Velandy Manohar, MD.,
Distinguished Life Fellow, Am. Psychiatric Association.
ADVOCACY WORK ON BEHALF OF ACTIVE-DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS, RESERVISTS, AND VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES [including Survivors of Toxic contamination of their family member who answered the call]
GI BILL BENEFIT LIMITATIONS: FEDERAL MONTGOMERY- GI BILL
I initiated and successfully completed a campaign during President Reagan’s tenure to change the eligibility requirements to enable recovering alcohol dependent veterans to use their GI benefits beyond the ten- year window if during these ten years they were unable to do so due to disability caused by addiction. Willful Misconduct exception written into the original Montgomery GI Bill prevented Veterans Mr. Traynor and Mr. McKelvey from being able to access and utilize their educational benefits in the specified time limits because of their struggles with Alcohol use disorders. Their Appeal failed in the Supreme Court in 1988. Associate Justice Harry Blackmun responded to my detailed brief in support of the appeal of Mr. Traynor and McKelvey and stated said the decision was based on the existing Law. Supporters of Veterans sought to amend Montgomery G.I. Bill.
On Oct 20, 1988 Congress Bill enacted legislation in PL 100-689, Section 2049 which provided that the “disabling effects of Chronic Alcoholism shall not be considered to be the result of willful misconduct” in determining whether veterans with the histories of Alcoholism will receive Educational benefits. I worked with Rep. Philip Morrison to win this vote. I was able to play similar roles to successfully advocate for paying debts to our Active-duty service members, Reservists, and Veterans for instance, the Gulf War Syndrome, AR 635-20, CHAPTER 5-13 DISCHARGES, and assuring the survivors of water contamination at II Mar Div. Base as Camp Lejeune, NC
CAMP LEJEUNE WATER CONTAMINATION- PASSAGE OF THE JANEY ENSMINGER LAW.
I worked with Rep Joe Courtney and colleagues in the Marine Corps League in CT to pass and enact the Janey Ensminger Law . More than a million Marines, Sailors, civilian workers, and their families were exposed to toxic water at Camp Lejeune. between 1953 and 1987 — even for as little as 30 days — and developed cancer. I want to remind everyone that Navy Medics and Doctors were also based there and were exposed to the Toxic contamination including Benzene. The Affected Marines and their Families can make their claims known and secure legally sanctioned compensation right now. Camp Lejeune Water Contamination Health Issues | Veterans Affairs (va.gov)
GULF WAR SYNDROME
During the Tenure of Rep C. Shays in 1995 I provided detailed information to support his efforts in the US Congress to address the unacceptable failure of the DoD to address the Hazards endured with severe adverse consequences of the Gulf War Syndrome. I helped him answer these questions and pay our debt to those who answered the call. All gave some, some gave all. Are sick Gulf War veterans getting better? Until the answer is yes, our work as a Congress and as a nation remains unfinished, our debt to veterans unpaid.” Unpaid Debt - U.S. Congressman Christopher Shays: Fighting for Those Who Fought - Buying Off the 'Drug Traffic Cop' | Freedom Magazine
ADDRESSING THE INVISIBLE WOUNDS OF WAR AND PROHIBITING THE DISHONORABLE DISCHARGES FROM THE SERVICE AR 635-20, CHAPTER 5-13 DISCHARGES,
CT. VETERANS AFFAIRS DEPT: STAND DOWN EVENT SEPT 12, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
I participated with colleagues from community health center to provide veterans and their families’ information pertaining to psychological, social, and medical consequences of their war experiences.
In 2011 and 2012 I worked with Post-Doctoral Psychology Fellows working in the Community Health Center created an assessment methodology to identify PTSD, Combat stress and Depression and developed a triage and referral system including the representatives of the CT. Military Support System and VA who are also helping Veterans and their families in a nearby tent.
I prepared detailed educational material that was distributed at the Stand Down and by various means since 2008 to political and military leader’s as well medical colleagues and NGOs. I will be glad to provide copies of these reports.
My colleague, a therapist at the Community Health Center, Middletown, CT and I participated (as a consultant) in the CT. Military Support Program.
SEPT 12 REPORTS: These reports prepared originally in 2008 about health concerns arising from OIF, OEF and OND and updated since then for each of Stand Down events for distribution. Stand Down events are held at the State Veterans Hospital in Rocky Hill, CT. Thousands of veterans, active-duty service members and their families as well as dignitaries and military brass come to the one-day event
AR 635-20, CHAPTER 5-13 DISCHARGES FROM THE MILITARY. Documented grave abuses of our service men and women who were intentionally misdiagnosed with Personality Disorder, coerced to accept this and dumped on the side of the road (e.g., SGT. Chuck Luther) instead of being treated for PTSD, TBI, Substance Use Disorder, or Mood Disorder. This report (47 pages and 65 references) helped persuade Hon. Rep. Robert. E. Filner, Chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs to hold a full committee hearing on Sept.15, 2010. The Yale Legal Center for Veterans is the litigator for the FOI case filed by the Viet Nam Veterans of America on behalf of Sgt. Chuck Luther in New Haven Federal Court. This is the same group that has taken up the appeal of Mr. William Dolphin according to Alaine Griffin’s report in the Hartford Courant on 11 17 12.
THE TRINEXUS REPORT: PREPARED AND DISTRIBUTED TO KEY LEADERS IN THE GOVT AND MILITARY IN THE SPRING OF 2011 HGHLIGHTED THE MAJOR LEADERSHIP FAILURES AND BREAK DOWN OF ETHICAL STANDARDS WITHIN THE MILIATARY WITH DEVASTATING EFFECTS ON SERVCIE MEMBERS. Besides the Chapter 5-13 discharges mentioned above there have been other notable failures of Command leadership. I selected three 1. The terrible mass murder perpetrated by Major Hasan. The training files at WRAMC had very damaging information that was kept out of sight. 2. The extensive prevalence of Military sexual assault and trauma and rape of patients in VA Hospitals, 3 the dumping of the entire blame for a military debacle at Wanat- E. Afghanistan on young dead Lieutenant. There are common threads in all these situations including senior officers. So also, in the tragic death, subsequent shameful cover up of the circumstances of Cpl Pat Tillman’s death with three bullet holes grouped closely and the award of Silver Star by General Stanley Mc Chrystal when he knew the statement accompanying this award was no the truth.
Involvement with United States Marine Corps Foundation and USMC Heritage Museum:
Long term interactions from the time LTG Ron Christmas USMC[Retd] was President of the Marine Corps Heritage foundation, and 4 Star Gen Charles Krulak USMC [Retd] was 31st Commandant of the USMC. They were both deeply involved in the glorious actions in the holding of and recapturing the Imperial Capital HUE in Viet Nam during the Tet Offensive. I contributed to the efforts to bring to the Quantico Museum and honor the Survivors of Iwo Jima during the anniversary of the Heroic Campaign for some years. I also helped on the Birthday of the USMC Nov 10th. In 2008 I was nominated for membership of the Semper Fidelis Society on 29th February 2008. This date is meaningful to me because it is during the anniversary of the Iwo Jima Campaign 19 February – March 26th, 1945. In 2009 I was sent a Happy Birthday Card on the 234th Birthday of the USMC on Nov 10th, 2009. It was signed by LTG Ron. Christmas below handwritten Motto of the USMC Semper Fidelis.
The Honoring our PACT Act was Finally passed, thank God on Aug 02, 2022, so, I didn’t get to send my advocacy materials that I was preparing over the weekend including this Summary of my efforts to aid to Veterans over the years to help persuade some or all the 25 Republican Senators to change their ‘No’ Vote. The Video showing many of them fist-pumping in the well of the Senate seemingly without care that their actions would result in irreparable harm to the Veterans, including some for Viet Nam in short order if by the beginning of the week was very upsetting and motivated me to start my advocacy.
I am proud and humbled feel extremely grateful that by grace of God, minds were changed and the “Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022” or the “Honoring our PACT Act of 2022 was passed today 86-11.” This Bill also provides benefits for Veterans affected by Agent Orange, which I among others advocated many years.
It will be great to find a way of sharing the Semper Fidelis spirit, never say die, never back down advocacy efforts on behalf of our friends and neighbors who answered the Call and suffered the invisible wounds of war as well as severe disabilities among some other hazards over three or four decades ago.
May God bless the Service members, Veterans and their families. May God Bless the United States of America.
In the circumstances of our lives in our United States of America I often recall the House divided speech delivered at the Republican Convention by our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln
"A house divided against itself cannot stand."
I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.
I do not expect the Union to be dissolved - I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided.
It will become all one thing, or all the other.
House Divided Speech - Lincoln Home National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
01 11 16
C.V. Section 7 Health Concerns of Active Duty Service Members and Veterans:
Section 7 A
Study of Health issues of veterans, plan, promote and provide services to Veteran. I provide direct care and participate in advocacy role. My advocacy efforts this year, culmination of my efforts research and document health issues from 2008 and participation in two Stand down Events at the Rocky hill, CT State VA Hospital in addition to intense lobbying efforts. This research and advocacy lead to the convening of a Congressional hearing by the Chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs Hon. Rep. R.E. Filner in Washington DC on Sept 15th on the abuses of the troops and their families perpetrated apparently by the some of very people within the Health care system that we entrusted with their treatment after they returned from the war zones.
Section 7 B
My earliest work on behalf of the Veterans was to fight for the change in the VA regs about the use of the educational benefits of the GI Bill after a 10 year limit if the delay in accessing these benefits was the result of Alcohol dependence which was classified as “willful misconduct”This was followed by successful efforts thanks to work of key members of the CT congressional delegation to get official recognition and help for service members affected by Agent Orange and later the Gulf War Syndrome. I feel vindicated by recent reports on the Gulf War.AMA Morning News:
Researchers find biological evidence of Gulf War illness.
The New York Times (6/15, Dao, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) reported that in the “two decades since the 1991 Persian Gulf war, medical researchers have struggled to explain a mysterious amalgam of problems in thousands of gulf war veterans, including joint pain, physical malaise and gastrointestinal disorders. In some medical circles, the symptoms were thought to be psychological, the result of combat stress. But recent research is bolstering the view” that the symptoms of Gulf War illness “are fundamentally biological in nature.”
More recently over the last two years since 2009 I have been working on these areas:
-
Resumption by the President of the practice of sending Condolence letters to service members and veterans who died by their own which was stopped in 2009. The APA strongly supports this and very recently six senators have requested the President to resume the time honored practice of sending letters to families of service members who died in the cause of freedom whether it was due to invisible wounds of war or on the battlefield with IED or bullet wound. I don’t know if President Obama has done this.
-
Health care challenges: The Opinion of the Ninth Circuit court of appeals documents the terrible toll being paid by our Veterans due to according to Court-“unchecked incompetence”
-
The Sexual assault/rape crisis: I have been in touch with Service Womens Action Network (SWAN) and members of the military on all of these matters. It is very important for the Senate to pass a Bill similar to HR 1540, National Defense Authorization Act this time around because there are specific protections within this Bill to safeguard the legal rights of Victims of Sex Assault and rape including confidentiality and access to appropriate and effective legal counsel in addition to expedited consideration of transfer from the site where the alleged stalking, sex assault or rape occurred under humanitarian considerations. I am so very thankful the HR 1540 was passed by the House with these protections. I have been trying to get political support since 2008-9 for exactly this kind of protections.
-
Service women are being sexually assaulted while they are seeking treatment at VA facilities. SWAN expressed its outrage over a report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently that patients have been raped and sexually assaulted while seeking care at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities. The findings came as part of a GAO investigation of VA safety policies in five of the VA's 153 medical facilities. The House Committee on Veterans Affairs requested the report and has introduced H.R. 2074, a bill that would require the VA to track all sexual assaults and to closely examine veterans that may pose a risk of committing sexual assault. Whether or not our nation is at war, women and men in the armed forces will face the same threat from sexual predators in the ranks, until the military takes the necessary steps to reform: 1. Victims' rights and protections; 2. Commander accountability; and 3. The prosecution and court-martial systems.
-
Personality Disorder based discharges (2001-2007): The terrible problems faced by the 23,000 service members who were illegitimately dumped on the side of the road with NO Benefits on the cooked up diagnosis of Personality Disorder (Chapter 5-13 AR 635-200) I have submitted much material to the Committee that was offered as testimony at the time of the Sept 15, 2010 hearing. The Viet Nam Veterans of America have filed an FOIA suit in the New Haven Federal Court on behalf of SSGT Chuck Luther who was clearly suffering from Head injury and Depression when he was discharged under Chap 5-13, AR 635-200(Personality disorder) and dumped on the side of the road in Fort Hood in the rain to wait for his wife to give him a ride home. He was subject to torture and various methods of coercion to get him to sign the documents.
-
Major Malik Hasan. Months after the Senate Co-Chairs Hon. J. Lieberman and Hon. S. Collins released the report of their investigation into the auto-radicalization of the wanna be Jihadi the Doctors who fostered and promoted him despite clear cut indications: Power Point Presentations more than 1 on his Koran based justification of Jihad, e-mails explicitly discussing this matter with Imam Al Aulaki of AQAP have not been brought to account for their actions.. These included the Residency director Major Scott Moran and Director of Psychiatry at WRAMC Col John Bradley are still serving in the Military. There were others :Col. Benedek, Robert Ursano, Charles Engel all physicians in top administrative positions in WRAMC and USUHS Depts. of Psychiatry who collectively discussed a very alarming assessment of Dr. Scott Moran and even the risk of Major Hasan perpetrating fratricide. He did just that and his superiors have not been brought to account.
-
On 09 09 11 I participated as a member of the Community Health Center Team in providing assessment and intervention for the ailments of service members who visited the Stand Down Event at the Rocky Hill VA Hospital, Rocky Hill, CT. This year besides providing information and referral service my team of four post doctoral Psychology Fellows assessed service members who chose to do so on three scales Combat Exposure Scale( CES), Patient health Questionnaire (PHQ-2 and 9) and the PTSD Check List for the Military (PCL-M). I had arranged at the outset with the Ambulance and EMT’s at the site to be on stand by should the need arise to transport some to an Emergency room at a nearby hospital. I had also arranged as in the past to provide a “warm hand off” link to a staff member of the Military Support Program (MSP) on site. This time both the MSP and Veterans Health System representatives were in a tent, practically cheek by jowl to the CHC tent and the basic Medical assessment and the First Aid Tents were close at hand as well. We had the opportunity and need to link the service members who came to interact with my team to these committed and capable care givers. A social worker who works with me at CHC also works in the MSP."
-
I am very gratified for the sake of the service members and their families and feel personally vindicated that the current US Army Surgeon General LTG Patricia Horoho (who is a Nurse by profession) has requested the OIG of the DOD to assess the operations of the Army MH system. I personally asked the DOD Inspector General to conduct an investigation in 2010 of the actions of the MH staff of the Army at the same time I was successfully persuading Hon. Rep Bob Filner-D, California) then Chair of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs to conduct the second hearing on Personality Disorder discharges. I was able to bring up key issues to the Attention of Gen Chiarelli at the APA Forum 05 at Annual meeting In Philadelphia, PA on May 05 2012. I am in the Video tape for the session. The Fox affiliate Channel 29 in Philadelphia reporter interviewed me on Camera after the session.
9. Marine Corps League of CT: Honored for Advocacy and service to Veterans and Active duty Service members and their Families May 2013
10. http://velandymanohar54.1775society.org/ I was given this email address by the US Marine Corps Heritage Foundation.
Velandy Manohar, MD
Distinguished Life Fellow, APA
01 11 16
C.V. Section 7 Health Concerns of Active Duty Service Members and Veterans:
Section 7 A
Study of Health issues of veterans, plan, promote and provide services to Veteran. I provide direct care and participate in advocacy role. My advocacy efforts this year, culmination of my efforts research and document health issues from 2008 and participation in two Stand down Events at the Rocky hill, CT State VA Hospital in addition to intense lobbying efforts. This research and advocacy lead to the convening of a Congressional hearing by the Chairman of the Committee on Veterans Affairs Hon. Rep. R.E. Filner in Washington DC on Sept 15th on the abuses of the troops and their families perpetrated apparently by the some of very people within the Health care system that we entrusted with their treatment after they returned from the war zones.
Section 7 B
My earliest work on behalf of the Veterans was to fight for the change in the VA regs about the use of the educational benefits of the GI Bill after a 10 year limit if the delay in accessing these benefits was the result of Alcohol dependence which was classified as “willful misconduct”
This was followed by successful efforts thanks to work of key members of the CT congressional delegation to get official recognition and help for service members affected by Agent Orange and later the Gulf War Syndrome. I feel vindicated by recent reports on the Gulf War.
Dr. Velandy Manohar, AMA Member |
Monday, June 17, 2013 |
AMA Morning News:
Researchers find biological evidence of Gulf War illness.
The New York Times (6/15, Dao, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) reported that in the “two decades since the 1991 Persian Gulf war, medical researchers have struggled to explain a mysterious amalgam of problems in thousands of gulf war veterans, including joint pain, physical malaise and gastrointestinal disorders. In some medical circles, the symptoms were thought to be psychological, the result of combat stress. But recent research is bolstering the view” that the symptoms of Gulf War illness “are fundamentally biological in nature.”
More recently over the last two years since 2009 I have been working on these areas:
-
Resumption by the President of the practice of sending Condolence letters to service members and veterans who died by their own which was stopped in 2009. The APA strongly supports this and very recently six senators have requested the President to resume the time honored practice of sending letters to families of service members who died in the cause of freedom whether it was due to invisible wounds of war or on the battlefield with IED or bullet wound. I don’t know if President Obama has done this.
-
Health care challenges: The Opinion of the Ninth Circuit court of appeals documents the terrible toll being paid by our Veterans due to according to Court-“unchecked incompetence”
-
The Sexual assault/rape crisis: I have been in touch with Service Womens Action Network (SWAN) and members of the military on all of these matters. It is very important for the Senate to pass a Bill similar to HR 1540, National Defense Authorization Act this time around because there are specific protections within this Bill to safeguard the legal rights of Victims of Sex Assault and rape including confidentiality and access to appropriate and effective legal counsel in addition to expedited consideration of transfer from the site where the alleged stalking, sex assault or rape occurred under humanitarian considerations. I am so very thankful the HR 1540 was passed by the House with these protections. I have been trying to get political support since 2008-9 for exactly this kind of protections.
-
Service women are being sexually assaulted while they are seeking treatment at VA facilities. SWAN expressed its outrage over a report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently that patients have been raped and sexually assaulted while seeking care at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities. The findings came as part of a GAO investigation of VA safety policies in five of the VA's 153 medical facilities. The House Committee on Veterans Affairs requested the report and has introduced H.R. 2074, a bill that would require the VA to track all sexual assaults and to closely examine veterans that may pose a risk of committing sexual assault. Whether or not our nation is at war, women and men in the armed forces will face the same threat from sexual predators in the ranks, until the military takes the necessary steps to reform: 1. Victims' rights and protections; 2. Commander accountability; and 3. The prosecution and court-martial systems.
-
Personality Disorder based discharges (2001-2007): The terrible problems faced by the 23,000 service members who were illegitimately dumped on the side of the road with NO Benefits on the cooked up diagnosis of Personality Disorder (Chapter 5-13 AR 635-200) I have submitted much material to the Committee that was offered as testimony at the time of the Sept 15, 2010 hearing. The Viet Nam Veterans of America have filed an FOIA suit in the New Haven Federal Court on behalf of SSGT Chuck Luther who was clearly suffering from Head injury and Depression when he was discharged under Chap 5-13, AR 635-200(Personality disorder) and dumped on the side of the road in Fort Hood in the rain to wait for his wife to give him a ride home. He was subject to torture and various methods of coercion to get him to sign the documents.
-
Major Malik Hasan. Months after the Senate Co-Chairs Hon. J. Lieberman and Hon. S. Collins released the report of their investigation into the auto-radicalization of the wanna be Jihadi the Doctors who fostered and promoted him despite clear cut indications: Power Point Presentations more than 1 on his Koran based justification of Jihad, e-mails explicitly discussing this matter with Imam Al Aulaki of AQAP have not been brought to account for their actions.. These included the Residency director Major Scott Moran and Director of Psychiatry at WRAMC Col John Bradley are still serving in the Military. There were others :Col. Benedek, Robert Ursano, Charles Engel all physicians in top administrative positions in WRAMC and USUHS Depts. of Psychiatry who collectively discussed a very alarming assessment of Dr. Scott Moran and even the risk of Major Hasan perpetrating fratricide. He did just that and his superiors have not been brought to account.
-
On 09 09 11 I participated as a member of the Community Health Center Team in providing assessment and intervention for the ailments of service members who visited the Stand Down Event at the Rocky Hill VA Hospital, Rocky Hill, CT. This year besides providing information and referral service my team of four post doctoral Psychology Fellows assessed service members who chose to do so on three scales Combat Exposure Scale( CES), Patient health Questionnaire (PHQ-2 and 9) and the PTSD Check List for the Military (PCL-M). I had arranged at the outset with the Ambulance and EMT’s at the site to be on stand by should the need arise to transport some to an Emergency room at a nearby hospital. I had also arranged as in the past to provide a “warm hand off” link to a staff member of the Military Support Program (MSP) on site. This time both the MSP and Veterans Health System representatives were in a tent, practically cheek by jowl to the CHC tent and the basic Medical assessment and the First Aid Tents were close at hand as well. We had the opportunity and need to link the service members who came to interact with my team to these committed and capable care givers. A social worker who works with me at CHC also works in the MSP."
-
I am very gratified for the sake of the service members and their families and feel personally vindicated that the current US Army Surgeon General LTG Patricia Horoho (who is a Nurse by profession) has requested the OIG of the DOD to assess the operations of the Army MH system. I personally asked the DOD Inspector General to conduct an investigation in 2010 of the actions of the MH staff of the Army at the same time I was successfully persuading Hon. Rep Bob Filner-D, California) then Chair of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs to conduct the second hearing on Personality Disorder discharges. I was able to bring up key issues to the Attention of Gen Chiarelli at the APA Forum 05 at Annual meeting In Philadelphia, PA on May 05 2012. I am in the Video tape for the session. The Fox affiliate Channel 29 in Philadelphia reporter interviewed me on Camera after the session.
9. Marine Corps League of CT: Honored for Advocacy and service to Veterans and Active duty Service members and their Families May 2013
10. http://velandymanohar54.1775society.org/ I was given this email address by the US Marine Corps Heritage Foundation.
---------
Vetrans Health - Section 2
Percentage who actually has served their Country in the military this could have a bearing on the access, quality and efficacy of the HC systems and Benefits management systems.
|
Vetrans Health - Section 3
- Panel calls for better care, protections for wounded troops LTG Charles Green, OSG Air Force, Ms. Suzanne Crocket Jones, Co-Chairs, Recovery Warrior Task Force
By Rebecca Ruiz, NBC News
The Recovering Warrior Task Force, a panel appointed by Congress in 2010, issued an annual report (PDF) Thursday (08 23 12) outlining how the Department of Defense can improve medical treatment and retirement for wounded service members.
(In this report there are 35 excellent recommendations in these 4 domains: 1. Restoring Wellness and functions, 2. Re-engaging into Society, 3.Optimizing Ability 4. Enabling a better future.VM)
The panel made 35 recommendations to DOD, among them ensuring that all behavioral health care providers are trained in evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder; extending military medical coverage from six months to a year for reservists when they return home; and making it easier for families of the injured to receive counseling and logistical support.
(These are the key recommendations of the first domain- Restoring to Wellness to Wellness and Function: VM
#1 Recommendation: DoD’s failure to publish guidance on administrative and clinical care of RW’s (Recovering Warriors) is unacceptable.
# 2. There is still confusion regarding the roles and responsibilities of the RCC and the FRC. Standardize and clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the RCC, the FRC, non-medical case manager (NMCM), VA Liaison for Healthcare, and VA Polytrauma Case Managers serving an RW and his or her family. Standardize the eligibility criteria for RCC (or equivalent) assignment. The RWTF looks forward to seeing the work of the newly formed VA-DoD Warrior Care and Coordination Task Force.
#3. DoD should draft an RW Bill of Rights or content for a commander’s intent letter to guide expectations for communication and treatment of RWs and their families
#4. Substantial rehabilitation expertise has developed over 11 years of war. DoD should partner with VA to further promote interagency collaboration and co-locate/integrate rehabilitation capability of both Departments to sustain DoD and VA capabilities, and to facilitate the seamless transition of RWs from DoD to the VA.
#5. Congress should enact legislation to permanently establish the Office of Warrior Care Policy (WCP) within the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness portfolio at a level no less than Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense.
#6. After two visits to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) Twenty Nine Palms, the RWTF found both medical and non-medical resources available to RWs are not sufficient. The Navy and Marine Corps should provide MCAGCC the needed resources on station to meet the medical and non-medical requirements of RWs assigned to MCAGCC.
#7. Extend Transitional Assistance Medical Program (TAMP) benefits to one year post deployment for RC in order to promote access to care for late arising diagnoses.
#8. DoD must ensure 100 percent of DoD behavioral health providers receive training in evidence based posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment and all primary care providers receive training in identification of PTSD patients. I had commented on this key issue in my AAAA04
#9. DoD should audit military treatment records for RWs with diagnoses of PTSD to assess completion rates of evidence based PTSD treatment and incorporate lessons learned into clinical practice guidelines.
#10. The Services should adopt a common comprehensive plan (Comprehensive Recovery Plan (CRP), Comprehensive Transition Plan (CTP), etc.) format for recovery and transition.
#11. The Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps should ensure that RWs and families can access their CRP and have ability for written comment on information in the CRP. There must be a feedback loop to ensure that the RCC is responsive to RW and family member input and that the CRP is used as a tool to facilitate dialogue.)This is a very important recommendation
It also suggested creating a bill of rights for recovering service members that would address the "adversarial dynamic" that can sometimes occur between the wounded and their chain of command.
Seven civilians and seven members of the military serve as task force members. DOD is required to provide Congress an assessment of the recommendations within three months and a plan for implementation at five months.
Suzanne Crockett-Jones, co-chair of the task force whose husband was severely injured in 2004 in Iraq, told NBC News that the improvements made to the care and retirement of wounded service members have been significant in the past decade.
"When my husband was injured, there were no resources for families — that was not even on the map," she said. Now, there are systems in place to ensure that care is being closely monitored and that family members are included in the process.
Still, there have been 49,000 Iraq and Afghanistan casualties to test the quality of care, and as of late July, more than 26,000 service members in the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps were being processed in the disability evaluation system, which determines whether or not an injury is service-connected and meets the threshold for full military benefits upon retirement. In the Army, which accounts for two-thirds of the caseload, service members wait the longest at an average of 427 days; the goal set by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs is to process active-duty cases in 295 days.
The task force offered a number of recommendations to improve efficiency and streamline the Integrated Disability Evaluation System, including creating electronic records for those cases and increasing staffing for liaisons who guide service members through the process.
In focus groups, some service members and their families complained that the chain of command and support staff did not always support the recovery process. At times, service members said they felt "disrespected and inappropriately penalized" and that athletic reconditioning or formations were prioritized over getting medical or transition services. They were also concerned about violations of medical confidentiality as some staff members had discussed service members' cases in inappropriate settings. (The survey instruments in Appendix H, the results in Section I of the surveys completed by Family members and Recovering Warriors and Section J on population and staffing of programs and recommendations for Congressionally mandated topics are very helpful to understand the relevance, urgency and importance of the recommendations There are very instructive findings in the Section I that needs real data mining and mini reports. VM)
Lt. Gen. Charles B. Green, surgeon general of the Air Force and co-chair of the task force, told NBC News that a bill of rights could help set expectations for commanders who may not have experience managing injured or ill service members likely to retire from the military.
Green said the task force wanted to see consistency in the respectful treatment of the wounded between the services and from one installation to the next.
"A lot of people have done wonderful things for their country, and may not go back to active duty, and we want to treat them exceptionally well."
- Panel calls for better care, protections for wounded troops LTG Charles Green, OSG Air Force, Ms. Suzanne Crocket Jones, Co-Chairs, Recovery Warrior Task Force
By Rebecca Ruiz, NBC News
The Recovering Warrior Task Force, a panel appointed by Congress in 2010, issued an annual report (PDF) Thursday (08 23 12) outlining how the Department of Defense can improve medical treatment and retirement for wounded service members.
(In this report there are 35 excellent recommendations in these 4 domains: 1. Restoring Wellness and functions, 2. Re-engaging into Society, 3.Optimizing Ability 4. Enabling a better future.VM)
The panel made 35 recommendations to DOD, among them ensuring that all behavioral health care providers are trained in evidence-based treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder; extending military medical coverage from six months to a year for reservists when they return home; and making it easier for families of the injured to receive counseling and logistical support.
(These are the key recommendations of the first domain- Restoring to Wellness to Wellness and Function: VM
#1 Recommendation: DoD’s failure to publish guidance on administrative and clinical care of RW’s (Recovering Warriors) is unacceptable.
# 2. There is still confusion regarding the roles and responsibilities of the RCC and the FRC. Standardize and clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the RCC, the FRC, non-medical case manager (NMCM), VA Liaison for Healthcare, and VA Polytrauma Case Managers serving an RW and his or her family. Standardize the eligibility criteria for RCC (or equivalent) assignment. The RWTF looks forward to seeing the work of the newly formed VA-DoD Warrior Care and Coordination Task Force.
#3. DoD should draft an RW Bill of Rights or content for a commander’s intent letter to guide expectations for communication and treatment of RWs and their families
#4. Substantial rehabilitation expertise has developed over 11 years of war. DoD should partner with VA to further promote interagency collaboration and co-locate/integrate rehabilitation capability of both Departments to sustain DoD and VA capabilities, and to facilitate the seamless transition of RWs from DoD to the VA.
#5. Congress should enact legislation to permanently establish the Office of Warrior Care Policy (WCP) within the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness portfolio at a level no less than Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense.
#6. After two visits to Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC) Twenty Nine Palms, the RWTF found both medical and non-medical resources available to RWs are not sufficient. The Navy and Marine Corps should provide MCAGCC the needed resources on station to meet the medical and non-medical requirements of RWs assigned to MCAGCC.
#7. Extend Transitional Assistance Medical Program (TAMP) benefits to one year post deployment for RC in order to promote access to care for late arising diagnoses.
#8. DoD must ensure 100 percent of DoD behavioral health providers receive training in evidence based posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment and all primary care providers receive training in identification of PTSD patients. I had commented on this key issue in my AAAA04
#9. DoD should audit military treatment records for RWs with diagnoses of PTSD to assess completion rates of evidence based PTSD treatment and incorporate lessons learned into clinical practice guidelines.
#10. The Services should adopt a common comprehensive plan (Comprehensive Recovery Plan (CRP), Comprehensive Transition Plan (CTP), etc.) format for recovery and transition.
#11. The Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps should ensure that RWs and families can access their CRP and have ability for written comment on information in the CRP. There must be a feedback loop to ensure that the RCC is responsive to RW and family member input and that the CRP is used as a tool to facilitate dialogue.)This is a very important recommendation
It also suggested creating a bill of rights for recovering service members that would address the "adversarial dynamic" that can sometimes occur between the wounded and their chain of command.
Seven civilians and seven members of the military serve as task force members. DOD is required to provide Congress an assessment of the recommendations within three months and a plan for implementation at five months.
Suzanne Crockett-Jones, co-chair of the task force whose husband was severely injured in 2004 in Iraq, told NBC News that the improvements made to the care and retirement of wounded service members have been significant in the past decade.
"When my husband was injured, there were no resources for families — that was not even on the map," she said. Now, there are systems in place to ensure that care is being closely monitored and that family members are included in the process.
Still, there have been 49,000 Iraq and Afghanistan casualties to test the quality of care, and as of late July, more than 26,000 service members in the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps were being processed in the disability evaluation system, which determines whether or not an injury is service-connected and meets the threshold for full military benefits upon retirement. In the Army, which accounts for two-thirds of the caseload, service members wait the longest at an average of 427 days; the goal set by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs is to process active-duty cases in 295 days.
The task force offered a number of recommendations to improve efficiency and streamline the Integrated Disability Evaluation System, including creating electronic records for those cases and increasing staffing for liaisons who guide service members through the process.
In focus groups, some service members and their families complained that the chain of command and support staff did not always support the recovery process. At times, service members said they felt "disrespected and inappropriately penalized" and that athletic reconditioning or formations were prioritized over getting medical or transition services. They were also concerned about violations of medical confidentiality as some staff members had discussed service members' cases in inappropriate settings. (The survey instruments in Appendix H, the results in Section I of the surveys completed by Family members and Recovering Warriors and Section J on population and staffing of programs and recommendations for Congressionally mandated topics are very helpful to understand the relevance, urgency and importance of the recommendations There are very instructive findings in the Section I that needs real data mining and mini reports. VM)
Lt. Gen. Charles B. Green, surgeon general of the Air Force and co-chair of the task force, told NBC News that a bill of rights could help set expectations for commanders who may not have experience managing injured or ill service members likely to retire from the military.
Green said the task force wanted to see consistency in the respectful treatment of the wounded between the services and from one installation to the next.
"A lot of people have done wonderful things for their country, and may not go back to active duty, and we want to treat them exceptionally well."
Vetrans Health - Section 4
Brendan Marrocco Hero Story
Spectacular Homecoming for Brendan Marrocco! On Easter Sunday 2009, 22-year old Army Specialist Brendan Marrocco, 2nd Battalion of the 27th Infantry Regiment , was at the wheel of a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle. He was driving the last vehicle in a four-vehicle convoy which was returning to Forward Operating Base Summerall in Bayji Iraq. He had just escorted other U.S. soldiers to the Siniyah Joint Security Station. The first three trucks passed the sophisticated roadside bomb without incident. The bomb, known as an "anti-armor IED", or an "explosively formed projectile" (EFP) exploded into Marrocco's vehicle. The armor-piercing projectile punched through the middle of the driver's side door. The blast tore off both of Marrocco's arms and his left leg. His right leg was mangled beyond saving. His carotid artery was severed, his body badly burned, and vision in his left eye was severely damaged. Brendan was kept from bleeding to death by his platoon’s 21-year old medic and his fellow soldiers. Marrocco was airlifted to the trauma hospital at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, outside Tikrit. Soon after the medevac helicopterdelivered Marrocco and the other wounded, the call went out to wake the soldiers stationed at Speicher, asking them to roll up their sleeves for a massive emergency blood drive. He was resuscitated, stabilized and underwent emergency surgeries. He was then flown to a hospital in Balad, and finally on to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Brendan would need as many as 60 pints before he left Iraq. Three days after the attack, Brendan arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He is the only soldier to lose all four limbs in combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. Brendan made it clear soon after arriving at Walter Reed that his goal was to stand on the runway on his new legs when his unit returned from Iraq. Five weeks into his stay at Walter Reed, Brendan began working with his first prosthetic legs – an 18-inch starter pair called “stubbies.” As he mastered one set, he moved to taller, more sophisticated ones, with articulating knees and electronic components that help with movement and gait. He is now on his third set of legs. One very important factor in Marrocco’s recovery has been the support from his family. Brendan’s older brother, Mike, quit his job with Citibank in Manhattan and moved to Walter Reed soon after Brendan was injured. On a typical day at Walter Reed, Brendan and Mike head to physical therapy at about 9 a.m., Brendan stretches, puts on his prosthetic legs, and then takes a lap using a walker around the Military Advanced Training Center track. Then, Brendan continues doing laps, without the use of the walker, usually walking until 11 a.m. Next up is occupational therapy and working with his arms. The brothers get two hours for lunch and doctor’s appointments, then go back for more arm work. Building Homes for Heroes and The Stephen Siller Children’s Foundation have joined forces to build a home for Specialist Marrocco on Staten Island. ------- |
(Vetrans Health - Section 5)
Reflections on the irreparable losses in Chattanooga, TN
By Velandy Manohar, MD
Sailor Randall Smith dies from injuries in Chattanooga shooting: family
By Melissa Chan, Rachelle Blidner
New York Daily News
Published: Saturday, July 18, 2015, 8:34 AM
A courageous U.S. Navy serviceman became the fifth fatality in the Chattanooga military shootings
A courageous U.S. Navy serviceman became the fifth fatality in the Chattanooga military shootings, dying Saturday after a heroic two-day fight for his life.
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith had flashed his wife a thumbs-up after taking three bullets from a heavily-armed gunman Thursday during the Tennessee rampage that killed four Marines.
But the damage inflicted by the bullets that pierced his stomach, liver, colon and arm proved too devastating to overcome.
Smith died shortly before a report that his killer Mohammad Abdulazeez, 24, texted a link containing an ominous Islamic verse to a friend on the night before he opened fire on two military facilities.
“When he came out of surgery, and he woke up, he acknowledged his wife. He gave her a thumbs up,” Proxmire told the Daily News. “But that was it.”
The hero, from Paulding, Ohio, also leaves behind three daughters under the age of 7.
My Reflections
Now 5 brothers in arms, 4 Marines and a Navy Petty Officer are gone from our midst. Their sacrifice is unimaginably cruel and hard to comprehend and too much to bear.
I have reflected on these irreparable losses and the historical context in which I try to find some answers and make sense of the ongoing dangers and sacrifices that our family members, friends, neighbors who serve in the best military in the world and the very important role played in back ground by the Recruiting Centers in shopping centers in small and large communities in busy and remote environments.
I will begin with this posting from 1970 in response to the uplink of Melanie’s- stirring ballad Lay Down, Lay it all down [Candles in rain]
Uploaded May,9, 2009
“So raise the candles high, 'Cause if you don't we could stay black against the night, Oh, raise them higher again, And if you do we could stay dry against the rain, Lay down, lay down, Lay it all down.
Tillman SD 3 months ago
I was 14 years old in 1970 and living in San Diego. It was the height of the Viet Nam war. The downtown area was a sea of white hats and
Marines. A friend and I were on a city bus riding home when a young Marine got on. There were a group of young girls sitting behind us at the
back of the bus. One of them said "I hope he comes back here and sits with us". He did and they began talking. "Do you like being a Marine?"
one of the girls asked. "I need to be a Marine." he answered. "I had two brothers go to Nam and they got killed, so I feel I have to go." There
was silence throughout the bus. This song was playing. I will never forget it.
5 heroic valiant brothers are gone from our midst. We will never forget their sacrifice. VM
I want to share with you the honors earned by the undying patriotism, unswerving loyalty, valiant and honorable service of heroic members of the US Navy. The Museum of the US Navy Memorial has two magnificent statues. One of the bronzes is of the Lone Sailor with his sea bag looking out to see at a mooring. And the other is of Sailor returning home to the loving embrace of his wife and his little kid who reached his waist.
This is the description of the Lone Sailor in the US Navy Memorial. To me it more or less fits our greatly missed hero:
“The LONE SAILOR is 25 years old at most, a senior second class petty officer who is fast becoming a seagoing veteran. He has done it all-fired his weapons in a dozen wars, weighed anchor from a thousand ports, tracked supplies, doused fires, repelled boarders, typed in quadruplicate and mess-cooked, too. He has made liberty call in great cities and tiny villages, where he played tourist, ambassador, missionary to the poor, adventurer, souvenir shopper and friend to new lands. His shipmates remember him with pride and tell their grandchildren stories, some of which, like him, are seven feet tall.” [It is fitting that we remember their service in heroic terms. VM]
Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt served as Assistant Secretaries of the Navy, Presidents who served in Naval uniform included: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George Bush.
The following words are inscribed in the paving above the compass rose as you enter the US Navy Memorial.
In Honor of those who served to Forge
The Heritage of the United States Navy
In tribute to those who perished to provide peace
And security for our maritime nation
In Gratitude to those now serving.
Also embedded in the granite floor are these words spoken by President John F. Kennedy, on August 1, 1963 at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland.
Any man who may be asked in this century
What did he do to make his life worthwhile...?
Can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction,
"I served in the United States Navy.
President Ronald Reagan said this about the United States Marines, “Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.”
The Immortal Six Flag Raisers
6 Flag raisers; front row [Left to right] Marines Ira Hayes, Franklin Sousley, Doc Bradley [USN] Harlan Block[USMC] Behind Sousley is Marine Michael Strank and behind Doc Bradley is Rene Gagnon. Strank, Sousley and Block died shortly after wards. Marine Strank who was born Czechoslovakia died before his citizenship papers were delivered. Marine Hayes and Gagnon and Doc Bradley became National Heroes.
“Doc” Bradley was a Navy Corpsman who “just jumped in to lend a hand.” He won the Navy Cross for heroism and was wounded in both legs. Bradley, a quiet, private man, gave just one interview in his life. In it he said . . . “People refer to us as heroes–I personally don’t look at it that way. I just think that I happened to be at a certain place at a certain time and anybody on that island could have been in there–and we certainly weren’t heroes–and I speak for the rest of them as well. That’s the way they thought of themselves also.”
Pearl Harbor Dec 07 1941 These words of Melanie sadly describe the human experience in the inescapable cauldron of terror and horror. “We were so close, there was no room, We bled inside each other's wounds.”
By the time the Japanese air raid was over at 9:45am, the destruction to the United States’ Fleet was vast. The attack claimed the lives of 2,409 American servicemen and civilians and wounded another 1,178. Eighteen ships in Pearl Harbor were destroyed or heavily damaged and 347 American aircraft were put out of action. The commanding officer of MAG-21, LtCol Claude A. Larkin, although wounded almost immediately upon arriving at the field that morning, continued to direct the efforts of his Marines to meet the Japanese attack. Marine personnel fought back with machine guns stripped from the ruins of smoldering planes, and in many instances with small arms. Miraculously, only four Marines perished in the air raid at Ewa.
The official report added that, “practically to the last man, every Marine at the base met the attack with whatever weapon there was at hand, or that he could commandeer, or even improvise with the limited means of his command. They displayed great courage and determination against insurmountable odds.”
Similarly, the commanding officer of the Marine Barracks at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard noted in his report of 7 December that immediately upon the first raid by hostile planes, “the (1st and 3d) defense battalions immediately went into action with antiaircraft machine guns with telling effect.” In addition to manning battle stations, security posts and fire engines, Marines at the Barracks assisted in collecting and transporting casualties from the waterfront to the Naval Hospital. One set of barracks, the Noncommissioned Officers’ Club and the Post Exchange were also vacated and prepared for the caring of casualties. The mess halls were opened and served food on a 24-hour basis to civilian and military personnel at the Barracks
Over 800 officers and enlisted Marines were serving aboard ships at Pearl Harbor at the time of the Japanese attack. There were Marine ships’ detachments aboard the USS Arizona, California, Helena, Honolulu, Maryland, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia. During the first minute of the attack, a Japanese torpedo slammed into the port bow of the USS Arizona. The senior Marine officer, Maj Alan Shapley, was thrown from the foremast at least a hundred feet into the water but managed to swim clear to Ford Island. Rescuing two shipmates on his way to safety, Maj Shapley later received a Silver Star for his actions.
Official U.S. Navy Photo 32414Though stunned by the fury of the enemy assault, the Marines who were not caught below ship manned their posts and returned antiaircraft fire. Individual acts of heroism were numerous that December morning; four Marines serving aboard ships in “battleship row” received Navy Crosses for heroic actions in rescuing fellow Marines and Navy personnel.
Typical of the heroism displayed by many Marines were the actions of Sgt Thomas E. Hailey. Stationed on the USS Oklahoma, when that battleship capsized, he swam to an adjacent battleship to assist in the rescue of the latter’s crew. Then, on his own initiative, he manned an antiaircraft gun, despite enemy bombing and strafing and the fact that he had no previous experience on this type of weapon. Later, clad only in his underwear and armed with a rifle, he volunteered and went up in an airplane on a five-hour search mission.
Similarly, aboard the USS Nevada, Cpl. Joseph R. Driskell, although wounded and with most of his clothes burned off, manned another gun when his own was wrecked. Subsequently he assisted other injured men and joined in fire-fighting squads which brought flames under control.
Marine Corps losses at Pearl Harbor included 112 Marines killed and missing in action and at least 64 wounded. The heaviest Marine losses came from the ship’s detachment aboard the Arizona, only 3 officers and 12 enlisted men survived from a Marine detachment of 82. In words that could easily apply to the actions of all U.S. servicemen stationed at Pearl Harbor of 7 December 1941, the executive officer of the West Virginia noted that: “Throughout the action, there never was the slightest sign of faltering or of cowardice. The actions of the officers and men were wholly commendable; their spirit was marvelous; there was no sign of panic, no shirking nor flinching, and words fail in attempting to describe the truly magnificent display of courage, discipline, and devotion to duty of all.”
A Short history of the close ties between the US Navy and US Marines
- Tim Hibbetts, A-6E, F/A-18C Pilot
The US Navy and US Marine Corps were birthed and grew up together, helping one another get through some hard times and difficult changes, but also glorying in similar accomplishments and striving for compatible goals.
Not to go into the entire history of the Corps, but from the beginnings as the small arms experts on ships (sniping from the tops, defending against enemy boarding parties and leading attacking boarding parties, along with enforcing ship regulations), Marines started working as independent shore parties, attacking enemy strong points and holding landing and docking facilities for larger forces (and some stranger missions: Battle of Derne, where they get "...the shores of Tripoli"). Some of these core missions (pardon the pun) were set aside from time to time, making the Marines just part of the larger land forces (read: Army). In WWI, especially, they broke their "from the sea" mold in Belleau Wood. The return to the main thrust happened with the extensive amphibious operations in the Pacific in WWII. It was short-lived, however. With the operations in Korea (after the initial landings), Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq (despite the amphibious landing feint during Operation Desert Storm), the Marines have been almost exclusively employed similar to Army troops, at least in higher profile, combat roles (they still deploy to sea regularly).
The current Marine leadership is intent on changing that.
Due to increasing budget constraints, the Commandant is looking to return to the Marine Corps' essential task: take a beachhead and hold it long enough for a larger force to land and execute the desired effect.
Since this is going to entail coming in from ships, it will actually be moving the Marine Corps and Navy closer together again. The Corps has been lobbying the Department of the Navy (DoN), the civilian leadership element of both services, to direct more Navy funds for the Marine mission, the partial result being the new class of amphibious vessels, the USS San Antonio amphibious transport dock. An Iconic and classic image of United States projecting its power overseas is a flotilla of amphibs on your shore with Marines squinting with that steely gaze over the low bow waves of floating armored personnel carriers.
Operational Cooperation and interdependence of the Sailors and Marines of the US Military
USS Constitution Museum
The Marine Guard
By Commander Tyrone G. Martin, U. S. Navy (Retired)
The concept of Marines — sea-going soldiers — goes back at least to the ancient Greeks. In those days, and for centuries to come, there was a division of labor in a warship: sailors operated and navigated the ship, soldiers (“marines”) did the fighting, and the gentry provided (hopefully) a unifying leadership. By the 17th Century, when regular navies began appearing, more and more officers were sailors, and sailors had taken charge of the great guns in their ships. But the tradition remained of “sea soldiers” providing small arms fire and other soldier skills.
While there were Continental Marines during the Revolution, they, and the Navy, went out of existence when independence was won. As a new United States Navy was becoming operational in 1798, a new Marine Corps was authorized by Congress on 11 July 1798. It missions were to serve in ships of the Navy as well as forts and garrisons ashore, and to perform any other duty directed by the President.
The duties of Marines aboard ship basically were four: Provide musket fire aboard ship in combat when the opponents were close together. Provide a hard core of tough troops when needed to assault another ship in man-to-man combat. Provide the main strength of any armed party put ashore. And finally, on a daily basis, provide sentries outside the Captain’s cabin and at such other places as the Captain thought necessary.
During the Barbary War, Constitution was particularly active in the summer of 1804, leading her squadron in repeated attacks against Tripoline shipping and bombarding the town of Tripoli. Unlike the Marines from other ship, under Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon, who helped take the town of Derne, Constitution’s Marines never got ashore or into close combat. Private Charles Young, during a bombardment of the town on 3 August, was unfortunate enough to have an elbow smashed by a shell fragment as the ship moved in very close to the shore fortifications. He was the only one of Constitution’s Marines hurt in the war. The brilliant strategy and daring tactics used by the Navy and the Marines lead to complete victory. No less a military Genius than Lord Wellington who decisively vanquished Napoleon offered words of praise
The War of 1812 was the period of Constitution’s greatest glory, and her Marines were very much a part of the story. Their musket firepower repeatedly played an important role in the victories won by the ship.
On 19 August 1812, Constitution dueled with the British frigate Guerrier in a closely fought action that twice had the two ships entangled by their rigging. On the second occasion, First Lieutenant William Sharp Bush, officer in charge of the Marine Guard, leaped atop the quarterdeck bulwark with the intention of leading boarders in a man-to-man assault of the enemy. Before he could do so, he was shot through the head by a British sniper and fell dead on deck. The naval officer who attempted to replace him was shot through the abdomen, and the ships pulled apart before another effort could be made. In return, the fire by U. S. Marines had wounded the two most senior British officers, their Sailing Master, and a number of seamen. The enemy was so damaged that surrender followed. William Bush was the only Marine officer to die in action in “Old Ironsides,” and the first U. S. Marine officer to die in combat anywhere. Private William Mullen, serving in the mizzen fighting top, was shot in the ankle in this fight.
A little over four months later, when Constitution was off northeastern Brazil, she dueled with the British frigate Java. This was a fight involving a lot of maneuvering by the ships, but at one point they became entangled and Marine musket fire had a telling effect. Of particular impact was the mortal wound to the British Captain, Captain Henry Lambert, inflicted by Sergeant Adrian Peters (or Peterson), firing from the main fighting top, seventy-five feet above the action. The senior surviving officer was unable to regain the initiative and Java became Constitution’s second wartime victim. U.S. Marine casualties in this fight were Private Thomas Hanson killed, and Privates Michael Chesley, John Elwell, and Anthony Reeves wounded. All but Reeves are known to have been stationed in the main fighting top, so there must have been an awesome fire fight high in the rigging.
Constitution’s third and final fight of the War of 1812 occurred on 20 February 1815, when she defeated the British light frigate Cyane and the corvette Levant simultaneously in a night engagement. While the ships never came together as in the earlier duels, the Marines got in their licks when the distances came within a hundred yards. Paying the ultimate price for the American victory were Privates Antonio Farrow, William Horrell, and John Lancey, one-half of the American deaths on this occasion. The officer in charge at this time was Captain Archibald Henderson, who would become the Corps’ fifth Commandant and hold the position for thirty-nine years! Marine Corps snipers and individual Marines are exceptional marksmen and keep in fighting fit all through their service in the use of side arms and long guns.
The Sailors and Marines of the USS Constitution were also Peacemakers by projecting their awesome force to distant lands. A decade later, Constitution was serving as flagship of the West African Squadron when, while visiting Monrovia, Liberia, Commodore Isaac Mayo was asked by local authorities to see if he could bring peace between the warring Barbo and Grebo tribes, some miles south of the capitol near the Cavally River. When his negotiator was threatened by the Barbos, Mayo decided to use force.
On 5 September 1853, a five-boat force loaded with armed Marines (led by Major N. S. Waldron) and sailors, and supported by a 12-pounder howitzer and Congreve rockets, made an amphibious assault. The destruction of a few huts by his bombardment convinced the Barbos to talk with the Grebos, who already had indicated a willingness to do so. Except for one native woman slightly wounded on the arm, there were no casualties. The talks were held on Constitution in the Commodore’s cabin, he and his officers in their gold lace finery and the tribal leaders in feathers and skins. The treaty was “signed” on 6 September. On 18 July 1854, a similar “palava” — without an assault first — brought peace to the Grahway and Half Cavally tribes, also in Liberia.
C. Operation Tomodachi is a more recent example of a highly risk laden mission of peace, and mercy that offered hope when there was no reasonable expectation of effective help, lit the lamp that dispelled the literal darkness that had enshrouded the people of Fukushima
Operation Tomodachi (トモダチ作戦 Tomodachi Sakusen? lit. "Operation Friend(s)") was a United States Armed Forces assistance operation to support Japan in disaster relief following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The operation took place from 12 March to 4 May 2011; involved 24,000 U.S. service members, 189 aircraft, and 24 naval ships; and cost $90 million. All branches of the US Military served in this very dangerous and very crucial life-saving operation.
Many if not most of the U.S. military bases in Japan are involved in some manner in Operation Tomodachi.
- Yokota Air Base in Fussa, western Tokyo, is the operational command center, and furthermore functions as the aviation hub due to the washout of the Sendai Airport by the tsunami. Kadena Air Base, Okinawa is the hub of airpower in the Pacific.
- Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, operated as an aviation hub for many aircraft traveling to northern installations.
- Misawa Air Base, Aomori, combined services and Japan Self-Defense Forces
- Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture home of CVW-5 and Fleet Air Wing 4 of the JMSDF
- Camp Zama is the home of U.S. Army Japan and I Corps (Forward)
- Sasebo Naval Base in Nagasaki Prefecture, USS Essex (LHD-2) and its Expeditionary Strike Group.
- Yokosuka Naval Base inside of Tokyo Bay is home to the Seventh Fleet, composed of 11 warships, including USS George Washington (CV-73) and command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19).
- Task Force Fuji, Camp Fuji Marines and sailors
- Camp Courtney, Okinawa, operated as the communications post between Okinawa and Japanese mainland.
- Mississippi and Alabama National Guard forces joined those from Kentucky and Guam to assist with Operation Tomodachi.
Japanese formed long human chains and in their quiet patient manner helped the rescue and relief efforts.
500,000 gallons of fresh water has been provided from the US Navy to support cooling efforts at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Marines based at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma moved command and control teams and systems to NAF Atsugi. Eight KC-130Js from VMGR-152 and eight CH-46E and four CH-53 Super Stallions transport helicopters from HMM-265, all from MCAS Futenma, were made available to transport rescue teams and equipment, as well as provide search and rescue.
The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit responded to Northern Japan from Malaysia and Indonesia, where the unit was conducting Theater Security Cooperation exercises. The 31st MEU delivered relief supplies to five cities, one island and one Japanese ship. More than 164,000 pounds of food and relief supplies were delivered, along with thousands of gallons of water. Elements of the 31st MEU, including Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 2nd Battalion 5th Marines went ashore on Oshima Island to deliver critical supplies and assist in debris removal.
MV Westpac Express, a civil-registered fast ferry chartered by the Marine Corps, was made available to transport equipment from Okinawa to Honshu. Westpac Express made two sorties in support of Operation Tomodachi. The ship moved 450 tons of cargo, including 7-ton trucks, fuel tankers, generators and water tanks from Okinawa to Iwakuni, Japan, arriving 15 March. On 20 March, Westpac Express loaded 226 pallets of bottled water at Pohang, ROK, off-loading at Iwakuni the next day.
This is illustrative of the selfless efforts made by many thousands of Americans for generations who were recruited for the highest order of service from every walk of life from Sea to shining Sea to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States in the course of their fearless and tireless efforts to accomplish their missions.
I close this tribute with these luminous and evocative words of Melanie:
“…We were so close, there was no room
We bled inside each other's wounds
We all had caught the same disease
And we all sang the songs of peace
Some came to sing, some came to pray
Some came to keep the dark away
So raise the candles high
'Cause if you don't we could stay black against the sky
Oh, raise them higher again
And if you do we could stay dry against the rain
Lay down, lay down
Lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up
At the ones who stand and frown
Lay down, lay down
Lay it all down…”
May God bless the five brothers in arms, their peers and their families and keep them in his loving embrace. I want to share this letter sent by President A. Lincoln to Mrs. Bixby who lost five of her sons during the course of the Civil. America, we have collectively lost five of our sons in the dastardly attack in Chattanooga, TN.
Executive Mansion,
Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.
Dear Madame,
“I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.”
Yours, very sincerely and respectfully, A. Lincoln
These words fully and truly describe the thoughts and feelings of all those who are sharing the grief and sense of loss over these brutal terrorist attacks.
America, The Beautiful Lyrics
By Katharine Lee Bates – 1913
“…O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness,
And ev’ry gain divine!
O Beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam,
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!”
Velandy Manohar, MD