Fruitport native Marty Wills trekked 1,000 miles to Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina. He began the two-month journey in Muskegon on Memorial Day. Wills carried with him an American flag and a 50-pound pack containing a Purple Heart medal honoring his friend’s brother.
He used the walk to collect over $22,000 in donations for 22 Kill, a veterans organization that supports and raises awareness for former service members struggling with PTSD. The foundation’s name reflects the commonly cited statistic of 22 veterans on average committing suicide every day after losing their battle with PTSD.
“A lot of work needs to be done to raise awareness,” said Wills. “Many civilians don’t understand that you just can’t leave a military lifestyle and fit right in to civilian life.” He retired from military life in 2013 after 23 years of service as a U.S. Navy corpsman and a U.S. Army combat medic.
The veteran used Google Maps to plan his route, traveling 15 to 20 miles each day. Wills visited local Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and Department of Veterans Affairs chapters to interact with veterans suffering from PTSD. Several veterans expressed their support by offering him meals and overnight accommodation throughout his journey.
The post Michigan veteran treks 1000 miles to raise awareness for PTSD first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The U.S. Senate called on Iran to immediately release the Marine veteran in a unanimously passed resolution. Hekmati was arrested while visiting relatives in Iran and he was accused of being an American spy. He and his family have continually denied that allegation.
Michigan’s senior Senator Debbie Stabenow said on the Senate floor: “Iran has a long track record of arresting Americans and using trumped-up charges to hold them. Amir is a hero who proudly served this country.”
Specifically, the resolution calls on President Obama and his administration to use every diplomatic tool at their disposal to secure Hekmati’s release. While such resolutions have no legal effect, advocates hope this will encourage Iranian leaders to consider Hekmati’s release in the ongoing nuclear program negations between Iran and the United States.
Hekmati was originally accused of espionage and sentenced to death, but the Iranian Supreme Court later threw out the charge. On retrial, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison on the charge of “practical collaboration with the American government.”
Hekmati’s family has said his basic needs are no longer being met and have reported horrifying conditions in prison, including no heat, rat infestations, and parasite-filled food. They have called for the Red Cross to be given access to visit him in prison. The White House said it continues to request access to the detained Americans in Iran through the Swiss government to determine their well-being.
Amir Hekmati served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2001 to 2005, and was stationed in Iraq as a translator as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003 to 2004. He was discharged as a sergeant and awarded the Combat Action Ribbon and Good Conduct Medal. A 2001 graduate of Flint Central High School, Hekmati also attended the Naval Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, and joined the United States Marine Corps after graduating.
You can visit the website in support of freeing Amir Hekmati here: http://freeamir.org/
For now, we can only continue to hope and pray that this fellow Michigander and Marine veteran who courageously served our country is brought back home.
Read more on the Senate’s resolution calling for Hekmati’s release in the Detroit Free Press: http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/05/11/release-hekmati-resolution/27152263/
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your PTSD, TBI, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, TDIU, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post U.S. Senate Calls for Release of Michigan Veteran Amir Hekmati from Iran first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>The Pentagon estimates that there may have been as many as 26,000 sexual assaults perpetrated against military members in 2012, a dramatic jump from the estimated 19,000 assaults which occurred in 2010. The numbers are difficult to correlate, as many assaults are never reported. According to both studies and surveys conducted by the military and by independent agencies, alcohol abuse was a factor in almost 50 percent of sex abuse incidents.
Horoho spoke at SHARP, the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention conference at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland last month. She reported that troops are routinely asked about their level of alcohol consumption at medical appointments, as are their family members.
Drinking issues have been dealt with previously by various means, from barrack sweeps for beer and liquor to random breathalyzer testing to therapeutic efforts. This new push, to prevent problem drinking before it starts, is a sea change. She stated that the new push is focusing on prevention of alcoholic abuse both in barracks and off-base. Army barracks will be swept more often for alcohol in personal spaces, while the Marine Corps is now performing random breathalyzers tests to base-based troops on base.
Alcoholic consumption and sexual assault are frequently linked behaviors; a significant number of the reported sexual assault occurred when service members had also been socializing in settings where alcohol was consumed, or the alleged sexual perpetrator was often reported to have been drinking prior to the assault.
The Army is now pushing for increased confidentiality for members who request help for a drinking issue, Horoho added. The potential stigma involved in having a chain of command know that a service member is work gin on a drinking issue is likely keeping many troops from accessing treatment, Horoho said.
The public recognition that alcohol plays a major role in the number of sexual assaults and sexual abuse is a change; Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recently stated that while sexual assaults and sexual abuse in the military was due to a complex number of issues, one of the largest factors was alcohol use.
Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact an attorney about your Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury, Mental Health, Sexual Assault, Hearing Loss and Tinnitus, Total Disability Based on Individual Unemployability, Medical Malpractice, or Aid and Attendance claim, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800
The post Military Renews Focus On Drinking In Wake of Sexual Assaults first appeared on SEONewsWire.net.]]>