Battling the Storm Within

Friday, August 31, 2018

Sexual trauma claims by veterans wrongly denied by VA, investigation finds




WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs improperly denied hundreds of military sexual trauma claims in recent years, leaving potentially thousands of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder without benefits, a VA inspector general investigation found.


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Female Marines train for battle along side of men for the first time the history of C Pendletor




CAMP PENDLETON – Sgt. Margarita Palli, an instructor at the Marine Combat Training Battalion, knew early on who her platoon standout would be.


Palli was hiking mid-pack when she looked around to see how her Marines – new students in the 28-day course – were doing on the day’s 10K hike.


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What Happened at Camp Lejeune

 A crew chief with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, rides in the back of a UH-1Y Venom as it approaches a landing zone during a training exercise near Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on June 17th, 2016.


I grew up drinking and bathing in the toxic waters around a military base in North Carolina. Thirty years later, I went back to investigate.


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Trump touts VA overhaul, but affected workers say the result has not been good for veterans







A trio of executive orders signed by President Trump in May to take on what he considers a bloated and inefficient federal workforce are working as intended, administration officials say, although Department of Veteran Affairs workers and union members say the implementation is hurting workers — and veterans.


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Rejoice! The Pentagon Is Finally Ridding Itself Of The Horrendous Defense Travel System

defense travel system




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The Army just made it harder to graduate from basic training




FORT JACKSON, S.C. ― It’s day three of basic training’s culminating field training exercise, and the soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment are lined up along the side of a road on a thickly wooded training range.


It looks a lot like a scene out of “American Gladiators,” actually — two soldiers at a time are suiting up to whack each other about the head and body with foam-padded pugil sticks. The weapons are stand-ins for rifles, and the soldiers are in round one of a battalion-wide combatives competition on the road to graduation.


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Female veterans run for US Congress in record numbers to solve America's 'leadership crisis'



Pam Keith, left, Maura Sullivan, centre, and Chrissy Houlahan are all veterans now running for seats in the US Congress


Maura Sullivan served as a marine in Iraq. Chrissy Houlahan worked on America’s response to nuclear attacks. Pam Keith defended troops who were court-martialed.


All three women dedicated years of their lives to the American military. All three are now running for seats in the US Congress.




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Air Force OKs Breastfeeding T-Shirt for New Moms

Air Force Instruction 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel, has a new guidance on wearing a nursing undershirt while in uniform, July 13, 2018. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration/Senior Airman Ashley Maldonado)


The U.S. Air Force has given new mothers approval to wear a special breastfeeding T-shirt under either the Airman Battle Uniform or Operational Camouflage Uniform.


Officials this month approved the T-shirt, which comes in both long- and short-sleeve versions, has a chest opening, and adheres to Air Force Instruction 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force Personnel, according to a recent service release.


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New cannabis patch for fibromyalgia pain and diabetic nerve pain treatment






Two new medications have been developed for fibromyalgia pain and diabetic nerve pain treatment by a company specializing in cannabis-based medicines. A Transdermal patch is placed on the skin and into the blood stream for the medication of fibromyalgia pain and diabetic nerve pain.


The patched promote healing to an injured area of the body. As compared to other types of medication delivery such as oral, topical, intravenous, intramuscular etc, transdermal drug delivery flight path is more advantageous.




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The Vast Majority Of Americans In Their 20s Are Unfit For Military Service

Army Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., the Army's chief of staff, administers the oath of enlistment to 26 recruits in New York City, April 1, 2009.


The military is facing a growing recruiting crisis: 71% of Americans between 17 and 24 can’t meet the minimum criteria for service, which places the burden of service on an ever-small and shrinking pool of troops with a family history of joining the military.


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Navy chief facing multiple sex crime charges in Norfolk

The military is prosecuting a Navy chief in Norfolk on multiple sex crime charges, including an alleged rape that triggered an international incident in Ireland.


Chief Intelligence Specialist Ray D. Braimer has been charged with tugging down a fellow sailor’s leggings and underwear and raping her while she resisted on March 22, 2017, inside a Dublin hotel during a liberty visit by the guided-missile destroyer Donald Cook to the southern Irish port of Cobh.

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From combat to marijuana processing — veteran corners the CBD market






Craig Henderson started Extract Labs, a Boulder, Colorado-based company offering cannabidiol-infused products, in the garage of his home in December 2016. Now, less than two years later, the multimillion dollar company of 25 staff has become a staple in the increasingly popular realm of cannabidiol, or CBD, the main medicinal ingredient in marijuana.


Declared safe to use earlier this year by the World Health Organization, CBD’s growing list of benefits include helping individuals who struggle with insomnia, depression, anxiety and epileptic seizures, all common characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury.


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Disabled Veterans will soon be able to fly military Space-A






Every now and then, Washington seems to occasionally get it right. That happened Wednesday when the Senate approved a measure tucked away in the annual defense authorization bill that expands military Space-A travel to veterans with a VA disability rating of 100 percent.


Only military retirees, meaning those with a blue DD Form 2, and current service members had previously been eligible for Space-A flights. But with this new provision veterans like Tim Britt and his wife, Lanna will soon enjoy this terrific benefit.




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The VA Hospital In DC Was Reportedly Using Rusty Surgical Tools And Water Full Of Bacteria



VA Medical Center Washington DC rusty tools bacteria va hospital


The persistence of serious problems endangering America’s veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, DC has employees begging Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie for assistance.


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Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Here’s an early draft of the Army’s new fitness test standards- VIDEO


A year-long field test of the Army’s new fitness test kicks off in October, and on Tuesday, a copy of the preliminary scoring system leaked online.

For now, Training and Doctrine Command is working on a gender- and age-neutral, 100-point system for each of the six events, with a 60-point minimum that will be familiar to anyone who’s ever taken the current Army Physical Fitness Test.






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12 Signs Showing You Are Dealing With An Evil Person





Evil is defined as the absence of good. Every person has different definitions of evil and goodness. However, in many cases true evil is very hard to recognize especially for people who always try to find something good in others.


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Men committing suicide on the rise 




Part I
Gender Cleansing

“No man is an Iland. . . .
Any mans death diminishes me,
For I am involved in Mankinde;
And therefore, never send to know
For whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.” — John Donne (1541)
Unnoticed, in our gynocentric world, the rate of men taking their own lives has dramatically accelerated in the last half of a century.


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This 5 Minute Hand Exercise Will Boost Your Energy And Balance Emotions.


Do you know about the Jin Shin Jyustu? It is an ancient Japanese art and philosophy as well as powerful alternative health practice that can help you find and maintain balance in your physical and emotional well-being. It is a form of touch therapy that can relieve pain and harmonize the vital energy of the whole body. It involves gentle application of hands on the body in circulation pathways in a consistent, sequential pattern.



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Company to pay $9 million after allegedly selling defective combat earplugs to US military




A contracting company agreed to pay $9.1 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly sold the U.S. military defective earplugs.


The Minnesota-based 3M Company allegedly sold its dual-ended Combat Arms Earplugs, Version 2, to the Defense Logistics Agency without disclosing defects that decreased the actual effectiveness of the hearing protection the device offered.


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8 Warning Signs That You Are Emotionally And Mentally Exhausted






Sometimes life starts to spin out of control and it’s tough for us to keep up. Things that once seemed insignificant are suddenly annoying and we find ourselves snapping at others even when they’ve done nothing wrong.


This may be a result of mental and emotional exhaustion, and identifying the key warning signs may help you decide if you need to stop, rest, and recharge.
Keep reading to find out if you’re suffering from a burnout!




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Monday, August 13, 2018

Veteran commits suicide hours after being turned away at VA facility – Rest In Peace

A former Marine and Army National Guardsmen killed himself after being denied admittance to a VA facility in Iowa City, despite telling doctors that he was having “serious mental issues.”

Brandon Ketchum, 33, killed himself only a few hours after being turned down at the Iowa City VA Medical Center on July 7th. He made an emergency appointment with the facility and spoke to doctors about his struggle.