What's New
| Presdent Obama Donated $250,000 of Nobel Prize Money to Fisher House |
March 11, 2010, Washington, DC (New York Times) - President Obama made good on his promise to give his $1.4 million Nobel Prize money to charity, releasing the names on Thursday of the organizations that will benefit. |
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| Dr. Haley at UTSW Presents Compelling Brain Images Showing Gulf War Illness |
VCS Asks VA: Since UTSW Research Remains Vital to Understanding Gulf War Illness, Then Why Did a Handful of VA Staff in Washington Impede UTSW Contract and Then End Funding for UTSW? March 9, 2010, Salt Lake City, Utah (Science News) - Nearly two decades after vets began returning from the Middle East complaining of Gulf War Syndrome, the federal government has yet to formally accept that their vague jumble of symptoms constitutes a legitimate illness. Here, at the Society of Toxicology annual meeting, yesterday, researchers rolled out a host of brain images – various types of magnetic-resonance scans and brain-wave measurements – that they say graphically and unambiguously depict Gulf War Syndrome. |
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| March 9 VCS Weekly Update |
This week’s VCS update keeps you in the loop with news on issues you care about. One good change – our weekly news updates won’t ask you for money. Instead, our news updates point you to news articles at our web site. We hope you will read them and share the important facts with your friends. This week's update includes news about VA and suicides, VCS on CNN, our VCS FOIA campaign, VA automating Agent Orange claims, a waterboarding torture video, and Gulf War veterans' benefits. |
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| Federal Court Keeps Torture Lawsuit Against Rumsfeld Alive |
What's Waterboarding? Watch Video of Torture March 5, 2010, Chicago, Illinois (Associated Press) - A federal judge refused Friday to dismiss a civil lawsuit accusing former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld of responsibility for the alleged torture by U.S. forces of two Americans who worked for an Iraqi contracting firm. [Rumsfeld served at the Pentagon under former President George W. Bush.] |
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| Reducing Suicides: VA Adopts Policy on Emergency Care for Mental Health Patients |
This Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Directive provides policy to ensure the provision of safe and secure mental health services during all hours of operation for Emergency Departments (EDs) and Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs) in VHA |
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Police - Gunman Left Suicide Note
Written by Lisa Roose-Church
Friday, 14 August 2009 09:41
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August 13, 2009 - Police say they found a suicide note left by a distraught veteran fatally shot Monday in a multihour standoff with police, who described the incident as "suicide by cop."
Sheriff Bob Bezotte said authorities also have learned that Wesley David Gilson, an Iraq war veteran, had a large life insurance policy that would not pay out in the event of suicide. "He left a suicide note that gave instructions to his wife about what to do when she found his body in the fifth-wheeler, which was hooked to his truck," the sheriff explained. "He said take it to (a nearby) bar ... for someone to find. He didn't want his kids to find it." Gilson, a nearly 26-year U.S. Army veteran who served with the 82nd Airborne Division and was a sniper, was shot dead at 2:18 p.m. Monday at his Howell Township home after raising an AR-15 assault rifle at officers, who repeatedly ordered Gilson to lower his weapon. Police believe a combination of personal troubles led to the standoff, which began after county paramedics responded to the home for a possible overdose and a potentially suicidal man. Those troubles included that Gilson had been diagnosed with cancer, had a failing business, was facing possible divorce and had child-support issues, Bezotte said. Michigan Army National Guard 1st Sgt. Terrence Popp of Berkley said many veterans like Gilson return with post-traumatic stress disorder. He said PTSD combined with personnel issues can lead to tragic results. "I would deploy with him again if he were still alive," said Popp, who was Gilson's sergeant during their 2004-2005 tour in Iraq. "I wouldn't think twice about it. He was a good guy. "I just don't want him to be remembered as a crazy gunman; that's not him. If he had really wanted to kill those police officers, they would be dead," Popp said. "He is a proficient gunfighter. He knew exactly what he was doing." Gilson was a former member of the Texas Army National Guard and the 82nd Airborne Division. He served in the Michigan Army National Guard with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is survived by his wife, Carol Gilson; and children, Christian, Danny, Emily, Mary, Ethan and Anna Gilson. A funeral service for Gilson is 11 a.m. Saturday at MacDonald's Funeral Home in Howell. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Joseph Catholic School. Contact Daily Press & Argus reporter Lisa Roose-Church at (517) 552-2846 or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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