Tuesday, July 13, 2010
VA Simplifies Access to Health Care and Benefits for Veterans with PTSD
WASHINGTON (July 12, 2010) - Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki announced a critical step forward in providing an easier
process for Veterans seeking health care and disability compensation for
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), with the publication of a final
regulation in the Federal Register.
"This nation has a solemn obligation to the men and women who have
honorably served this country and suffer from the often devastating
emotional wounds of war," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.
Shinseki. "This final regulation goes a long way to ensure that
Veterans receive the benefits and services they need."
By publishing a final regulation in the Federal Register to simplify the
process for a Veteran to claim service connection for PTSD, VA reduces
the evidence needed if the trauma claimed by a Veteran is related to
fear of hostile military or terrorist activity and is consistent with
the places, types, and circumstances of the Veteran's service.
This science-based regulation relies on evidence that concluded that a
Veteran's deployment to a war zone is linked to an increased risk of
PTSD.
Under the new rule, VA would not require corroboration of a stressor
related to fear of hostile military or terrorist activity if a VA doctor
confirms that the stressful experience recalled by a Veteran adequately
supports a diagnosis of PTSD and the Veteran's symptoms are related to
the claimed stressor.
Previously, claims adjudicators were required to corroborate that a
non-combat Veteran actually experienced a stressor related to hostile
military activity. This final rule simplifies the development that is
required for these cases.
VA expects this rulemaking to decrease the time it takes VA to decide
access to care and claims falling under the revised criteria. More than
400,000 Veterans currently receiving compensation benefits are service
connected for PTSD. Combined with VA's shorter claims form, VA's new
streamlined, science-based regulation allows for faster and more
accurate decisions that also expedite access to medical care and other
benefits for Veterans.
PTSD is a medically recognized anxiety disorder that can develop from
seeing or experiencing an event that involves actual or threatened death
or serious injury to which a person responds with intense fear,
helplessness or horror, and is not uncommon among war Veterans.
Disability compensation is a tax-free benefit paid to a Veteran for
disabilities that are a result of -- or made worse by -- injuries or
diseases associated with active service.
For additional information, go to www.va.gov <http://www.va.gov/> or
call VA's toll free benefits number at 1-800-827-1000.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The Blog is on hiatus due to a disagreement with my disability company First Unum who might misconstrue the blog as a source of employment or income it is not and never was never will be. I am a Disabled Veteran I need my disability income so to avoid further hassle this blog for the first time ever since its inception in 2006 is on hiatus and to all you guys who enjoy the blog I apologize for this but until I know where I stand with this I will not be posting.
Sean
Sean
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Marine Missing in Action From World War I Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War I, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
U.S. Marine First Sergeant George H. Humphrey of Utica, N.Y., will be buried on Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery. On Sept. 15, 1918, Humphrey participated in the first U.S.-led offensive of the war under the command of Gen. John J. Pershing. The battle with the Germans became known as the St. Mihiel Offensive. There were 7,000 Allied losses during this offensive and it was the first use of the American use of the term "D-Day" and the first use of tanks by American units.
Humphrey, a member of the U.S. 6th Marine Regiment, attached to the Army's 2nd Infantry Division, was killed in action during the battle and his remains were buried by fellow Marines the next day. In October 1919, a Marine who witnessed the death wrote a letter to Humphrey's brother recounting the attack near the village of Rembercourt. He included a map of his recollection of the burial site.
Attempts to locate Humphrey's remains by U.S. Army Graves Registration personnel following the war were unsuccessful. In September 2009, French nationals hunting for war relics found artifacts near Rembercourt-sur-Mad they believed to be those of a World War I American soldier. A month later, a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command excavated the area, recovering human remains and military-related items including a marksman's badge with Humphrey's name engraved on the back.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC laboratory also used dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO Web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call 703-699-1169.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Fallen Airmen Laid to Rest After 38 Years
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden ARLINGTON, Va., June 18, 2010 - Unidentified remains of 14 fallen Air Force AC-130 gunship crewmembers were laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery here yesterday, nearly 40 years after their aircraft was shot down over southern Laos.
The crew was killed in action March 29, 1972, in the midst of the Vietnam War. Air Force Lt. Gen. Mark D. Shackelford presented an American flag to the families. Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) Anthony Wade and Rev. Martin McGill presided over the service. Full military honors included a flag-draped casket and carrying team, a firing party, a band and bugler, a horse-drawn caisson and escorts from the Air Force Honor Guard. All 14 names will be included on the headstone. Representatives from the families of 13 of the airmen attended the ceremony. Several members of Rolling Thunder, an advocacy group for the return of all prisoners of war and those missing in action, also attended the service. Remains for Halpin, Wenzel, Caniford, Pearce, Simmons, Smith and Todd were positively identified and returned to their families. Young and Caniford were buried here individually in 2008, said Kaitlin Horst, a spokeswoman for the cemetery. The remaining seven airmen could not be identified, but are accounted for, Larry Greer, a spokesman for the Pentagon's Joint Prisoners of War and Missing in Action Accounting Command, said in an interview today with American Forces Press Service. Forensic anthropologists and scientists from the Defense Department are confident all 14 airmen were involved in the crash, Greer said. The scientists used identification tools, circumstantial evidence and DNA tests to match the crewmembers' remains with their families, Greer said. Scientists also used dental comparisons to identify remains. "All of these men have been accounted for, and the families have accepted the identification," Greer said. "These final, full-honor services are to recognize the sacrifices that these men made and their families made, and all of us involved in this mission feel it an honor to bring closure to these families." The crew's plane was shot down by a surface-to-air missile during an armed reconnaissance mission. Search and rescue efforts were hindered because of heavy enemy activity in the area and were stopped after only a few days, Greer said. The first remains were recovered in 1986 by a joint U.S.-Laos team, Greer said. Recovered items included two identification tags, life support equipment and aircraft wreckage, he added. Between 1986 and 1998, nine members of the aircrew were positively identified. Follow-on surveys and excavations in 2005 and 2006 found more remains, personal effects and other equipment, he said. The remains of more than 900 servicemembers killed in the Vietnam War have been returned to their families since 1972. More than 1,700 remain unaccounted-for. In the past year, the Joint Prisoners of War and Missing in Action Accounting Command has accounted for 98 servicemembers missing from the Korean War, Vietnam War and World War II. More than 80,000 servicemembers from the three wars remain unaccounted-for. Nearly 2,000 from the same wars have been accounted for and returned to their families. | ||||||||
| Related Sites: Arlington National Cemetery Joint Prisoners of War and Missing in Action Accounting Command Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office | ||||||||
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Veterans describe World War II, Cold War experiences
http://www.timesrepublican.com/page/content.detail/id/526331.html?nav=5005
Veterans Bill Baltisberger and Allan Packer of Marshalltown made World War II and early Cold War history come alive Thursday evening at the Historical Society of Marshall County's museum.
The setting was the HSMC's monthly "Third Thursday" history programs hosted by HSMC board member Julie Lang.
Both men graphically and sometimes lightheartedly, shared their extensive experiences to approximately 60 citizens, some of whom sat in an adjoining hallway. The men saw extensive action in World War II. Baltisberger was a navigator on B-17s. Packer piloted P-47 Thunderbolts.
But their service was not over. Baltisberger was recalled to serve during the Korean conflict from 1951-53. Packer remained in service, graduating from the U.S. Military Academy. He too would experience the Cold War during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
The U.S. entry into World War II after Pearl Harbor changed the lives of both men dramatically.
"On Dec. 6, 1941, I knew what my destiny was going to be," Packer said, who opened the program.
He graduated from Marshalltown High School in 1942 and entered the U.S. Army Air Corps in December that same year.
After completing pilot training in April, 1944, he was stationed in Duxford, England flying in the 8th Air Force.
He was shot down in January, 1944 and was a POW in Germany until the war ended in May.
Much of Packer's recollections dealt with his stint as a POW.
"I was shot down over Hamburg in 1945 and we were liberated by Patton's 14th Armor in May," he said. "We spent our first night in a Hamburg jail with a bunch of German drunks who had been arrested for looting."
From Hamburg they were sent to Nuremberg.
Later, the Germans forced Packer and other GIs to walk from Nuremberg to Munich.
During the march Packer and several others escaped into the nearby countryside, but were re-captured after 17 days of freedom.
"It was very austere living," Packer said with a smile, recounting his days as a POW. "We learned to subsist on black bread, water and soup. We would look down into the vat of soup and hope there were bugs floating around to make it better."
Packer said a German guard's comments would prove to be prophetic.
"He said to us POWs, you are going to be back after this war fighting the Russians."
The audience listened intently as he described his duties commanding the Puerto Rico Air Defense Sector during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
With Soviet state Cuba nearby, Russian planes were plentiful.
"It was a tense time," Packer said. "We had many eager, young pilots who were looking to make a name for themselves. We were allowed to follow Soviet planes but not shoot them down."
After Puerto Rico, Packer was assigned to other posts, among them the United States Air Force Headquarters and Tactical Air Command Headquarters. He retired in 1975 as a Colonel and farms near Marshalltown. He is extremely active in Marshall County veterans activities and serves on the Marshalltown Veterans Coliseum board of directors.
Baltisberger also graduated from MHS in 1942. After navigator training, he was deployed to a the 452nd Bomb Squad in England. He flew 31 missions into Russia, Italy, Germany and France. He flew two missions on D-Day.
Baltisberger vividly recounted the missions, his crewmen always on the alert for anti-aircraft fire and German fighter planes.
He was shot down twice. Once, they ditched into the English Channel and were rescued.
"We were up in the air the next day," he said.
He was shot down a second time in Germany and like Packer captured. However, Baltisberger and others were able to escape and hiked through the German countryside, raiding vacant farmhouses for food and clothing.
Once Baltisberger and a fellow crew mate dressed like a German couple on a German train, with Baltisberger dressed like a woman.
"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of the guys that didn't make it," he said. There were flights where most of the planes did not make it back to England."
An audience member said the two men were part of the "Greatest Generation."
Packer said he went on an Honor Flight recently.
"Looking at all of us old duffers, I wonder how we won the war," Packer said. "You were a lot younger then," someone said. "Thank God they were," another said.
"We did what we had to do," Baltisberger said.
Next month's Third Thursday program "Juke Boxes, Pool Halls and Duck Tails, is scheduled July 15 at Marshalltown's Orpheum Theatre.
Contact the HSMC at 641-752-6664 for additional information.
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Contact Mike Donahey at 641-753-6611 or mdonahey@ timesrepublican.com
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
IRAQ VETS FOR CONGRESS
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SPECIAL OFFER:
Picture & Dinner Journal Listing with Donation
You have probably heard about our upcoming dinner on board the USS Intrepid with Monica Crowley this Monday, June 21st at 6:30pm....
....But did you know that even if you cannot join us on Monday, you can still support our candidates and help them go from "Citizen Soldiers to Citizen Statesmen"?
Simply make a contribution of $25 or more online today and we will list your name in the official Iraq Veterans for Congress Victory Dinner commemorative journal.
Complementary Picture!
As a thank you for your support of our veterans, we will also mail you a copy of the journal along with a picture of our Master of Ceremonies, Monica Crowley, and our platoon of 2010 IVC candidates who will be in attendance at the event.
This offer expires at 12:00pm ET Thursday, June 17th.
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