MICHAEL SWAN: FORT LEWIS TO DELIVER 10-TON PROPELLER FOR STATIC DISPLAY OUTSIDE ORTING SOLDIERS HOME >>>Fort Lewis PAO covers all your propeller news needs:
Fort Lewis, Wash. — Fort Lewis employees will deliver a 10-foot wide propeller to the Washington State Dept. of Veterans Affairs Soldiers Home in Orting on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at approximately 10:30 a.m. The delivery of the surplus U.S. Coast Guard cutter screw will mark the final leg of a multi-service, multi-agency effort to erect the propeller on the home's static display field as a tribute to veterans from all services.
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J.M. SIMPSON: LOCAL ARTIST, AUSA TEAM UP FOR PAINTING >>>
Small drawings can tell great stories.
“I try to capture the mood, time and sense of a place,” said Patrick Haskett as he made a pencil sketch of Sgt. John Ordway.
A noted artist with an unparalleled and heralded ability to paint
military subjects in an impressionistic manner, Haskett respects
soldiers and their missions.
“I honor soldiers — whether it’s 1803 or today,” said Haskett.
One of those soldiers is Ordway.
“Sergeant John Ordway was the first sergeant of the famed Meriwether
Lewis and William Clark Corps of Discovery,” wrote retired Maj. Gen.
John Hemphill in an e-mail.
Hemphill is a driving force in the local chapter of the Association of United States Army, or AUSA.
“As with today’s first sergeant, he was the backbone of his unit.”
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SYLVIA PETERSON: GOOD POINT >>>
At first glance David and Kyle don’t seem to have anything in common. David is 60 years old, divorced with grown children. He’s been sober for more than two decades. He owns his own home and lots of “toys.” David served two tours of duty in Vietnam.
Kyle is newly married with a baby on the way. He and his wife struggle to make ends meet and to keep their marriage intact. He’s been drinking more, but only to help him sleep at night. Kyle joined the military after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and has served two tours of duty in Iraq.
Although David and Kyle don’t appear to be alike, they have much in common. Especially duty and honor. They are both combat veterans. Successful and dedicated soldiers, they were trained to react in battle. They also were taught that there is no place for emotion in war. And neither man has ever talked about how he feels since returning home.
Rick Bulman, also a Vietnam combat veteran, is an Outpost Leader for Point Man International Ministries, or PMIM, which offers hope and healing to servicemen and women and their families.
“Everyone who serves has readjustment issues and difficulty reintegrating when they come home. Combat operational stress is a natural reaction to an unnatural situation. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not a badge of shame. It’s not a mental problem or a sign of weakness. We need to get the word out to our veterans and returning soldiers that what they are experiencing is normal. Abnormal would be if they weren’t having readjustment issues,” said Bulman.
Continue reading "Veterans: Point Man International Ministries" »
MICHAEL SWAN: 5-2 STRYKER BRIGADE >>>
FORT LEWIS, Wash. — Family, friends, Soldiers and the Fort Lewis community will remember Spc. Kevin J. Graham with a ceremony to be conducted Thursday, October 8, at 3 p.m. at North Fort Chapel.
Graham, 27, of Benton, Ky., died Sept. 26 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis. The brigade deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in July, 2009.
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