Posts from March 2010 by Douglas Karr, U.S. Navy Veteran

A fellow Navy veteran has died as a result of mesothelioma cancer. Kalamazoo County Commissioner Grady Biby died on February 3^rd. He spent twenty years in the Navy.

Biby, an Oklahoma native, was a Navy man from 1959 until retiring in 1979, when he went to work for the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in South Haven, Michigan. He remained there until 1995 and later began his own company with a relative. Biby also worked for the Census Bureau and a Michigan construction company. Biby was best known, however, for his four terms as commissioner for Kalamazoo County.

Music touches the soul, calms a frenzied spirit, and provides an outlet in times of great stress. That’s why four Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans have teamed up to honor their fellow soldiers – retired and active duty – through the use of luscious harmonies and memorable melodies designed to tell the story of the never-ending fight for freedom.

This recently organized musical group, known as 4TROOPS, just completed their first album, to be released on April 20. Proceeds from its sale will benefit several military-related organizations including the USO, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in Hawaii has announced that is has 175 open positions ranging from apprentice to engineer, and plans to fill all positions by the end of the year. The shipyard already employs close to 5,000 people.

A job fair is scheduled for March 27^th from 8 until noon at the Honolulu Community College on Dillingham Boulevard. All interested individuals are encouraged to attend and learn more about the job openings. At least 100 apprentices are needed by January of 2011, and there are close to 80 other positions, such as engineer assistant, that the shipyard is hoping to fill.

Many veterans may be unaware that, in 2003, the VA released a document called the National Cancer Strategy, which outlines their plan for treating vets with various forms of cancer.

The National Cancer Strategy [NCS] document was published in June of 2003, and it stated that roughly 35,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed in VA patients annually – a number that has undoubtedly increased in the last 7 years. The VA released the NCS in an effort to provide information about how the veteran healthcare system would treat vets with cancer. Not only did it address cancer in general, but it also highlighted the cancers recognized by the VA as being “service connected.” Surprisingly, the list did not include mesothelioma, a form of cancer diagnosed in vets who were exposed to asbestos while aboard naval ships and via other military exposure sites [airplanes, base housing].

Nearly 260,000 American women have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. These women continue their battle when they return home and struggle in a male-dominated environment. An institution like the military often overlooks the fact that females experience similar physical, psychological, and emotional problems as male veterans. VA hospitals across the country are facing this inadequacy and taking major steps to provide a more comfortable and equal environment.

Retired Air Force Reserve Cmdr. Gwen Sheppard, 47, returned from Iraq in 2003 and found herself suffering from a variety of health issues that were both physical and psychological. She said she was consistently ‘blown off’ and told that it was ‘just a female thing’ when seeking medical attention. Sheppard demanded they take a closer look and dig deeper into these issues; she knew something wasn’t right. Respect is hard to come by as a woman in the military explains Sheppard, she knew she deserved better.