operation Geronimo Strike, Paratrooper

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 5:28 PM | 0 comments

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Monday, July 02, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/02/07

"25th CAB Soldiers Compete for NCO/Soldier of the Yea..." Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11065

"Soldiers Facilitate Town Hall Meeting in Falahat" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11071

"Treating an Unknown Illness With Fur and a Smile" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11072

"Becoming Familiar With the Arab World" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11074

"Army Mom Sends Camp Patriot Soldier Priceless Gift" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11076

"Recruiting Effort: Sheiks Support, Volunteers Turn O..." Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11081

"Afghan Police Chief Earns Soldier's Respect" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11083

"Soldiers Compete in Weight Lift Contest" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11085

"Displaced Iraqis Find Sanctuary in Industrial Distri..."Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11086

"1-15 Soldiers Strengthen Ties With Salman Pak" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11087

"FOB Hammer's FARP Refuels Birds, Crewmembers" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11088

"Korean Hospital Celebrates Treating 240,000th Patient" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11094

"Three Internet Cafes Established for Soldiers" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11096

Labels: 1-15 Soldiers, 25th CAB, Afghan Police Chief, Arab World, Camp Patriot, Displaced Iraqis, Falahat, FARP, FOB Hammer, Internet Cafes, Korean Hospital, Rashid Sheiks, Salman Pak

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 6:53 PM | 0 comments

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Coalition to Salute America's Heroes (CSAH)

The Coalition to Salute America's Heroes (CSAH), a nonpartisan, nonprofit
organization dedicated to helping severely wounded War on Terror veterans
and their families rebuild their lives, today announced a partnership with
Give an Hour, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing a national
network of licensed mental health volunteers to respond to acute and
chronic needs within our society. The program, dubbed Returning Hero
Counseling Network will provide therapy specifically aimed at meeting the
counseling needs of returning U.S. troops and their families who are
affected by the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The network of licensed mental health professionals that are to join the
program will Give an Hour of their time each week to provide free mental
health services to military personnel and their families for as long as it
takes.

Give an Hour continues to recruit volunteer providers and will offer a
variety of training opportunities to registered counselors. Connections
between troops, their families and providers are already being made
through the network, underscoring the need for such services.

CSAH is providing a grant to Give an Hour to develop the Returning Heroes
Counseling Network. CSAH will handle recruiting and qualifying service
members who need help, while Give an Hour will manage the professional
network and specific counselor training.

"Our military leaders are well aware of the human cost of this campaign.
Indeed, they are attempting to address the psychological needs of the
troops through a variety of programs within the military culture.
Unfortunately, the tremendous number of people affected makes it
impossible for the military to respond adequately to the mental health
needs in its greater community. Moreover, returning combat veterans
suffering from depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder are
not routinely seeking the mental health treatment they need," says Barbara
V. Romberg, PhD., founder and executive director of Give an Hour.

"The Returning Hero Counseling Network falls under our Family Support
Network platform. It addresses the needs of service members who have been
severely wounded and those affected with post traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) and also the family members and
caregivers of those troops," says Ray Clifford, executive director for
CSAH. "Partnering with Give an Hour was logical. The combined strengths
and resources of our organizations make possible this vital service," he
adds.

Corporal Justin Bajema, 26, Marines, was on his second tour in Iraq with
the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in 2004 when his vehicle was attacked
by insurgents. He suffered severe injuries to his legs, including IED
shrapnel to both lower extremities and has been diagnosed with PTSD. He is
now a national spokesperson for CSAH is excited to see that organizations
like CSAH and Give an Hour are stepping up to address these issues.

Cpl. Bajema says, "So many troops are coming back with battle scars that
aren't necessarily physical scars. The families and caregivers are
suffering just as much, because when their loved ones come home injured,
it's hard to cope with the drastic changes. Disorders like PTSD and TBI
when left untreated have serious, debilitating effects on the health of
injured troops and their families. I am so thankful for the many mental
health professionals who are volunteering their time to help these service
members and their families readjust to life on the homefront."

There are more than 400,000 mental health professionals in the US and many
of them looking for a way to help returning troops. Therefore, this
program has enormous potential.

The formation of the Returning Hero Counseling Network will be celebrated
at the 2007 Road to Recovery Conference and Tribute in Orlando.

For more information please visit the website at:

http://www.saluteheroes.org/.

If you are a mental health provider and are interested in donating an hour of your time each week or if you are in need of counseling, please visit:

http://www.giveanhour.org/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Has Anyone out there had any experience with either of these organizations? If so, please send an email ( admin@usafns.com) or post a comment.

~G

Labels: Coalition to Salute America's Heroes, Counseling Network, Cpl Justin Bajema, CSAH, Give an Hour, Mental Health, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, Returning Hero, TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 9:56 AM | 0 comments

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Sunday, July 01, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/01/07

"PMCS: an Acronym for Success" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11057

"Heroes Honored at Hood Ceremony" Can be viewed at...
http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php?script=news/news_show.php&id=11059

Labels: Hood Ceremony, PMCS

| Link | Posted by ~G @ 7:25 PM | 0 comments

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Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/03/07

Monday, July 02, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/02/07

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Sunday, July 01, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/01/07

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Please Support Our Troops

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Monday, July 30, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/30/07

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

IRAQ Google News Alerts - 07/18/07

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/17/07

Monday, July 16, 2007

IRAQ Google News Alerts - 07/16/07

Ageless Wit and Observations

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Military burn unit filled with pain, hope, humor

Friday, July 13, 2007

No News Releases from "Over There"

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/12/07

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

IRAQ Google News Alerts - 07/10/07

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/10/07

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/05/07

IRAQ Google News Alerts - 07/05/07

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/04/07

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/03/07

Monday, July 02, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/02/07

Coalition to Salute America's Heroes (CSAH)

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Good News From "Over There" by DVIDS 07/01/07

About Me

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* * AFNS * *
Publishing News About Our Servicemembers since 2003