Defense Department Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Spc. Jonathan Batista, 22, of Kinnelon, N.J., died July 8, in Zharay, Kandahar province, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 321st Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Batista, who had just gotten  married, was a  2007 graduate of Rutherford High School in New Jersey.

He joined the Army in March 2010, attended airborne school at Fort Benning, Ga., and served as a mine detector operator, clearing paths for his platoon as they patrolled throughout Kandahar Province.

"Jon was a devoted son, a caring brother, a Paratooper dedicated to the safety and security of his Infantry team and a newlywed," Lt. Col. Philip Raymond, Batista's battalion commander, said in a press release. "As a soldier, he represented the qualities and values that make our nation great."

"Their safety was his priority," said Raymond, speaking of Batista's devotion to helping protect the other soldiers in his unit. "His courage bolstered theirs and endeared him to his platoon.”

This was his first deployment to Afghanistan.

Batista’s awards include the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, Army Achievement Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO medal, Combat Infantry Badge and Parachutist Badge.

Soldier Dies In Afghanistan On Fifth Deployment ‎

When our men and women in uniform go to war, they know that their safe return can be a crapshoot and that multiple deployments to a combat zone can, to put it mildly, tempt fate to the limit.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was on his fifth deployment in the last 10 years.
         
Staff Sgt. Raul M. Guerra, 37, of Union City, N.J., died July 4, in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan.

He was assigned to the 502nd Military Intelligence Battalion, 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Guerra enlisted in 1999 and was initially trained as a mechanic. He deployed to Afghanistan three times with a unit from Fort Bragg, N.C. between 2002 and 2006.

He went to Iraq from October 2007 to December 2008 after changing his Army specialty and becoming  a human intelligence collector, which the Army defines as one who "is responsible for information collection operations" providing Army personnel "with information about the enemy force’s strengths, weaknesses and potential battle areas."

His fifth deployment, back to Afghanistan, began in May.

Guerra's awards and decorations include the Joint Service Commendation, the Army Commendation, the Army Good Conduct and National Defense Service medals.

Post-9/11 Veteran Unemployment Rate Continues to Fall

Good news came out of the Department of Labor on Friday with the announcement that unemployment for Iraq and Afghanistan-era Veterans dropped over three full percentage points to 9.5 percent for the month of June.  This is tremendous improvement -- and a drop from 12.7 percent in the previous month -- but still more than a full percentage point over the national average unemployment rate of 8.2 percent for the same period.

But this is encouraging news that can perhaps be attributed to a bunch of good state and federal programs that are being implemented to help Veterans get both government and private-sector jobs. Many government grants have been announced to encourage hiring veterans. For example, the Transportation Department announced Monday that it is awarding grants to improve transportation access so that Veterans and their families could reach jobs.

And a  total of 1,300 job offers went to Veterans last week as the result of a Detroit job fair hosted jointly by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.  There are plans to host similar events at other locations around the country. 

Defense Department Identifies Army Casualty

The Department of Defense announced Wednesday the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pfc. Cody O. Moosman, 24, of Preston, Idaho, died July 3, in Gayan Alwara Mandi, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

Moosman joined the Army in 2010, at age 22. He was an avid hunter and fisherman who had completed his Eagle Scout badge in the Boy Scouts.

"Cody told us when he was in 3rd grade that he wanted to be in the Army when he grew up," said the Moosman family in a statement released on Tuesday. "We think his experience as a Boy Scout, who reached the level of Eagle Scout, helped prepare him for his role as a soldier. He loved the idea of protecting his fellow citizens."

"Our family enjoyed watching him stand up for America. Cody loved the outdoors, and hunting and fishing were his passion... We loved him, and we will miss him very much."

The soldier leaves behind his mother and father, two brothers and two sisters, his grandparents and his nieces and nephews.

From The Pen of Paul Jamiol

A sad rerun from my friend, cartoonist Paul Jamiol...

Good Commentary On Scumbag Going After Tammy Duckworth

Tammy Duckworth, the highly-decorated former Army helicopter pilot, who lost both legs under enemy attack in Iraq, doesn't need to explain herself to anyone -- and certainly not to Tea Party darling Joe Walsh. Duckworth, who was grievously wounded while serving in Iraq in 2004, is a candidate for Congress in Illinois's 8th congressional district and Walsh, the Republic incumbant in that district, is her opponent.

Walsh, who has never served in the military, went after Duckworth on Sunday, lauding Sentaor John McCain's (R-AZ) service record and calling him a "true hero" while implying that Duckworth was not a hero because, according to Walsh, she talks too much about her time in Iraq on the campaign trail.

As a reminder, Representative Walsh is the same sterling character who once suggested that the only reason President Barack Obama was elected -- in a landslide, mind you -- was "white guilt" in America.

“He’s just trying to shift the focus away from the fact he’s done nothing in his two years in Congress other than be an extremist loudmouth for the tea party, and really he’s not served his district at all,” Duckworth said on Tuesday. “I’m proud of my service. I’m proud that I have lived up to my responsibilities to this nation in uniform, that I lived up to my responsibilities as a public servant.”

And Vote Vets, a non-partisan advocacy group on veterans issues, called on Walsh to resign for his remarks, issuing the following statement:

Joe Walsh’s disgust for our veterans’ sacrifices knows no bounds. First, he falsely and maliciously claims that Tammy Duckworth, a veteran who lost her legs in Iraq didn’t have much of a record of service. Now, he denigrates that same American hero for talking about how her experience shaped her worldview and strengthened her resolve to serve even more – a conversation that isn’t just legitimate to have, but crucial as America charts its course domestically and internationally. This is a new low for this deadbeat dad. Telling a veteran to shut up on the 4th of July is beyond the pale. We are past the point of calling on Joe Walsh to apologize. He should step aside and and stop embarrassing his district and America.

Vote Vets chairman Jon Soltz, who himself has served two tours of duty in Iraq, appeared on MSNBC's Hardball Tuesday and called Walsh's comments "hurtful" saying also that he found it especially bad that the Tea Party crowd in attendance at the town hall meeting actually laughed at the remarks against Duckworth.

"He challenged Tammy Duckworth to a debate at the same time she was at military duty and now this," said Soltz. "I think he's got a long track record of insulting her service."

Former Congressman and Iraq war Veteran Patrick Murphy then commented on the fact that Walsh has also stooped to calling Duckworth a "bureaucrat" because she once served the country as an Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.   

"Let me tell you something: Joe Walsh never served," said Murphy. "He doesn't know what it's like to leave your friends, to leave your family to go serve for months at a time in 130-degree heat, to not know if you're ever going to see the people you love again. He doesn't have a right to attack Tammy Duckworth's service."

"He doesn't even have a right now as a congressman to vote on Veterans issues because he has no idea what it's about," Murphy continued.  "He's a disgrace. An absolute disgrace."

Here's the entire Hardball segment with Soltz and Murphy:



We have been a nation at war for over a decade and the issue of how we use our military has been the subject of long and contentious debate in our country -- and will continue to be.  Duckworth does not, as Walsh contends, oversell her Veterans credentials but she does indeed point out that her service -- and her sacrifice -- give her a unique view on the use of American power and what should be required to commit our men and women to a war zone.

Let's hope that voters in Illinois's 8th district take both experience and character into account when electing their next representative in November.  If they do, Tammy Duckworth will be on her way to Washington and Joe Walsh can look for a new job -- maybe sweeping the floors at his state's American Legion halls.

Your Veteran And The Fireworks Problem

For the first few years after being discharged from the military, many Veterans who have experienced combat and the serious bangs and booms that go along with it, have a difficult time on July 4th or any occasion accompanied by fireworks.  It’s not that we Vets don’t have the capacity to differentiate between being at war and watching a cool pyrotechnic display on a national holiday.  It’s more that the reactions evoked take place on what is, sadly, an ingrained, instantaneous basis and the response can be anything from slight discomfort to all-out panic.

When you have served in any war and know the tell-tale whistle and hum of an incoming mortar, the mere sound of fireworks streaking upward can be enough to send you diving for cover.  And when the explosions actually start, a Vet’s heart rate and blood pressure can go through the roof and produce a feeling of extreme anxiety.

"It's upsetting to most Veterans with PTSD. It's something they try to avoid," said Dr. Jeffrey Fine, Director of the PTSD program at the Veterans Administration’s Harbor Healthcare System in New York.

According to Fine the gut-level reaction experienced by many Veterans “can range from a startle to a full blown anxiety attack and flashback of combat."

“Some Veterans have acclimatized and have learned how to successfully minimize their reaction to fireworks like TV and sudden noises," he said.

Dr. Wendy Katz, a clinical psychologist at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, has years of experience in dealing with Veterans suffering from PTSD and said that these situations can also lead to social awkwardness as the person trying to deal with these feelings gets embarrassed by their own startled reactions.

"The flash of light, firecrackers, can sound to them like mortar attacks," said Dr. Katz, speaking of July 4th festivities. "I worked with one Veteran who took cover with his young son at this kind of celebration. It's very complicated for them since it's supposed to be the birthday of freedom."

Pete Chinnici, a former U.S. Marine who did two combat tours in Iraq and has dealt with the effects of PTSD, says he has adjusted and needs not avoid fireworks -- but that the sudden bursts make him instantly want to know "…where the sound is coming from so I can understand what I’m up against.”

“Even though you’re aware that it may not be anything dangerous… your body still goes through the response,” said Chinnici.

“Fireworks hit right in the heart of these causes. Here’s an explosive-looking thing and a loud noise,” said Dr. John Hart, medical science director of the Center for BrainHealth at the University of Texas at Dallas.  “What they’ll feel when they hear or see fireworks is mostly fear, a sense of threat as they did during combat when the IED went off or when the Humvee blew up.”

Many PTSD counselors sensibly recommend that Veterans who may have such visceral reactions seek out a more quiet place to celebrate the nation’s birthday and this may be the best thing – especially for our most recent Vets of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  For many of us who are a bit older, a mental adjustment was made long ago and, while some of those instant reactions never go completely away, the predictability of fireworks displays – knowing with certainty when the bangs, booms and flashes will begin and end – makes for an easier experience that can even be enjoyed.

It’s important that families and loved ones of Veterans and, certainly, of active duty service members, remain sensitive to this dynamic and be understanding if that sudden, startled reaction occurs and, if it’s severe enough, even be open to leaving the location and circumstances prompting that anxiety. For the most part, our men and women returning from war have always been surrounded by loving family members who bend over backwards to understand what our Veterans have been through and support them unconditionally in issues like this.

But for anyone who sees this as trivial or something that our Veterans and troops just need to “get over” I’ll tell you this: Almost every human being will jump out of their skin if surprised by a loud, sudden noise.  Now imagine if over months and years of deployment in an active combat zone, you’ve been conditioned to interpret that sound as a signal that you may be about to die.

It's all part of the "invisible wounds" of war and it will very likely get better as the years go on. But if your Veteran looks a bit uncomfortable during Wednesday’s celebration, some awareness, a smile, and a hug go a long way.

Defense Department Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died June 24, in Kandahar, Afghanistan.  Both were assigned to the 96th Transportation Company, 180th Transportation Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Fort Hood, Texas.

Staff Sgt. Robert A. Massarelli, 32, of Hamilton, Ohio, completed three tours of duty in Iraq prior to his final tour in Afghanistan. Army records show he entered active duty in February 2001 as a motor transport operator.

During his years in the military, Massarelli received four Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, three Army Good Conduct Medals, a National Defense Service Medal, and an Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star. 

Sgt. Michael J. Strachota, 28, was from White Hall, Arkansas.

His wife, Lauren Strachota, said the couple married in 2004 and her husband joined the military in 2007.  This was Strachota's second tour of duty --  once in Iraq and this one in Afghanistan.

He was only days away from returning home for two weeks after spending the last nine months in Afghanistan.

"He was trying to come home for our son’s third birthday on July 5," said his wife. "We missed it by a week.”  
  
According to his father, Patrick Strachota, Michael enjoyed fishing and riding motorcycles in his off time.

He is survived by his wife, Lauren and son, William Strachota of Fort Hood, Texas; his mother, Linda Baxter of Star City; his father, Patrick Strachota of Pine Bluff; and his grandmother, Betty Bradshaw of Pine Bluff.

"Gone To War" By Mpulse

Here's a new song about war just released by Marc 'Mpulse' Maxfield.  It's dedicated to his brother, Michael, who is currently serving in Afghanistan and features his mother -- and a Facebook buddy of mine -- Julie Driscoll.

Have a listen:

Mullen: 18 Veterans Kill Themselves Every Day In The U.S.

Excellent piece today at  The Raw Story in which Mike Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, talks about the strains that America's most recent wars have caused on military families and the startling rate of suicide among Veterans and active-duty troops.

“We've got 18 vets a day who are killing themselves in the United States,” said Mullen, while also discussing  the overall impact on children whose parents have been gone on multiple deployments, for much of their childhoods.  Here's Mullen:

“If I’m a 5-year-old boy or girl in the family of one of these deploying units for the army whose average deployment was 12 months at a time, and my dad or mom – but mostly my dad – has deployed at this pace, I’m now 15 or 16 years old, and my dad has been gone three, four or five times. And my whole conscious life, from the time when I was 5 and I started to figure out that there was something out there, my whole conscious life has been at war. The United States has never, never experienced that before. And we see incredible stresses on families.”

You can read the entire story at The Raw Story.