Not-for-profit organization connecting adult, at-risk shelter pets with US veterans, wounded soldiers and their families.
https://www.petsforpatriots.org
By SHERI JENNINGS (AP)
VENICE, Italy — A new documentary being shown out of competition at the Venice Film Festival explores the trauma of three U.S. war veterans who served in Iraq and how the military handled their cases.
"Ward 54," so named for the psychiatric wing of the U.S. military's Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, also deals with the rise in military suicides following Iraq duty.
The film opens with the case of Army Sgt. Kristofer Goldsmith, whose job was to photograph Iraqi war victims to identify them. Goldsmith recounts how serving his country had always been his life's dream, but it turned into a nightmare when told he would be deployed again to Iraq.
"For over a year I knew something inside me wasn't right. I was drinking close to a gallon of vodka every weekend and starting fights," Goldsmith recalled Tuesday in Venice, where "Ward 54" had been screened the previous night.
By MITCH STACY Associated Press Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- The government turned up the pressure Tuesday on the head of a small Florida church who plans to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11, warning him that doing so could endanger U.S. troops and Americans everywhere.
But the Rev. Terry Jones insisted he would go ahead with his plans, despite criticism from the top U.S. general in Afghanistan, the White House and the State Department, as well as a host of religious leaders.
Jones, who is known for posting signs proclaiming that Islam is the devil's religion, says the Constitution gives him the right to publicly set fire to the book that Muslims consider the word of God.
VA Health Care and Benefits Provided for Many Vietnam Veterans
WASHINGTON (August 30, 2010)- Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam and other areas will have an easier path to access quality health care and qualify for disability compensation under a final regulation that will be published on August 31, 2010 in the Federal Register by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The new rule expands the list of health problems VA will presume to be related to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures to add two new conditions and expand one existing category of conditions.
"Last October, based on the requirements of the Agent Orange Act of 1991 and the Institute of Medicine's 2008 Update on Agent Orange, I determined that the evidence provided was sufficient to award presumptions of service connection for these three additional diseases," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "It was the right decision, and the President and I are proud to finally provide this group of Veterans the care and benefits they have long deserved."
The National Constitution Center is seeking volunteers that have served in the Armed Forces to speak at our newest exhibit - "The Art of The American Soldier". We are looking for all manner of military personnel, regardless of rank, branch of service, military occupational speciality. Even if you never saw combat or served in a supporting role, we would love to have you participate.
We are hoping to have all types of veterans speak in blocks of one hour in the exhibit about their experiences in serving our nation. There are approximately 600 separate blocks that need to be filled. We have created a website that will allow veterans to sign up for blocks online.
To sign up as a veteran volunteer speaker please go to http://www.signupgenius.com/go/veteran
Picture #1: Combat Artist At Work
Paul Rickert, Vietnam, 1966
Picture #2 Attack At Twilight
Roger Blum, Vietnam, 1966
Veterans and active-military! You’ve proudly and bravely served your country – now offer your artistic talents to be preserved for posterity in an exclusive exhibition at the National Constitution Center.
Art of the American Soldier features a never-before-seen collection of over 200 pieces of artwork created by combat artists on the front lines. In partnership with the U.S. Army Center of Military History, this world premiere exhibition opens on September 24, 2010 at the National Constitution Center on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall.
Picture #3 Bob Hope Entertaining Troops Somewhere in England
Floyd Davis, WWII, 1943
Picture #4 Landing Zone
John Wehrle, Vietnam, 1966
To further the spirit of this exhibition, the Center is asking war veterans and active-military of every branch to submit their own pieces of art – paintings, sketches, even doodles – to a special online gallery which will launch on July 4th weekend.
Artwork submitted to the online gallery will also be projected in the Art of the American Soldier exhibition at the Center through January 10, 2011.
Visit the Online Gallery at: http://www.constitutioncenter.org/artoftheamericansoldier
To participate in this extraordinary exhibition, email americansoldier@constitutioncenter.org or call 215-409-6865.
September 03, 2010 - Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb. -- A federal judge overturned Nebraska's ban on flag mutilation Thursday, clearing the way for Kansas church protesters to continue trampling on the U.S. flag when they protest at military funerals.
The ruling from U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf said the law can't be applied as long as Megan Phelps-Roper and fellow members of the Westboro Baptist Church "otherwise act peacefully while desecrating the American or Nebraska flag during their religiously motivated protests."
It was unclear whether the ruling applied only to the church members or to everyone in Nebraska. An earlier temporary block of the law applied only to Phelps-Roper.
August 30, 2010 - Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Andrew White returned from a nine-month tour in Iraq beset with signs of post-traumatic stress disorder: insomnia, nightmares, constant restlessness. Doctors tried to ease his symptoms using three psychiatric drugs, including a potent anti-pyschotic called Seroquel.
Thousands of troops suffering from PTSD have received the same medication over the last nine years, helping to make Seroquel one of the Veteran Affairs Department's top drug expenditures and the No. 5 best-selling drug in the nation.
August 25, 2010 - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
WASHINGTON -- A Defense Department task force devoted to preventing suicide in the military presented a grim picture of the trend Tuesday, with suicides rising at a near steady pace even as commanders apply various balms to soothe a stressed, exhausted fighting force.
The military has nearly 900 suicide prevention programs across 400 military installations worldwide, but in a report released Tuesday, the task force describes the Defense Department's approach as a safety net riddled with holes.
Last year, 309 men and women slipped through.
In 2008, 267 servicemembers committed suicide. In 2007, the number was 224.
August 24, 2010 - Stars and Stripes | by Jeff Schogol
A leading advocacy group for gay and lesbian troops and veterans has blasted a Defense Department survey sent to military spouses about how they feel about repealing "don't ask, don't tell."
Servicemembers United released a memo Monday that says the survey is based on the assumption that repealing "don't ask, don't tell" will hurt family readiness. The group also took issue with one question that asks spouses if they would move if a gay or lesbian servicemember lived in on-base housing with his or her partner.
"The question does not belong in a survey on the potential impact of the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to begin with because repeal does not create federal recognition of same-sex marriages – a requirement for qualification for on-base family housing," the memo says. "Troops with partners, girlfriends, or boyfriends, even if long-term, are not given on-base housing. This question is both misleading of the survey taker, in that it suggests that repeal would permit gay and lesbian couples to live in on-base housing, and wholly unnecessary in a survey on the impact of repeal, because this scenario would not be a result of repeal."