Blog-ah

Accidental Shooting Results in Prison Term

Cpl. Timothy Ayers pleaded guilty and accepted a plea agreement for two years, four months, in prison for the death of his platoon sergeant in Iraq. Click here for AP's story.

AWOL Soldier

The Olympian reports on a soldier returned to Fort Lewis after going AWOL.

Fort Lewis to host autism walk on Saturday

By Tyler Hemstreet
Staff writer

When the Fort Lewis/McChord Autism Support Group was established in September 2007, there was a general consensus among the nearly 65 military families in the group that it should host an awareness event to highlight April as National Autism Awareness Month.

The group turned that vision into reality in just seven months as it will host the first annual Fun Run/Walk and Resource Fair from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 19, at Cowan Stadium.
Anyone is welcome at the event, but those entering Fort Lewis on the day of the event will need a current driver’s license, valid registration and proof of insurance.

The group’s goal for the event is to not only inform military families and those in the surrounding communities about autism, but to provide a fun environment for everyone to get together, said Cheryl Beene, co-president of the support group.

“We want people to not only be informed, but to also have some fun,” she said. “Caring for a child with autism is a 24/7 job, and it changes every day.”

In addition to the walk at the track at Cowan Stadium and the various informational booths, there will be a run offered on the airfield as well as a live band, face painting, raffles, games, and a variety of food booths.
Volunteer massage therapists also will be on hand offering participants free massages.

Event organizers are hoping the event will not only bring people together to help answer questions about autism but also provide resource information, said Tech. Sgt. Christine Uhl, an airman from McChord on the group’s executive board.

“It’s a matter of providing that resource sharing for parents and letting them know about any respite care opportunities that are out there for them,” Uhl said.

Early registration entries for the event are showing the group the great support network of military personnel who may not have a child with autism but just want to come out and show their support, Beene said.

“We have a lot of medical personnel from both McChord and Fort Lewis coming,” she said. “It’s great because they are touched by the event and want to learn more about (autism).”

With autism affecting nearly 1 in 150 births according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Beene said the group wants to utilize the event and answer people’s questions about the disorder.
“It’s a very puzzling disorder,” she said. “For parents it can be overwhelming at times, and every day is a different challenge. Somewhere someone is going to be touched in one way or another by autism … it’s not going away.”

There is a suggested donation of $5 for those who participate in the event. The money will go directly to the nonprofit group and toward providing education and funding respite activities for parents and their children in the group, Beene said.

David Hardt

Twilight zone

As I travel the state going from race to race, I have been in little towns that are thriving and others that are out in the middle of nowhere, where while I ran, I would see old men with full beards sitting on their trucks with shotguns in their hands and their dogs faithfully sitting nearby. I am a city boy, so I am fascinated by farm animals or any animal for that matter. This week I competed in two races — one in downtown Tacoma and the other just southwest down the road; I won’t name the city out of respect, but also in case I happen to stop in for another race. This story will sound almost unreal, almost like a town out of a Stephen King novel.

My wife and I made our way down the road on a nice, sunny spring afternoon. We talked about the last race and what I needed to work on, and then we started to talk about the city we were headed to. Having been raised in the Northwest, my wife is knowledgeable about the geography, so she educates me on our trips. However, on this trip she had no idea where we were going or, for that matter, where it was or what we were in for.

Let me paint the picture. As we drove down the highway, we noticed that traffic had dissipated. Basically it was like being on the highway during the rapture; remind you, it was only 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon. (Cue the piano in minor key.) I turned up the radio so I could hear what was on talk radio. As we got closer to our exit, the radio started acting up, almost like it was going back and forth between radio stations, or as my wife said, “Sounds like aliens trying to communicate or something.” We got off on our exit, and as soon as we came to a stop the radio cleared up. What came next was strange enough for my wife and me to quickly stare at each other and give the look of “uh, what the heck?” The talk radio host was taking calls and telling people what their dead loved ones were thinking. As we made our way down the road into the little city, which resembled a little village of sorts, I quickly realized that I was no longer in the big city and was entering the twilight zone (cue the music).

I turned down the crazy talking on the radio and started asking my wife questions. “There’s something that’s just not right about this place.” She looked over at me and with a bewildered face answered, “Yeah, it might have something to do with the nuclear plant in the distance.” We drove slowly down the road, being careful to obey all of the laws. God knows what might have happened if they pulled us over just because they saw California plates. In awe of the scary little town, I managed to drive right through a stop sign. We drove farther down the road and came to the main center of the city. On one side of the road was a little police station. My wife looked at one of the three police cruisers sitting in the parking lot and said in a low tone, “Oh great, they’re volunteers. Should we call family and tell them we are here just in case?” I started laughing, and then she looked at me, and I immediately answered, “Ok, maybe we should.” I grabbed my phone, and it just happened to be dead. My wife shook her head. “Just like the movies.” We continued down the road, and we noticed that all of the churches were on the same road. To me that was odd. Who has all of the churches on the same road? We started noticing people walking around, and people started noticing us driving around. The looks ranged from “What are you doing here?” to “What are you looking for, or for that that matter, who are you looking for?”

The town just gave off an uneasy feeling — as if someone was watching our every move. No, we are not paranoid, just highly aware of our surroundings. We were hungry and tired so I made our way to the hotel. I drove up to the hotel, and there wasn’t even a car in the parking lot. I glanced at my wife; she was just shaking her head in disbelief. I knew I was in for an interesting night. I went to get a room. I went inside the hotel, and no one was behind the desk. I made my way closer to the desk and saw a bell sitting on the desk. I was just about to ring the bell when a short lady came up behind me. “Hey there, you looking for a room?” I mumbled to myself, “Holy crap.” I got the room thing squared away; the room number just happened to be 66. We made our way to the room and settled in. The bed was designed for small people, leaving me and even my wife hanging off the bed. We found it a little odd that there were so many mirrors in the room. The next thing was to get food. The only food joint in town was right down the road, so we made our way out.

We walked into the restaurant, and as soon as the door closed, it was like everyone in the restaurant stopped eating and looked up — pure silence. I whispered in Alicia’s ear, “If they didn’t know we were here, they do now.” Her eyes showed everything; she didn’t like this trip. As we were eating, we both noticed that the regulars were taking peeks at us — some long stares and some quick glances. I started looking around, trying to figure out what this little town was all about. It just so happened that the history was on the table. After we ate, we made our way back to what we called Bates Hotel, but before we did, I took a wrong turn — go figure. I drove down the road a little ways, and off to our right was a cemetery. In the cemetery there were some folks walking around dressed in what looked like all black. It was 8 p.m., and things just didn’t look right. I was curious so I took out my camera and took some pictures. I forgot to turn off the flash, and of course, that caught their attention. “Oh great.” My wife slapped my head and said, “What are you doing?” We made our way back to the hotel. That night the noises we heard came right out of a horror movie. I even heard a dog yelping, which made me a little nervous.

The morning came — and not fast enough. We made our way to the race, and let’s just say I ran fast, and then we jumped in the car and got the hell out of town. When you travel you really learn how big our country is and how different every place truly is. As much as it was unsettling staying there, I found it somewhat interesting. Getting out is fun. I suggest that if you see a nuclear plant in the distance stop at your own risk.

Michael Moore has posted this Fort Lewis story on his site

Two Fort Lewis soldiers fired upon by F-16 in Utah. Click here.

Cool 4-6 Cav Photo

Follow this link from Black 5 - cool photos of 4-6 Cav Kiowa pilots firing a rocket in Mosul.

Fort Lewis Blogger

Here's a good one - click here.

Chehalis Tribes Announce Benefit to Help Returning Combat Veterans

ROCHESTER, Wash./PRNewswire/ -- The Chehalis
Confederated Tribes will host a special benefit for returning combat
veterans at The Lucky Eagle Casino May 17 and 18, tribal officials
announced this week. The fundraising effort, appropriately named "The
Return To Honor Veterans Benefit," will provide much needed support for the
Dragoon Raiders Soldier and Family Fund and the Freedoms Foundation's
Return to Honor Program.

"We're still educating the public about the good works of our
beneficiaries and our efforts to help them, but the support we're receiving
is truly heartwarming," said Chehalis Tribal Chaiman David Burnett. "We
already have sponsorship commitments from Pepsi, Wells Fargo, The Olympian
and Uhlmann Motors, and our team is busy contacting others every day."

The Dragoon Raiders Soldier and Family Fund is a local nonprofit
organization based in Dupont, Washington, just south of Fort Lewis. The
fund supports the soldiers and families of the Stryker Combat Brigade Team
known as the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, United States Army. The
organization provides goods and services to the families of soldiers killed
in action, soldiers wounded in action, the families of wounded soldiers
while the soldier recovers, and the families of deployed soldiers.

The nonprofit Freedoms Foundation is dedicated to upholding the values
of freedom and Democracy. The Return to Honor program is designed to help
returning veterans cope with the effects of combat stress and to ease the
transition back to life in the United States.

The Freedoms foundation will be designating its portion of the proceeds
from this benefit to soldiers based in Washington and Oregon.

The benefit weekend will feature a reception and dinner on Saturday,
May 17, in addition to a performance of the critically acclaimed "Pieces of
War," by Kenny Carnes, a theatrical rendition of the experiences of 12
diverse characters and how each is affected by war. Those interested in
sponsorship opportunities or table(s) of 10 are encouraged to contact the
Lucky Eagle Casino marketing department at (360) 570-5301.

A repeat performance of "Pieces of War" by Kenny Carnes will follow on
Sunday, May 18, at 1:00 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance, and are on sale now
at the casino box office. Proceeds and donations will benefit the Dragoon
Raiders Soldier and Family Fund, and the Freedoms Foundation's Return to
Honor Program. The general public may call toll free 800-720-1788 for
additional information, or visit online at http://www.luckyeagle.com.

The Chehalis Tribes' Lucky Eagle Casino and Eagles Landing Hotel are
located at 12888 188th Avenue Southwest in Rochester, Washington.

This just in.....

To Our Soldiers and Families

Today, President Bush announced his decision to return to
twelve-month deployments in the CENTCOM theater for active Army units.

The President'sdecision reflects the improved security situation in
Iraq - one made possible by your unwavering commitment and willingness

to sacrifice - as well as the recognition of the impact of extended
deployments on Army Families and our readiness. Today's policy change

will help reduce that strain as we continue to grow the Army and
restore balance.

The Army will reduce "Boots On the Ground" time to no more than
twelve months for all active component Soldiers deploying to the
CENTCOM area of operations after 1 August 2008. Soldiers deploying
prior to 1 August will complete their scheduled deployments.

The return to twelve-month deployments does not change the
Army'sdwell time policy. This policy is intended to give units time
to properly reset and allow Soldiers, Families, and friends to
reconnect.

You have chosen a most noble profession. With your Families
standingwith you in support, you have borne the increased stress and
burden of this war for our Army and our Nation. A grateful Army and
Nation thank you.

Sincerely,

Kenneth O. Preston George W. Casey, Jr.
Pete Geren
Sergeant Major of the Army General, United States Army
Secretaryof the Army
Chief of Staff

David Hardt

As I prepared for my wife to move in at the end of last year, I spent time cleaning out my war room. I came across some boxes of pictures and memorabilia that put a lot of things in perspective for me. I sat on the floor and started to pick through the piles of pictures and photo albums. As I did this, it was like getting sucked into the past. I found myself reminiscing and reflecting on how dramatically I have changed as a person. One picture I looked at shows me relaxing carefree with my teammates under a tree at a college cross country meet. I was smiling, and there was a certain element of pureness that was evident. Next I came across a picture in which I was in a church standing behind a pulpit with a Bible in my hand. Once deeply religious, I was devoted to teaching others to learn to love and have tolerance. Finally, I went through pictures of me in Basic Training posing with my battle buddies, all of us having no idea that in the months ahead we would be faced with bullets flying, mortars dropping and death.

Going through my pictures from my first deployment was a rather difficult thing to do. As I have written in the past, my first deployment was life altering. On that deployment I took pictures of myself every week throughout the deployment. I also wrote a lot, capturing my life and my transitions. I then made my way through pictures of my life after the deployment. Looking at those pictures, it was apparent that something was dramatically different in my life. On my second tour, I continued to take pictures and, of course, write. I often go back and read my stories. In doing that I see the dramatic changes — some good and some bad.

As a man going through war, there are certain things that you must accept. One of those things is the fact that you will change and may never be the same again. To deal with what they have been through, some men do things to mask their pain. The most common behaviors I have seen are drinking and going through women like water. Trying to find something or someone to truly understand you or bring you back to how life used to be. On the other hand, there are many men who don’t seem to be affected by war. But in my opinion, sooner or later the realization or the acceptance of things will come out. A November 2007 Army Times article stated that troops were more likely to report mental health problems several months after returning from Afghanistan and Iraq rather than immediately, making it likely that some problems were being missed.

How does one accept that he has changed? How do you navigate through life knowing that the person you were is no more? Everyone answers those questions in different ways. It took a lot for me to cross the line and let others know that I had been hiding something for more than three years, and that is the dangerous and unpredictable symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. For a man who comes across mentally healthy and sometimes eloquent, I still deal daily with issues that I can’t control. Over the months I have found myself seeing psychologists and doing tests. When you submit yourself to the program for getting help, one of the things you must be is humble. I have had some good days — but more bad days than I can count. I have learned already that a switch was flipped in my head after my first traumatic experience of war in 2004.

Going through this process requires the people around you to support you tremendously and love you regardless of the conditions that may come about at anytime. My wife has faced me when I’m in what we call “that world.” And every single time she has stood solid and learned to understand it. Normally when a person goes to counseling he goes by himself, but I always bring my wife — not so that she can hear all my issues (because God knows she has heard them all), but to be there with me to encourage me to face life hand in hand.

To the young men who are dealing with issues coming back from Iraq, I say take the courage to seek help. Soldiers who have gone down this road know one of the biggest issues to tackle is dealing with your peers or your direct chain of command. Some won’t believe you; others will say you’re just faking it to get out of the next deployment, and still others will disown you. Only you know yourself — regardless of how long others have been around you. Take charge of your life, because no one around you is going to do it for you. Step out and accept the change in your life and do your best to adapt and preserve what you can.