Rolling Thunder Kentucky Chapter 2

"We Will Never Forget"P.O. Box 1749 Glasgow, Kentucky 42142

 
Home

 

News and Media

VFW STANDS UP AGAINST MILITARY SUICIDES

In an open letter, VFW Commander-in-Chief Glen Gardner is urging his 1.6 million members to help OEF/OIF veterans cope with the stresses of war.

Dear Comrades:

There is an enemy in our midst that is having a devastating effect on our servicemen and women in the field and at home. That enemy is stress.

Since 9/11, more military personnel and veterans have committed suicide than the total dead from both wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined, and this tragedy is occurring despite the best of intentions and programs offered by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. That is because the need has overwhelmed the capacity of government and civilian mental health centers. It's also because some people simply refuse to admit they need help.

After incurring 11 suicides since the beginning of the year, the 101st Airborne Division commander at Fort Campbell, Ky., ordered a three-day standdown of activities this week so that his soldiers could refocus on the mission of healing themselves and each other.

This is a very positive initiative, but more needs to be done to overcome the stigma that's unfortunately attached to seeking help, which Army Secretary Pete Geren called a significant challenge to the culture of the Army that places "a premium on strength: physically, mentally, emotionally."

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen even asked his military leaders to set an example for lower ranking personnel. "You can't expect a private or a specialist to be willing to seek counseling when his or her captain or colonel or general won't do it," he said.

Since then, general officers as well as sergeant majors have admitted publicly to mental health counseling. And even though few of them would be seen manning remote outposts, and still fewer would be at risk of being separated from the military due to "preexisting personality disorders," their personal testimonials do help to lessen the stigma attached to seeking help.

But still more must be done, and that's because the very nature of ground warfare is upfront and personal, which means experiences will last a lifetime - and for a 22-year-old combat veteran, that is a very long time to keep an emotional trauma buried.

Our government cannot battle this enemy alone and nor should that 22-year-old. Combat is personal, and so must be our outreach efforts. That's why I am issuing this call to action to urge every VFW member to get immediately involved by seeking out and extending a hand of friendship and help to your local servicemembers - active, Guard and Reserve - and to their families, too.

Few of us are probably qualified as mental health professionals or trained counselors, but every VFW member has one thing in common that makes us very relevant to this new generation of warriors: We have walked in their shoes.

We have to look them in the eye and say, "Everything is going to be alright." We need to lend a sympathetic ear and tell them that we were once 20-something, and that we understand their fears and emotional rollercoaster. What's most important is that we were able to overcome our internal demons and successfully move on with our lives.

Trust is king, so ideally this needs to be done in one-on-one meetings or in small groups away from military installations and VFW Posts primarily for privacy, but also to help eliminate real or perceived fears of retribution from civilian employers or military commanders.

We also have to guide them to a department service officer to help process the maze of required paperwork that will entitle them to professional help as well as compensation if service-connected. The faster we do this the better, because many suicides occur during the long waiting period between claims filing and adjudication. VFW will do everything it can at the national level to get the process speeded up, but fast isn't always fast enough when you need help. That's why the friendships and mentorships you establish at the local level are so crucial. You have to be the calming effect in their storm.

From 9/11 through last week, almost 1,900 men and women have committed suicide while on active-duty or in Guard or Reserve status. Still worse is a Centers for Disease Control estimate that 18 veterans from all wars commit suicide every day - that's 6,500 a year!

Those are shocking statistics, so this call to action is for you to get involved today. Our mission is to "Honor the dead by helping the living," and I can think of no more immediate cause to rally behind than to help those who can benefit from a firm handshake, a sympathetic ear, and a sincere thank you for doing ones duty.

Our nation is in a war and we have comrades in arms who need our help. The VFW must stand up against military suicides by getting involved today in all of our communities.

Yours in comradeship,

Glen M. Gardner Jr.
Commander-in-Chief

HELP RESOURCES
 VA Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
National Suicide Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433)

Navy Changes Capt. Michael "Scott" Speicher Status to "Missing-In-Action"
 Click Here for Details

Prostate Cancer 2009
 Click here to read article

                             Attention Vietnam Veterans:All in country Vietnam Veterans were exposed to Agent Orange.  If you served in country you need to have a Prostate Cancer test done every year at the V.A.

Shinseki Sworn In, Vows 21st Century Service to Veterans

WASHINGTON – Retired Army Gen. Eric K. Shinseki took the oath of office today as the Nation’s seventh Secretary of Veterans Affairs, assuming the leadership of the Department of Veterans Affairs following Tuesday's confirmation by the Senate.

"The overriding challenge I am addressing from my first day in office is to make the Department of Veterans Affairs a 21st century organization focused on the Nation's Veterans as its clients," Shinseki said. 

Shinseki plans to develop a 2010 budget within his first 90 days that realizes the vision of President Obama to transform VA into an organization that is people-centric, results-driven and forward-looking.

Key issues on his agenda include smooth activation of an enhanced GI Bill education benefit that eligible Veterans can begin using next fall, streamlining the disability claims system, leveraging information technology to accelerate and modernize services, and opening VA’s health care system to Veterans previously unable to enroll in it, while facilitating access for returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans.

Shinseki, a former Army Chief of Staff, takes the reins of a 284,000-employee organization delivering health care and financial benefits to millions of Veterans and survivors under a $98 billion budget authorized this year through networks of regional benefits offices and health care facilities from coast to coast.

Born in 1942 on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, Shinseki graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1965.  He served two combat tours and was wounded in action in Vietnam.  He served with distinction in Europe, the Pacific and stateside, eventually becoming the Army’s senior leader from June 1999 to June 2003.

Important Information if you are an Iraqi or Afghanistan Vet CLICK HERE
 

America's Legacy Of Ashes
Reported by the AP

(KSDK) -- Recently, volunteers in Missouri and a handful of other states discovered the cremated remains of war veterans inside small canisters and cardboard boxes.

Instead of receiving their promised military burial, these war heroes have been forgotten and left on mortuary and hospital shelves for decades.

A national effort is underway to give these veterans a proper and dignified burial.

On a cold January day, Missouri's Patriot Guard would form its customary flag line and another veteran would be laid to rest with honor and respect.

But not all veterans receive that dignified ceremony. At Oregon State Hospital, an estimated 1,000 unclaimed cremains of veterans are neatly stacked like cans on a grocery store shelf.

A series of gut wrenching photog raphs, taken by Rob Finch, were first published in the Oregonian in 2005. The photos of cremains inspired people like Linda Smith of Dixon, Missouri, to take action.

Smith said, "I was furious..storing cans like that, that were rusty and dented."

Smith and her husband Joe met while serving in the U.S. Navy 37 years ago. The couple was sickened by the photographs of twisted and corroded canisters.

Joe Smith explained, "They (veterans) wrote that check, that blank check payable to the people of America that no matter what happens they are going to serve their country...As a nation, we let them down."

Less then a year ago, the Smith's joined the Missing in America Project, MIAP.
The MIAP works with the Patriot Guard, the American Legion and Veterans Affairs, to identify the abandoned cremated remains of forgotten veterans. They work to ensure that veterans are properly laid to rest.

Linda Smith said, "We visited 100 funeral homes in Missouri. Ther e have been a few that have admitted they have them, but they won't let us inventory them."

While Oregon represents the most glaring case, the Smith's believe the cremains of thousands of veterans remain warehoused in dusty basements, and closets and backrooms waiting for a proper burial.

Of the 100 Missouri funeral homes visited, only Gerber Chapel,in Webster Groves, agreed to go through the legal process, and release the first unclaimed veterans' remains to MIAP. Gerber also provided gold urns for the ceremony.

Six Missouri war heroes would finally be remembered at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis County.

Linda Smith read each of the veterans names as current soldiers brought their ashes to the front of the chapel

The first was Captain Paul Albert Pickel. During World War II CPT Pickel received the Bronze Star Medal and four Bronze Stars. His cremains sat on a shelf for 33 years.

Richard Franklin Beardsley also served in WWII as an Army Air Corp combat veteran.
He spent 28 years on a shelf.

It was 27 years for 2nd LT Edward Allan Rudulph.

1st SGT George Eugene Dierkes, SGT Arthur Rudolph Hirsch, and SGT Loren Seeber Leslie spent a combined 71 years on a shelf.

1st LT Kenneth Conklin led the prayer and said, "These veterans lay forgotten for so long, and now we have the chance to rectify they mistake."

The keynote speaker was Major General King E. Sidwell, the Adjutant General of the Missouri National Guard.

In a cracking voice, Major General King said, "We have an opportunity today to honor six souls who cried out..and I want to express my personal gratitude."

On a cold, January day, six Missouri war heroes arrived on hallowed ground. Their long journey home ended with dignity, honor and respect.

The cremains of five more St. Louis veterans will be interred this spring. Similar efforts are underway nationwide. MIAP estimates that there could be tens of thousands of unburied veterans who served in wars throughout the past century.

There are several reasons why funeral homes and even some hospitals hold on to the cremains for so many years. The most common reason is that the deceased had no family. Sometimes the family abandons the cremains. The funeral home gets stuck with them because directors can not simply dispose of the ashes whenever they want.

A bill will be proposed in Jefferson City this session to make it easier for funeral homes to release the cremains after a certain period of time to veterans' service organizations.

Volunteers with the Missing in America Project hope this bill encourages more funeral home directors to open up their doors and records.

 

 

 BACK TO TOP OF PAGE

This site was last updated 07/24/09