Homeless Heroes: Veterans Struggles

Like a recent tragic event in Iraq brought out a number of reports on PTSD around the country there have also been a number of other reports as well that focussed on the homeless veterans, the first one just below is in and around this Nations Capital:

Homeless War Veterans Abound in D.C. Region

A new report is giving sobering statistics about how homeless veterans are treated in the Washington area.

The report says beds are available for only 10% of the homeless vets in Virginia, 8% have beds in Maryland and in the District, there is room is less than 2%.

From the Iraq War with the Army's First Calvary Division to fighting a battle to find homes for fellow veterans, Chad Lego says he never imagined when he came home, he would find some 200,000 service members homeless. >>>>>More

Last week there was a two part series, the first reporting on a brother 'Nam Vet who has been homeless for pretty much the whole time since 'Nam, but now seeking and getting the help needed. The second is of a much younger Vet from these most recent Wars and Occupations who came back confused and disoreinted and ended up homeless and drifting, he also is seeking and getting the help needed now.

Veterans' Struggles, Part One

The issue of homelessness has garnered much attention in the metro recently, following a fire at homeless camp along the Des Moines river. While it is no secret many of the homeless people living in tents and so-called hooches are veterans, we don't often examine the question of 'why'. >>>>>More

Part 1 Video


Homeless Heroes: Veterans' Struggles, Part Two

In Part One, we introduced you to a Vietnam veteran who has spent the last four decades battling to get his life on track. In Part Two of our series on homeless veterans, a veteran of recent combat in the Middle East shares his story of the struggle to save himself from an all too-common fate.

For the better part of 40 years, following two tours in Vietnam, Paul Lizotte found himself homeless, jobless, and angry at the country he volunteered to serve. Now, at age 57, he's slowly getting his life back together, but fears for the next generation of soldiers -- those returning from the Middle East.

"They're going to have a pack of troubles, because their war is a whole lot different than ours. Vietnam was a guerilla warfare. Theirs is an urban warfare. They're going to come back here, be amongst buildings that they're used to getting sniper fire from, rocket attacks from," he says.

More than three decades separate the two wars, but the struggle of returning to civilian life is the same now as it was then. "They're going to have to learn how to deal with it. I hope they don't choose my road, of going for the loner," Paul says. >>>>>More

Part 2 Video


Jan Barry, another 'Nam brother, and a writer which I'm not, had a recent entry Home for Veterans in his newsletter that he also posted on a few of these online interactive blogs as well.

Coming home for some war veterans means slipping off the track of chasing a fading American dream. Despite the yellow ribbons of support for the troops festooning patriotic front yards and backs of cars, there’s an army of homeless former soldiers seeking shelter in cities and towns across this country. Compounding the shock of becoming homeless can be another bitter discovery: Few communities provide programs to help veterans who hit a rough patch get back on their feet. Consequently, an estimated 154,000 veterans are homeless on any given night, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs. >>>>>More

At the bottom of Jan's post he gives a few URLs:

This one speaks for itself National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

These next two are of a local action being taken on to give housing to some local Vets in New Jersey Highland Park agrees to convert shuttered church to homeless veteran housing, and this one as well, Pastor Seeks to House Veterans in Old Church

And more grassroots help out of Arizona:

Vet center offers support resources for homeless

A grassroots effort to help homeless veterans is making some real progress, the Madison Street Veterans Association is a group started by veterans for veterans.

"We've got a big sheet cake coming, it says congratulations Madison Street Veterans Association, it's red, white and blue," Terry Araman says country loyalty is important to this grassroots group, "we feel that Veterans, whether they're homeless or not, whether they've gone through PTSD or not, have a lot to offer the community,"

Terry Araman along with others at the Madison Street Veterans Association are working to help military vets like Richard Chamberlain who was recently laid off and is now studying Quantum Mechanics. >>>>>More

Than we have another moving writeup from a present combat vet Paul Rieckhoff of IAVA - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America who wrote this op ed piece Homeless Heroes

The next generation of American Veterans is on its way home. Over 1.3 million American troops have already served in Iraq or Afghanistan, and tens of thousands more will return from combat over the years to come. After these young men and women put away their uniforms, they will still be coping with the consequences of years spent at war. When these conflicts have faded from the headlines, will we, as Americans, continue to honor our yellow-ribbon commitment to “Support the Troops”? Already there are many disturbing signs that we are not prepared to meet that obligation. >>>>>More

A short note to Paul, and our younger brothers and sisters of these present, that should not have been, occupations. Please choose your words respectfully when mentioning us old foggies now, 'Nam Vets, but not only of that occupation, but of all those vets, conflict or peace time, that came before you. You'll want those coming after you to do the same.

Paul I'm sure will know what I mean, there are some really ruffled feathers in the 'Nam Vet community this past week, most of us got riled than let it pass as we have all the rest over these many years, actually your few words have been said many times and are even used today, mostly by the 'chickenhawks' who try and cut those of us of 'Nam but not Hawks down, they loose everytime..

Another thing to keep in mind, all that's been happening to those returning these recent years is not new, we Vets and this Country have seen it all before and through these years since. By Country I mean the few who actually pay attention, like those that have joined us in the fight to push better understanding of PTSD and TBI. We've been fighting the battles now for over thirty years, we're right there with you all as you continue these battles, and now maybe we can get them in a real 'Victory' a 'Victory' for this country, and world, that really counts.

Us big brothers and sisters would appreciate it!

TORTURE:

BLACK EYE FOR THE RED WHITE AND BLUE

Interrogation used to be an art taught to the "best and brightest." The CIA even has an interrogation manual called KUBARK, long on the internet (google it) showing how to classify "subjects" and get them to spill their guts. Most of the methods are psychological and those with the most to tell, respond to psychological ploys much better than being beaten.

Really tough people will lie to you for years. If nobody has noticed, we are fighting really tough people. Intelligence is only "timely" for 48 hours or as soon as your enemy knows you have someone who can put them in danger. They move, they hide, they cover their tracks. This game is 4000 years old and will never end. >>>>>>Read More

Much more than a "Blackeye", Much Much More!!

Boehner didn't always defend CIA

Boehner: “Either I don’t have confidence in what they told me several months ago or I don’t have confidence in what they’re telling me today.”

EXCLUSIVE: Documents

Describe Prisoner Abuse Photos Obama is Withholding

U.S. Army soldiers in Afghanistan took dozens of pictures of their colleagues pointing assault rifles and pistols at the heads and backs of hooded and bound detainees and another photograph showed two male soldiers and one female solider pointing a broom to one detainee “as if I was sticking the end of a broom stick into [his] rectum,” according to the female soldier’s account as told to an Army criminal investigator.........

Becoming What We Seek to Destroy

We are morally no different from the psychopaths within the Taliban, who Afghans remember we empowered, funded and armed during the 10-year war with the Soviet Union. Acid thrown a girl’s face or beheadings? Death delivered from the air or fields of shiny cluster bombs? This is the language of war. It is what we speak. It is what those we fight speak............

Iraqis shrug off concerns over photos of U.S. abuse

While President Barack Obama argues that releasing photos of U.S. soldiers abusing detainees could incite violence against American troops abroad, a prominent Iraqi leader called for their publication and others cast doubt on the U.S. administration's warnings.

And why, you may ask, because the Blowback on the soldiers already occurred well before We Here Even Heard Or Saw, the loss of stature and in most cases the believability of what we say or do is already gone! That was just One of the Defeats of what one Must Do after Invading, "Winning Hearts and Minds!!"

"Nothing would happen," he said. "This is a very old issue, and we Iraqis have seen much worse than just photos."

This isn't about politics, nor is it only about Iraq and Afghanistan, though we owe much more than Apologies, this is about Who and What we really are as a Country!! Not just catch phrase words and condemnation of others, it's about our Soul and Standing on this Planet of Nations!!

Vietnam Remembered

In this famous photograph by Hugh Van Es, evacuees scramble to board a CIA helicopter atop a Saigon apartment building on April 29, 1975. Van Es died Friday at the age of 67.
He recorded the 1975 photograph of a group of people scaling a stairway to a CIA helicopter on an apartment rooftop.

Hugh Van Es dies at 67;

Dutch photojournalist took famous Saigon evacuation photo

Van Es was considered by colleagues to be fearless ...
Hugh Van Es, a Dutch photojournalist who covered the Vietnam War and recorded the most famous image of the fall of Saigon in 1975 -- a group of people scaling a ladder to a CIA helicopter on a rooftop -- died Friday morning in Hong Kong, his wife said. He was 67. Read More >

Another of 'Nam's photo journalist passes, Hugh dies shortly after Eddie Adams. I have a post up placed shortly after his passing: You can view here

Hugh Van Es - 'Nam Photo Journalist

AP – FILE- This Feb 18, 1969 file photo shows Dutch photographer Hugh Van Es in a Macao cafe. Van Es, a photojournalist …
Hugh Van Es, a Dutch photojournalist who covered the Vietnam War and recorded the most famous image of the fall of Saigon in 1975 — a group of people scaling a ladder to a CIA helicopter on a rooftop — died Friday morning in Hong Kong, his wife said. He was 67 years old.

Van Es died in Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong, where he had lived for more than 35 years. He suffered a brain hemorrhage last week and never regained consciousness, his wife Annie said. Hospital officials declined to comment. >>>>>Rest Here

Vietnam photographer Van Es dies

The image came to be seen as a symbol of the failure of US policy in the war.

His wife of 39 years, Annie, said he had never regained consciousness after a brain haemorrhage last week.

Mr Van Es moved from the Netherlands to Hong Kong in 1967.

He covered the Vietnam War between 1969 and 1975, working first for the Associated Press new agency and then for United Press International.......

Another of 'Nam's photo journalist passes, Hugh dies shortly after Eddie Adams. I have a post up placed shortly after his passing: You can view here

Military,VA and PTSD Around the Country: Vets Urged To Seek Treatment

A number of reports have sprung up in the last few days following the very tragic shooting by one soldier in killing five of his fellow soldiers at an in country military stress clinic, of which he himself was receiving care.

Military training alone starts the process of the change needed from how most are brought up and what they are taught and told to be able to serve and defend, if needed, this country.

Place these now trained soldiers in a War Zone creating the Occupation of same lasting many years and now in these times many tours being served and not only in one but two and for many the stress of war, what they experience, their individual incidents, what they see, feel, and just know, is overwelming!

They aren't the only ones, think of those who live in these occupied countries! It also isn't only a war that creates the traumatic nightmares, individuals that experience trauma in theirs lives also can suffer, most silently, from those traumas!

Below is a number of recent reports, this subject should have been takin seriously many years ago after finally realizing what War and Trauma can do to a Human Being!

Local Veterans Affairs Boosts Treatment for PTSD Patients - Video

After a shooting killed five U.S. Soldiers at a Military Clinic in Iraq, U.S. officials are saying the incident is an isolated situation.
The local Veterans Affairs clinic is taking all the steps they can to make sure our local veterans are getting the treatment they need.
They say they've seen close to 300 people for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The V.A. also says they've seen a high success rate for those soldiers who come in for help for PTSD.
If you would like to find out more about the programs the Veterans Affairs office offers, visit their website at: VA.gov

Amarillo VA Hospital treating combat stress disorders

Coworkers say he was doing exactly what he wanted to be doing.

Amarillo psychiatrist Matthew Houseal was killed while treating soldiers at the combat stress control clinic in Camp Liberty, Baghdad.

Houseal volunteered for Operation Iraqi Freedom and was activated about four months ago, according to coworkers.......

Soldiers' Don't Receive Proper Mental Health Care, Local Army Wife Says - Video

Days after a U.S. soldier shot and killed five other American servicemen, some local families said they too have concerns about mental health care for their loved ones overseas.

Officials said Sgt. John Russell was in the process of being debriefed at a stress clinic when he opened fire.

The shooting is not a confirmed case of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but officials said Russell was on his third tour of duty in Iraq at the time.

A Wheeling woman said her husband suffers from PTSD, but continues to serve overseas. In an e-mail from the U.S. Army, officials assured her that mental health professionals are giving her husband support, but when she talks to him on the phone, her husband said that is not the case..........

'John Wayne' attitude cited in military mental health issues

Hundreds of local veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq are receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. But many more remain untreated and undiagnosed, because they don't want to appear weak or unfit for military service, say local military health officials and veterans.

The stigma attached to mental health treatment may have played a role in Monday's deadly shooting at a U.S. military base in Baghdad. Army Sgt. John M. Russell, accused of killing five fellow troops, may have become nervous that the Army was setting him up for discharge after he was ordered to undergo counseling, his father said.........

Veteran Talks About PTSD in Hopes of Helping Others

Iraq War veteran Luke Nielsen says there are things he’d rather not remember about fighting in the war. Nielsen served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. He says, “There’s always s pressure in a war zone. That’s just a fact.”

Nielsen’s wife Melanie said she was just grateful when her husband came home. “They are home. We’re just so happy to have them home and in our arms.”

When Nielsen returned from war, his family was together, but he had changed. Noises and crowds upset him. He easily became angry and was withdrawn and depressed. His children had to be careful. “The kids can’t run and jump in the house. You had to be careful not to have loud noises, or you would get him in defensive mode,” Melanie said..............

Lab helps veteran cope. Hill says Frankie aids in his battle with PTSD

An Iraq war veteran and the Muskingum County dog who is helping him with his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are going to appear on the Oprah Winfrey Show on Friday.

Sgt. Allen Hill, of Kansas, is crediting Frankie, a dog who came from Shannon Valley Labs in Frazeysburg, with giving him the treatment he needs to deal with his PTSD.

Frankie, a beautiful golden lab, helps Hill through his nightmares, in crowds and with his claustrophobia on a daily basis.........

The war off the battlefield

BENEATH THE shadow of Antenna Hill, which sits at the center of the camp and is used as a radio tower for military communications, Camp Liberty is a sprawling forward operating base that houses thousands of soldiers conducting combat operations in Baghdad and the surrounding suburbs. It is part of a larger base called the Camp Victory Complex, which includes the military section of Baghdad International Airport.

As an infantryman with the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division, I was stationed at Camp Liberty from August 2005 to July 2006. When I heard the Army's version of the incident, I was reminded of the living conditions I experienced there, which the military conveniently left out of its reports to the media...................

Disabled vets find relief through yoga

Suzette Byrd served as a registered nurse in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era, and then again in the Navy during the 1980s.

Forty-four-year-old Mitch Morales is a Gulf War veteran who survived a helicopter crash but now has degenerative disc disease and experiences pain in his lower back and shoulder.

Jenna Sena was a linguist with the Army Security Agency at the Defense Language Institute during the Vietnam era.

David Cornes, 37, said he’s planning to re-enlist soon after 10 years in the service because he’s been offered a $10,000 signing bonus.

They all have service-related disabilities....................

Heads in the Sand

The so-called Sunni Awakening, in which American forces formed tactical alliances with local sheikhs, has been credited with dampening the insurgency in much of Iraq. But new evidence suggests that the Sunnis were offering the same deal as early as 2004—one that was eagerly embraced by commanders on the ground, but rejected out of hand at the highest levels of the Bush administration...................

Leading up to the Hype of the 'surge' {i.e. escalation} while our Soldiers, and Iraqi's, were being Killed and Maimed! The 'politics' of War 'propaganda' from the civilian leadership, as well as some in the military leadership, who's main job is Protecting Their Troops!!

This is a Must Read!!

The Sunni Awakening, when it did finally come, provided welcome relief, says Jerry Jones. But the cost of delay is quantifiable. “From July ’04 to mid-’07,” he points out, “you can directly attribute almost all those K.I.A. [killed in action] in the Sunni regions of Iraq to this fatal error, and if we hadn’t been fighting the Sunni, we’d have had a lot more resources for dealing with Shia militia leaders like Moqtada al-Sadr in places such as Baghdad. It didn’t have to happen. Those lives did not have to be lost.”

And many in this country didn't want nor still don't want Accountability???

VFP LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA -

"WE ARE ANGRY" ABOUT AFGHANISTAN! {PDF}

VETERANS FOR PEACE
NATIONAL OFFICE: 216 S. Meramec Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63105
PHONE: (314) 725-6005 FAX: (314) 725-7103 Email
Working Together For Peace and Justice since 1985

NATIONAL BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
Mike Ferner
President
Leah Bolger
Vice-President
Kenneth Mayers
Treasurer
Gary May
Secretary
Elliott Adams
William Collins
Anita Foster
Nate Goldshlag
Sharon Kufeldt
Patrick McCann
Michael Uhl
Hart Viges
Rev. Pierre Williams
EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR
Michael T.
McPhearson

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
May 12, 2009

Dear President Obama,

We write to you again, this time to say we are saddened to see that you now clearly believe
in the tired, inhumane and unworkable assumption that violence will somehow work; that
might makes right. But that is not the only thing we need to tell you.
We are not just saddened. We are angry. We are outraged by these actions, this practice of
“death from above” you are ordering, causing the killing and wounding of hundreds of
innocent people, as exemplified by the recent horrific attacks in Afghanistan.
When will it be enough, Mr. President? What is the number of dead and injured at which
you will say “this can’t go on;” the number at which you will decide it’s time to turn away
from violence and find another way? This really is the question upon which everything else
will turn – how many bodies are too many? You know it is impossible to kill our way to a
resolution, if for no other reason than every death and injury creates even more people
willing to fight and die to remove us from their land.
We’ve been through this before, Mr. President, and I don’t mean that in a rhetorical way.
We have indeed been through this all before – unlike most of the people in our country or in
your administration. We have seen and heard and smelled and felt what “death from above”
actually means, not in a briefing report but right there in our hands and before our eyes.
We’ve seen the look in the eyes of the people we occupied. We felt their anger and their
humiliation. We remember these things well, Mr. President, because they will not go away
no matter how many years pass.
Veterans For Peace will continue to speak out against such crimes. We will do so along
with the growing numbers of people who are telling you that by going down this road you
are making a tragic mistake. We no longer face the old question of “guns or butter?” Now
the question is: will we completely destroy our economy with all that means, or will we step
back from the brink and do what our humanity demands of us before the slide into moral
and economic ruin is irreversible?
At some point, Mr. President, you will decide to turn away from violence, to end these
occupations. As we wrote before, we stand ready to assist you in any effort to find another way.
Until then you will find us in the streets.

Most Sincerely,
Mike Ferner
National President
Veterans For Peace


cc: Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
Steny H. Hoyer, Majority Leader of the House
John Boehner, Republican Leader of the House
James E. Clyburn, House Majority Whip
Eric Cantor, Republican Whip
John B. Larson, Chairman of the Democratic Caucus
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., U.S. Vice President
Robert C. Byrd, Senate President Pro Tempore
Harry Reid, Majority Leader of the Senate
Richard Durbin, Assistant Majority Leader of the Senate
Mitch McConnell, Minority Leader of the Senate
Jon Kyl, Assistant Minority Leader of the Senate

Military Stress Clinics:

Treating Troops At War

Neal Conan talks with Tom Tarantino, legislative associate for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, who served with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, and Bryan Shea, a psychologist at St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center in New York who served three tours in Iraq as a military psychologist seeing soldiers in the field........

You can listen to the discussion from the site or click this link to bring up the NPR player to listen in.

In Bleak Afghan Outpost,

Troops Slog On
GIs await reinforcements as Pentagon retools its anti-insurgency efforts

Stalemate

May 14: NYT: The U.S. counter-insurgency in this Taliban stronghold in Kunar Province has been at a bloody draw for years now.

KORANGAL OUTPOST, Afghanistan - The helicopters landed in blackness before the moon rose. The infantry company rushed out and through waist-high vegetation and into forests on an Afghan ridge.

Over the next 40 hours, more than 100 soldiers from the First Battalion, 26th Infantry, swept Sautalu Sar, the mountain where members of the Navy Seals were surrounded in battle in 2005. They were looking for weapons caches and insurgents.>>>>>>

Army Suicides Soar Past 2008's Pace

The day after the shooting at a combat stress clinic in Iraq, new data released to Salon shows soldiers committing suicide at a record-setting pace. Is combat stress the reason?

The Army is on a pace this year to shatter the record suicide rate set among soldiers in 2008, according to data released by the Army to Salon. And the numbers, obtained a day after a patient at a combat stress clinic in Iraq killed five, suggest that combat stress may be contributing to the spike in suicides.

Who Is Really To Blame

WHEN TROOPS "GO POSTAL?"

Exhaused and stressed troops are our responsibility. Trying to cheat them out of benefits or push them out into homelessness and unemployment after we have "used them up" is immoral, unpatriotic and wrong. It has to be stopped.

'This Is Mental Health, Military-Style'

But long-time observers of the U.S. military say the shooting shows all the signs of a soldier pushed to the brink of insanity by repeated and consistent exposure to war. The 44-year-old Russell had spent many years of his life at war when he allegedly opened fire and killed five of his fellow soldiers. Russell was drawing to the end of his third tour in Iraq and had also served deployments in Bosnia and Kosovo.

"It was tragic, but unfortunately it doesn't surprise me given the way we're recycling them in and out of war zones," said Shad Meshad, head of the National Veterans Foundation, which runs a toll free hotline for soldiers having difficulty adjusting to civilian life.

"We are not doing a good job of treating these people as they serve two, three, or four tours in a combat zone," he added.

When PTSD Comes Marching Home

There is disconnection between everything human and what has to be done in combat. Imagine being in an unimaginable situation and having to do the unthinkable. How can this be done? A detachment between everything human and having to do the inconceivable resounds in combat.

- PTSD: A Soldier's Perspective

Some may find these books very helpful, others should find to be useful in the educational quality of understanding and research, and not only for combat veterans but civilian suffers of:

I Can Still Hear Their Cries, Even In My Sleep: A Journey Into PTSD

Veterans's PTSD Handbook: How to File and Collect on Claims for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle against America's Veterans

Vets Under Siege: How America Deceives and Dishonors Those Who Fight Our Battles

After the War Zone: A Practical Guide for Returning Troops and Their Families

Life After Deployment: Military families share reunion stories and advice

Moving A Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America's Returning Troops

Issue of the Day

From 5.11.09

Fragging!!

Another Deja-Vu 'Nam Hits the Present Occupations!!!

U.S. service member kills 4 fellow troops in Iraq - GI in custody after killing 5 at Iraq ‘stress clinic’
Contrary to earlier reports, military says soldier did not kill self after attack



With a Report from McClatchy on the shooting

From 5.12.09

Baghdad killings reflect U.S. Army stress crisis

The tragedy at Camp Liberty, near Baghdad, where an American soldier shot and killed five U.S. personnel and wounded three others, has been at least six years in the making.......

This, video below, accompanies the above report from UPI and really shows that though the citizens of this country like to cheer on Wars of Choice they still haven't a clue as to how War affects those sent and those living in occupations. As well as traumatic experiences they themselves may live and how that affects them and others. The video is also at site page.



Also From 5.12.09

Father of Soldier in Iraq 'Fratricide' Case Speaks, Reveals Key Details

Referring to the treatment of his son at the stress clinic where the shootings took place, Russell said, “They don’t do the best job of taking care of the soldiers, both in the service and when they get out of the service, we know that. They use them.” He added: “They broke him. He thought his life was over.”

He also confirmed a report that his son was disarmed and sent away from the stress clinic after a “rhubarb” with others there, only to take a gun from a minder and return for the deadly shootout.

The father, of Grayson County, Texas, told KTEN TV, in the raw video posted at the station’s web site, that after the “rhubarb” they put Sgt. Russell “in a vehicle with a guy with a gun, and, well -- they'd trained him to kill -- and he took a gun” and returned to the clinic..........

Watch the Video

Some may find these books very helpful, others should find to be useful in the educational quality of understanding and research, and not only for combat veterans but civilian suffers of:

I Can Still Hear Their Cries, Even In My Sleep: A Journey Into PTSD

Veterans's PTSD Handbook: How to File and Collect on Claims for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

The War Comes Home: Washington's Battle against America's Veterans

Vets Under Siege: How America Deceives and Dishonors Those Who Fight Our Battles

After the War Zone: A Practical Guide for Returning Troops and Their Families

Life After Deployment: Military families share reunion stories and advice

Moving A Nation to Care: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and America's Returning Troops

Roxana Saberi Released!!! {UpDated: More Breaking News at time}

This UpDate has nothing to do with the release but it's just hitting:

With the Good comes the Really Bad!

Fragging!!

Another Deja-Vu 'Nam Hits the Present Occupations!!!

U.S. service member kills 4 fellow troops in Iraq - GI in custody after killing 5 at Iraq ‘stress clinic’
Contrary to earlier reports, military says soldier did not kill self after attack



With a Report from McClatchy on the shooting

The Original News On Roxana

UpDate2
According to Agenzia Giornalistica Italia with this:

IRAN: JOURNALIST ROXANA SABERI RELEASED

AGI) - Teheran, 11 May - Roxana Saberi has been released.

AGI had a report up about an hour ago that she to be released in a couple of hours, the one above is the second one, the most recent!

And This just posted:
Saberi's Free: Are U.S.-Iranian Relations Truly Thawing?

5min. ago: Lawyer: US reporter leaves jail in Iran

Abdolsamad Khorramshahi says Roxana Saberi is "now out of jail."

**********
Just heard a quick report on NPR that her father is traveling to Iran to be there when she is released to bring her home!!

UpDate 3:

From the BBC: Fathers joy at Saberi release with Video link!

**********

U.S. Reporter Jailed in Iran to Soon Be Freed

An Iranian appeals court reduced the eight-year jail sentence for Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi on Monday to a suspended two-year term and she will soon be freed, her defense lawyer told Reuters.

Here's one from the Times Online with a bit more meat in the report than the real quick blurb.

UpDate:

Iranian authorities have released freelance journalist Roxana Saberi after a court reduced her sentence to a two-year suspended term.
Roxana Saberi released from Tehran jail

Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, who has been convicted of involvement in acts of espionage, has been released from Tehran's Evin prison.

The release came just one day after a Tehran court of appeals reduced her eight-year jail sentence to a two-year suspended term, Press TV's correspondent reported on Monday.

Saberi, 32, is a freelance journalist who was initially detained in late January for working in Iran after her press credentials had expired.

She was later sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of spying for the government of the United States.

However, earlier on Sunday Saberi's lawyer expressed optimism about the verdict after her case was heard in a Tehran court of appeals.........

It's Not Extremism to Say This Should Stop

A New Film About Rachel Corrie {A Review}

This is a somber movie indeed, and timely as the United Nations attempts an investigation of the Israeli attack on Gaza. Rachel re-examines the death of Rachel Corrie, crushed by an Israeli army bulldozer in Gaza in 2003. The director, Simone Bitton, describes it as “the examination of an examination”, with much of the film focusing on re- visualizing what happened, interviewing witnesses, and on the Israeli investigation of Rachel’s death. The counterpoint is Rachel’s fellow International Solidarity Movement activists reading excerpts from her diary........>

Mother's Day for Peace

Gloria Steinem, Vanessa Williams, Felicity Huffman, Fatma Saleh, Alfre Woodard, Ashraf Salimian, Christine Lahti and Mother's Day for Peace talk about the origin of Mother's Day by Julia Ward Howe as a protest against war. Mothers Day for Peace



"Arise then...women of this day! Arise, all women who have hearts! From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with Our own. It says: Disarm! Disarm!"— Julia Ward Howe, Mother's Day Proclamation, 1870

"Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience." --Julia Ward Howe