Posts from November 2009 by Douglas Karr, U.S. Navy Veteran

Investigators from the U.S. Navy believe that “ineffective” leadership aboard the USS Hartford led to a collision between the Hartford and another naval submarine.

The USS Hartford hit the USS New Orleans on March 20^th in the Strait of Hormuz, located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. The crash damaged the New Orleans’ fuel tank and injured fifteen sailors. Overall, the sub sustained $2.3 million in damage. The USS Hartford didn’t fare so well, either, with officials estimating that the damage to the Hartford could exceed $102.6 million.

A new report out of Harvard Medical School last week estimates that approximately 2.266 United States veterans under the age of 65 died in 2008 because they did not have health insurance. Despite the fact that the majority of vets receive medical care through the VA, over a million and a half non-wounded vets aged 65 and under are considered “too poor” to qualify for private insurance coverage but are not poor enough to be covered by Medicaid, according to a Harvard professor.

In general, uninsured individuals are 40% more likely to die than a person who does have health coverage – this according to the research at Harvard. A co-author of the Harvard study reports that at least six preventable deaths occur daily, and that well over 2,000 veterans lost their lives last year due to a “broken health insurance system.”

Five men who have spent the last few years as prisoners at Guantanamo Bay will be sent to New York City for trial in NYC’s Southern District U.S. Court, which happens to be just a short distance from Ground Zero. The transfer of these five men – Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, Walid bin Attach, and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi – was announced by Attorney General Eric Holder on November 13^th.

Attorney General Holder said that all give would be tried together, and that he expects prosecutors to seek the death penalty. The public will be able to attend and watch the trial, he said, although certain parts of the trial may be privatized to prevent the leak of classified information.

Today is Veterans Day, and while many people may think of a day off from work or school and great sales at the mall, this day means far more than that. Online publication Hawaii247.org put out a great post today entitled “Veterans Day 2009: Nov. 11, by the numbers,” and I wanted to share excerpts of this post with you.

Veterans Day was initially called “Armistice Day” and was first recognized on November 11, 1919, also known as the first anniversary of the conclusion of World War I. It was not until 1926, however, that Congress decided that Armistice Day would be observed annually. In 1938, it became a federal holiday, and sixteen years later, President Eisenhower signed legislation that changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day – the idea was to honor all veterans, and not just those who served in WWI.

I spent some time on the Veterans’ Families United Foundation website this weekend, and wanted to share some information with my fellow vets and their families. This website has a section focused on Veteran Readjustment Problems, and includes content on PTSD and tips for families who are welcoming back a loved one after a deployment.

There are three aspects to Veteran Readjustment Problems:

A memorial service will be held at Sadowski Field on Fort Hood tomorrow, Tuesday November 10^th – the day before Veterans’ Day.

The public is encouraged to attend. Gates will open at 10 am Central Time, and while all are welcome, it is recommended that you arrive early. All individuals will be required to pass through a security check; the following items will be prohibited: bags, strollers, umbrellas, signs, liquids, and sharp objects. Cameras are allowed.

In the wake of the horrific shooting at Fort Hood in Texas yesterday, the military and civilian community has been left to wonder why a member of our armed forces would commit such a crime – especially with Veterans Day just a few days away.

The official website of the U.S. Army, www.army.mil, reported today that Army Major Hasan Nidal Malik is responsible for the shootings on base yesterday, and that he acted alone, despite initial suspicions about multiple gunmen. Maj. Malik began shooting into the Soldiers Readiness Processing Center at about 1:30 pm yesterday, leaving 13 individuals dead and 27 wounded.

The glorious USS New York, an amphibious transport/assault vessel, arrived in New York Harbor today, floating quietly in the water near Ground Zero for a moment to honor those lost on September 11, 2001. Following the moment of silence, a 21-gun salute was fired from the ship’s fantail.

The USS New York is 684 feet long and was built using 7.5 tons of salvaged steel, which was placed inside her bow. The steel, once an integral structural component of the Twin Towers, was taken from Ground Zero. The ship cost about $1.2 billion dollars to build, and will be commissioned on November 7^th.