World War II Veteran Laid to Rest in Michigan

The Year was 1944.  Robert McConachie was 17 years old and wanted to enlist and defend his country in World War II.  Because of his young age, his father, James McConachie, had to sign a waiver allowing him to join the armed forces.

His father acquiesced and Robert McConachie joined the United States Marine Corps.  He was killed in action in Okinawa on June 14, 1945, in the final months of the war.  He was just 18 years old when he gave his life for his country.  However, Pvt. McConachie’s remains went unidentified for nearly seventy years.

In 1987, Pvt. McConachie’s still unidentified remains were delivered to the Army’s Central Identification Lab in Hawaii.  Recent advancements in DNA testing, however, have helped the Pentagon link them to his brother.  This year, nearly seven decades after his death, Army analysts positively identified Pvt. McConachie’s remains using DNA analysis and dental records.

Pvt. McConachie made his final trip home to Michigan this year.  The Detroit native was buried on November 3 with full military honors at Fort Custer National Cemetery west of Battle Creek.  The fallen soldier’s family now has closure knowing that he has been laid to rest in his home state of Michigan.

On this Veterans Day, it is an important reminder to thank those who serve our country in the armed forces.  It is also a time to reflect on those, like Pvt. McConachie, who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may continue to live in a free country.

If you are a veteran and need assistance with a disability benefits claim, contact the experts at Legal Help For Veterans.  You can reach us at 800/693.4800 or online at www.legalhelpforveterans.com. 

To learn more about Pvt. McConachie’s story, please visit: http://patch.com/michigan/wyandotte/world-war-ii-soldier-finally-laid-rest-0

Westland Housing Program Helps Prevent Homelessness for Veterans

It’s always great to hear such uplifting stories about communities helping veterans in our local area. While Legal Help For Veterans aids veterans nationwide, this story hits closer to home, in the southeast Michigan City of Westland.

The Westland Housing Commission has a Veterans Housing program that provides rent assistance through housing vouchers to income eligible honorably discharged veterans. The vouchers are for rental properties in the City’s Historic Norwayne community.

The housing providers – Veterans Haven, Safe Step and AMR Rentals – provide supportive services, including a Family Self Sufficiency program.

The Westland Housing Commission started the veterans housing program in July 2013, and the commission allocates 20 percent of their housing vouchers for veterans – the maximum allowed by the federal government.

One of the individuals helped by this program was U.S. Army veteran and Westland-native Adam Lull. When Lull returned from a tour in Afghanistan, he was working at Taco Bell and, aside from the occasional night in a motel, he and his wife Rachel were essentially homeless.

Lull is only 22 years old, and his wife 23 years old.

Now the couple has found a home renting a duplex in Norwayne thanks to the veterans housing program. And Lull has started work fixing-up cars with a friend. He aspires to be a police officer someday.

“We’d probably be homeless for a while without this program. We were trying to save up money to find a place,” said Adam Lull. “For a lot of veterans it’s a problem getting a suitable job when we come back. Then you end up homeless.”

Thanks to this great program, that did not happen. Westland’s housing program helps veterans across the age spectrum, from younger veterans like Lull to those in their 50s.

If you’re in the Westland, MI area and would like more information on the Veterans Housing program, you can call the Dorsey Center at 734-595-0288.

Lt. Cmdr. Ned Schuman – An American Veteran and Hero

The story is told of his act of heroism in the obituary in the New York Times:

As Christmas 1970 approached, 43 American prisoners of war in a large holding cell at the North Vietnamese camp known as the Hanoi Hilton sought to hold a brief church service. Their guards stopped them, and so the seeds of rebellion were planted.

A few days later, Lt. Cmdr. Edwin A. Shuman III, a downed Navy pilot, orchestrated the resistance, knowing he would be the first to face the consequences: a beating in a torture cell.

“Ned stepped forward and said, ‘Are we really committed to having church Sunday? I want to know person by person,’ ” a fellow prisoner, Leo K. Thorsness, recounted in a memoir. “He went around the cell pointing to each of us individually,” Mr. Thorsness continued. “When the 42nd man said yes, it was unanimous. At that instant, Ned knew he would end up in the torture cells.”

The following Sunday, Commander Shuman, who died on Dec. 3 at 82, stepped forward to lead a prayer session and was quickly hustled away by guards. The next four ranking officers did the same, and they, too, were taken away to be beaten. Meanwhile, as Mr. Thorsness told it, “the guards were now hitting P.O.W.s with gun butts and the cell was in chaos.”

And then, he remembered, the sixth-ranking senior officer began, “Gentlemen, the Lord’s Prayer.”  “And this time,” he added, “we finished it.”  The guards had yielded.

Lt. Cmdr. Shuman served his country, his family and his God well.  This type of action is the epitome of courage and bravery.  He knew it was his job to support the morale of the men.  This simple act of defiance, in the face of known torture, was enough to keep others strong.  May God give rest to his soul.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/25/us/edwin-a-shuman-iii-former-prisoner-of-war-who-defied-hanoi-hilton-guards-dies-at-82.html?_r=0

Veterans Court Needs Mentors

Kristina Derro, Esq.

  

The 17^th District Court in Redford, Michigan, has established a special veterans court that addresses the problems of military veterans who have encountered legal issues stemming from their military experiences. It allows veterans who were convicted of or plead guilty to certain charges the opportunity to be placed into a special program that, while still holding them accountable for the charges, allows the veterans to receive a coordinated response to the unique problems they are facing. It provides the veterans with a positive interaction between court personnel, prosecutors, probation staff, the VA, and local veterans groups.

One of the big features of this court is that it has established a “Military Veterans Mentoring Program” to assist the veterans appearing before the court. The program pairs troubled veterans with veterans who successfully made the transition from military to civilian life.  It allows a positive interaction and provides the troubled veterans with the opportunity to receive advice and guidance from one of their veteran peers who understands the rigors of returning to civilian life.

Right now, the court is in need of veteran mentors. If you or someone you know is a veteran is willing to commit to a few hours each month to assist a fellow veteran in need, please call the Veterans Coordinator for the 17^th District Court, Jim Badeen, at (313) 387-2792 or visit the mentoring program’s website at www.17thvetmentorsredford.co. You will be trained prior to being paired with a veteran involved in the program.

 

Service Member Autopsies Are Helping Medical Researchers

James G. Fausone
Veteran Advocate

 

More than one out of every 12 U.S. service members who died during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were found during autopsy to have early signs of heart disease. While none of the service members were diagnosed with heart disease prior to their deployments, all of them were found to have plaque buildup in the arteries around their hearts. How did such a young, fit group of people "pass" health screenings when they had early-stage heart disease?  Many heart diseases such as plaque build up are asymptomatic in the early stages, showing no sign of trouble down the road.

In the civilian population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease accounts for roughly one-in-four deaths each year, or approximately 600,000 U.S. residents.  

Autopsies performed on service members who died in combat or from other injuries between 2001 and 2011 were originally done to give an accounting of how they died to their family members. The results were studied, not unlike research on autopsy results performed on vets from the Korean and Vietnam wars. Those studies found that as many as 75 percent of the vets had heart disease at the time of death. Those findings were considered critical in helping the medical community recognize that coronary disease could start at a younger age than previously thought, and stay "silent" or asymptomatic for longer than had previously been assumed.

The autopsy results for service members from the Vietnam and Korean wars are not considered directly comparable to that of the Iraq and Afghanistan service members, as researchers believe the draft may have affected the healthier versus less healthy individuals who enlisted voluntarily. Researchers also believe the lower number of service members found with heart disease is likely a strong indicator of a decline in heart disease throughout the U.S.

Researchers looked at more than 3,800 autopsies; 98 percent were men. Of the 9 percent who were found to have plaque buildup in their coronary arteries, roughly 25 percent were found to have severe blockage. Those who had been obese or had high blood pressure or high cholesterol when they began service were far more likely to have excessive plaque buildup. Researchers hypothesized that the lower percentage of heart disease they found was due in large part to improved, early treatment of high blood pressure and cholesterol as well as a drop in smoking among today's service members. Ongoing concerns for heart disease risk include obesity and diabetes, which researchers say still need to be addressed in our country.

Sources

http://bit.ly/JjFzqx Journal of the American Medical Association, online December 25, 2012
http://medcitynews.com/2012/12/autopsies-of-soldiers-killed-in-combat-show-almost-9-had-clogged-heart-arteries/#ixzz2K3pGjZUN

Record Number of Veterans Back Home, Many Running for Office

Brig. Gen. Carol Ann Fausone (Ret)
Veteran Advocate

 

The population of recent combat veterans in the U.S.  is higher than at any time since the Vietnam era. So it should not be surprising that there seem to be an unprecedented number of veterans running for local and state offices this election cycle, including Illinois congressional candidate and Iraqi vet Tammy Duckworth, California's Republican nominee for the 53rd Congressional District and Iraqi vet Nick Popaditch, and Iraqi vet and Arizona State House candidate Mark Cardenas.

Meanwhile, the number of service people who hold public office continues to decline. Close to 90 percent of the members of the U.S. House and Senate  were military members in 1969; currently, according the Congressional Research Service, only some 20 percent of members serve or have served in the military.  The peak of post-military politicians peaked in the postwar era; by the end of the Second World War, there were roughly 16 million service people who "came home" to serve, including in political offices.  

"Working in public office is just another way these men and women are serving their country," stated veterans' lawyer James Fausone.

The push to get more veterans into public office is helmed by Veterans Campaign, a non-partisan organization working to train veterans to run for public office. Their stated goal includes supporting and encouraging veterans by running workshops, lectures and research to demystify the campaign process. Veterans Campaign supports veterans as valuable and electable leaders, possessing exemplary leadership backgrounds, the ability to work with many different types of people and a depth of understanding the bureaucratic steps and tangles so familiar to anyone working with foreign policy affairs and government systems.

According to a Harvard study cited by Veterans Campaign, Americans are only becoming more confident in military personnel; currently, they state, 82 percent of U.S. citizens report confidence in the members of the armed forces. Younger Americans, ages 18 to 25, also report that they believe U.S. politics is excessively partisan. According to Veterans Campaign, this dissatisfaction with the current atmosphere is an opportune time to help veterans continue to serve their country, this time in office. 

http://www.sanduskyregister.com/article/2590761

Guard & Reserve Denials

Jim Fausone

Veteran Disability Lawyer

In order to receive VA disability compensation, you have to prove a service connected disability.  The disability has to occur on active duty as compared to monthly training in which National Guard and Reserve have traditionally participated.  But since 9/11 the Guard and Reserve components have made up about 40% of the active duty assignments both here and abroad. 

It is not clear that VA understands the way that DOD utilizes these components today. New data obtained by Veterans for Common Sense under the Freedom of Information Act shows the denial rate for claims filed by reserve component combat veterans is 4 times higher than for post-9/11 combat veterans who were active-duty members. 

Guard and Reserve troops tend to be older and have less years of service than active troops. These facts may make proving claims more difficult.  This discrepancy has come to light and we hope the VA and National Guard leadership work to eliminate this disparity.

http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2012/10/military-reserves-va-disability-compensation-102312w/

Increased Incidences of Suicide and Self-Harm From Veterans

Brig. Gen. Carol Ann Fausone (Ret)

Veteran Advocate

Veterans and current military personnel have a higher rate of traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder than do non military, states Peter Gutierrez, the co-director of the Military Suicide Research Consortium in Colorado. Individuals with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder are more prone to suicidal and self-harming behaviors. Gutierrez's consortium has paired with the U.S. military and additional research scientists to work to better understand and prevent self-harming behaviors and suicidal acts.

According to recent data from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the number of suicide attempts and other self-harming behaviors among veterans who served in Afghanistan and Iraq was at the highest levels for two years after active duty and declined 50 percent between four and six years after active duty had ended.

"Our veterans need a broad and comprehensive support system to help them transition to civilian life and get the assistance they need," stated veterans attorney James Fausone. 

Still not widely understood is whether currently returning veterans, those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, have a higher rate of suicide compared to other veteran groups from previous wars. A study from the VA released this summer determined that the suicide risk for veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq who have been diagnosed with one or more mental health issues condition was four times higher was four times higher than for veterans without a diagnosed  mental health issue. Additionally, male veterans were found to be more than 200 percent more likely to commit suicide than males who were not military veterans.

The risk for suicide does not seem to significantly decrease for veterans who pursue higher education. According to a study from the University of Utah, “Student Veterans: A National Survey Exploring Psychological Symptoms and Suicide Risk," presented to the American Psychological Association, almost 50 percent of currently enrolled college students who served in the military have reported that they have considered suicide, a rate dramatically higher than for those college students who are not veterans. The need for adequate mental health support both for nonstudent and student veterans is of utmost importance, said study head, M. David Rudd. Researchers surveyed more than 500 veterans; 98 percent served in wars in Afghanistan or Iraq. Of those surveyed, almost 50 percent reported suicidal thinking, 20 percent indicated that they had experienced not only suicidal thoughts but also a plan.

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/100112-veterans-suicide-risk/nSPh4/

New York Bill Will Allow The DMV to Indicate Veteran Status On Licenses and IDs

Kristina Derro
Veteran Advocate

 

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently signed legislation which allows New York State's Department of Motor Vehicles to add a mark indicating veteran status on both driver’s licenses and or non-driver IDs. This legislation allows veterans of the United States Armed Forces to request the veteran status mark on their identification, if so desired.

 

The veteran designation on driver's licenses and other forms of ID is desirable for many reasons, one of which is that many local businesses on New York state offer certain discounts on ticket prices and other items to military veterans. The legislation will allow veterans to show their status in a convenient manner, without having to carry additional forms of ID.  The law takes effect in a year, and in order to obtain the veteran mark, applicants must submit proof of honorable discharge to the DMV.

Governor Cuomo stated that veterans have made "invaluable sacrifices" for the state of New York and for the nation and that, in turn, the government wants to do something for them “We are proud to help distinguish them as veterans.”

New York Senator Greg Ball, who co-sponsored the bill, stated that identifying veterans in order to offer services and support is an ongoing issue and he hopes this designation mark will help expedite that process and allow government officials to help connect veterans to a variety of services available to them. The bill was first proposed by Bill Linder of Copiague, Lt. Commander, U.S. Navy (retired).

Though the emblem is just one small mark, it is hoped that veterans will feel the move as a way to acknowledge their sacrifice.

Kentucky currently offers the veteran mark, as does Missouri, where DMV officials report that they have received positive feedback from the veterans who opted to have the emblem placed on their license. They hope more veterans will take advantage of the emblem.

In Kentucky, Governor Steve Beshear directed the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to work to issue new licenses with the emblem without charging for them, allowing vets to get their new license without having to wait until the next renewal period.

The emblem consists of the word "VETERAN" printed vertically on the right border of the driver's photo.  Until the law takes effect, the DMV plans to revise application forms to manage the requests for the veteran status mark. The review of honorable discharge documentation must now be processed manually at the DMV, adding to the backlog at offices statewide.

In State Tuition Fiasco

Jim Fausone
Veteran Disability Lawyer

At times we make the simple things too hard. Here is an example. A veteran is denied in state tuition status in North Carolina. She lived in the state for years and has paid taxes and owned a home. What caused the inability to qualify for the lower in state college tuition rate was because she was out of state in Iraq and in Texas. Both moves were necessitated because of active duty orders for herself or her husband.

Army Sgt. Perez believes her treatment demonstrates that University of North Carolina does not value military service. She finds it ironic that the administration at UNC at one time considered granting in state tuition status to illegal immigrants. It is reported that more than 5000 veterans are in the UNC system.

Perez appealed the decision to a 15-member panel at the school's vice chancellor's office, where her request was denied. She said she later learned that the denial was based on the fact that she had not paid income tax in North Carolina in the years in which she was in Iraq and Texas.

She said that her family could not afford the out of state tuition rates at UNC because the GI Bill only paid the in state rate, so she has enrolled at a private college instead.

The UNC appeal board wins the knucklehead award of the week. The decision makers at the University of North Carolina system failed to use any common sense.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/10/16/university-north-carolina-denies-iraq-vet-in-state-tuition-while-considering/

Burial at Sea

Jim Fausone

Veteran Disability Lawyer

The tradition of burial at sea is an ancient one.  On a listserv an attorney asked if he could paddle out on Lake Michigan and spread the cremains of his brother.  Only an attorney would worry about the regulations!

Yes, US EPA regulates such activity.  40 CFR 229.1 contains the basic requirements for burials at sea.  Burial of non-cremated remains must take place at least 3 nautical miles from shore in water at least 600 feet deep.  Also, measures must be taken to ensure that the remains sink permanently to the bottom.

Burial of cremated remains must also take place at least 3 nautical miles from land, but the water does not have to be any required depth.

There is no permit requirement by the EPA prior to the burial.  However, the EPA must be notified of the burial within the 30 days following its occurrence.  Additionally, coastal states may have specific guidelines or permit processes that must be followed regarding burials at sea.

The EPA does not regulate burials in inland lakes and rivers; this is supposedly regulated by the states under the Clean Water Act.  However, Michigan does not have any statutes or regulations stating what requirements there are, if any, for the burial of a loved one in Michigan’s lakes or rivers.

My advice is, don’t ask your lawyer relative to undertake this final request.

Burn Pit Registry

Jim Fausone

Veteran Disability Lawyer

It seems like the DOD and VA fight the most obvious and necessary things.  Think about the atomic registry, the Gulf War registry, AO registry, etc.  This time it’s the burn pits our men and women were exposed to in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Over objections from the VA, a House panel voted last week to create a registry of people exposed to toxic fumes and chemicals from open burn pits while deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.  The registry would be used to monitor the health of service members and veterans to determine if there are any ill effects from being close to or downwind of the open fires used to dispose of solid waste in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As reported in the Army Times: "VA, however, doesn’t see the need for the registry. Officials say there are other ways to identify and track Iraq and Afghanistan veterans exposed to burn pits without a special registry — and they are not convinced burn pits even posed a serious problem.

VA officials told the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, which is considering similar legislation, that an independent report by the Institute of Medicine “identified air pollution, rather than smoke from burn pits, as the most concerning potential environmental hazard.”   

Will it again take 20 years for VA to recognize that serious health concerns exist because of this exposure?

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/06/military-lawmakers-vote-to-create-burn-pit-registry-062912w/