Warriors to Kayak from Monterey, CA to Hawaii

'Just received a note about two patriots and warriors that are gearing up for an adventure of a lifetime. I'm not sure what they want others to know about their background, so I'll leave that off for now. Here's what's stated on the website: On April 21, 2013, two men, R.W. Hand, and John Craig, will set out on an unaided kayak paddle, in two tandem kayaks from Del Monte Beach, Monterey, CA to Hawaii (2,200 - 2,300 miles) to raise awareness for the Navy SEAL Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project. For those that served, and those that gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country, the men will be fulfilling their dreams for those that can no longer fulfill theirs. Please help support them by donating to either the Wounded Warrior Project or the Navy SEAL Foundation. http://montereytohawaiikayak.com/


To read amazing interviews with warriors, check out Warrior SOS: Interviews, Insights and Inspiration, the book on Amazon.com. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3WO7VK

The widow and the fatherless

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

--James 1:27

I am reminded of what Abraham Lincoln said in his second inaugural address, delivered on March 4, 1865, during the final days of the Civil War and only a month before he was killed. He said, "With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan.”

Let us each look for opportunities to serve.

May God continue to bless and prosper our great nation, and bless the widows and the children of those who've sacrificed in the service of this blessed nation that all might enjoy freedom.

Again, I'm reminded of our great past president, Abraham Lincoln, who himself served in the Civil War. In a handwritten letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby dated November 21, 1864, President Lincoln wrote the following:

“I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts, that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours, to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom.”

He then signed the letter, “Sincerely, A. Lincoln.”

Tongue cannot tell nor pen or ink describe the hurt and pain felt by those who've lost family and dear friends. Many heartfelt prayers are ascending tonight for you all. While our prayers are never ignored, I believe we each must make the efforts to bless the lives of those who suffer most --a kind note, a gentle reassurance, a listening ear. If we pray for opportunities to help, we will be amazed how many doors will open. And, as found in the Book of Mormon--Another Testament of Jesus Christ, "when ye are in the bservice of your cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17).

The passing of yet another warrior: Dale McIntosh (USMC, Force Recon)

Dale McIntosh, Utah native, former Force Recon Marine-turned private security contractor has passed. Warrior SOS expresses heartfelt condolences to his surviving family members, many of whom have already passed and therefore he is currently embracing in heaven.

Dale and I spoke frequently after the unexpected passing of his brother, Blake. It really tore Dale up inside.

Thank you to the anonymous posting on the blog we did on behalf of Blake to notify us of Dale's passing. Subsequently, a search on Facebook confirmed Dale's passing. So far, according to what's written, the investigation is on-going.

Dale will be missed tremendously.

One of the last posts he wrote was that of any true warrior would value:

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself--nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."

-FDR

http://www.westminstercollege.edu/westminster_in_the_news/index.cfm?parent=4597&detail=5880&content=6029

Memorial Service announcement for Iraqi war veteran, Dr. John Cloninger

John Cloninger passed away the morning of Feb 20, 2012. He leaves behind six young children and a supportive, loving and devoted wife - the mother of his children. Funeral arrangements with full military honors, at his request, will take place in Morgan, Utah on Saturday, Feb 25th.

John gave a talk in church - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - after he received a remarkable recovery following brain surgery. He titled it Hardships. We highly recommend it.

The Lord needed his hands and his mind to work well and function with full capacity for a while following that surgery. Surely there were those who needed the skills and the blessing he alone could provide. Certainly, his wife and children needed him.

Through the will of Him who knows all things and who sees all things before Him, John Cloninger was not meant to survive. Several days after turning 42 years old, he went back home to that God who gave him life. He will be sorely missed.

Don't forget to read his talk on Hardships.




To read amazing interviews with warriors, check out Warrior SOS: Interviews, Insights and Inspiration, the book on Amazon.com. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3WO7VK

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) link

Resource for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

http://www.neuroskills.com/brain-injury/veterans-and-traumatic-brain-injury.php

Gen. Douglas MacArthur's Farewell

The soldier, above all other men, is required to practice the greatest act of religious training - sacrifice. In battle and in the face of danger and death, he discloses those divine attributes which his Maker gave when he created man in his own image. No physical courage and no brute instinct can take the place of the Divine help which alone can sustain him. However horrible the incidents of war may be, the soldier who is called upon to offer and to give his life for his country, is the noblest development of mankind.

...the soldier above all other people prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. But always in our ears ring the ominous words of Plato, that wisest of all philosophers: 'Only the dead have seen the end of war.'

--General Douglas MacArthur, West Point, May 12, 1962
retrieved from http://www.americanveteransmemorial.org/Home_Page.php

Bring Him Home - Les Miserables

Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson on Cello play a heartfelt and well-known song, which they "Dedicated to families who sacrifice to preserve freedom."

While this song is purely instrumental, the lyrics are written below along with another embedded version with words.



ValJean prays for the sleeping Marius:

God on high
Hear my prayer
In my need
You have always been there

He is young
He's afraid
Let him rest
Heaven blessed.
Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home.

He's like the son I might have known
If God had granted me a son.
The summers die
One by one
How soon they fly
On and on
And I am old
And will be gone.

Bring him peace
Bring him joy
He is young
He is only a boy

You can take
You can give
Let him be
Let him live
If I die, let me die
Let him live
Bring him home
Bring him home
Bring him home.



Start at 0:49 seconds:

Delta Force Commander Dalton Fury Interview

Former unit members busting caps in LA with Forest Gump. L to R: Dalton Fury, Tom Hanks, Pete Blaber, and Sean Walker. (Photo courtesy of Dalton Fury)

Dalton Fury is the nom de guerre for retired Delta Force commander and NYTimes best-selling author of Kill Bin Laden: A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man. His second book, Black Site: A Delta Force Novel, will be released Jan 31, 2012 and can be pre-purchased online. Among multiple accomplishments, he was also the military advisor for the just-released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Recently I had the extreme privilege of interviewing Mr. Fury on his career as a writer and military operator. Here is a transcript of that interview.

Jeffrey Denning: When you were in Delta Force, were any of your friends and neighbors aware of what you did for a living? If not, how difficult was it to live, in essence, a double life? And while you’re at home, do your neighbors know what you do for a living, or do they just assume you’re in one of the SF Groups at Bragg?

Dalton Fury:

Read the full interview here: http://www.guns.com/gunscom-interviews-delta-force-commander-dalton-fury.html

Buy Black Site: A Delta Force Novel today!

See the rest of my Guns.com tactical articles here: http://www.guns.com/user/jd.html


Thanks to Dalton Fury, who wrote the foreword of my book Warrior SOS. Check it out below!

To read other amazing interviews, check out Warrior SOS, the book on Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Warrior-SOS-Military-Veterans-Emotional/dp/1462117341/

For Warrior SOS book endorsements from Glenn Beck, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and others, check out the author's link: http://www.jeffrey-denning.com/books/warrior-sos/ 

Warrior Saves Three Children Trapped in Icy Waters

Sometimes warriors get nothing but headaches and heartaches. The warrior's bane is often thankless and unsung. But something unique occurred on New Year's Eve in northern Utah when, by divine coincidence, Chris Willden, a former police officer-turned security contractor overseas, just happened to be in the right spot at the right time to offer his skills. Mr. Willden is from Ogden, Utah where, sadly, last night a police officer on a multi-agency narcotics strike force was shot and killed along with six other officers.

Several important things come out of the televised interview as I see it. First, it wasn't by chance that this warrior was in a position to help rescue and save lives. I believe a Higher Power was involved. Not only was Willden there, but also another passerby who was trained, skilled and confident in administering CPR, which also saved lives. Secondly, as his father points out, Chris is a lot like the prepared warriors I know: he doesn't leave the house without these three essential warrior tools: a gun, a knife and a flashlight. And, finally, thanks to sound laws and law makers in Utah, this good citizen and all other honorable citizens in Utah and around the nation, can carry a concealed firearm to protect themselves and others.

Thankfully, this warrior had experienced enough stressful situations that he knew how to react appropriately when a terrible emergency occurred.

Christmas Tribute to Soldiers

To read amazing interviews with warriors, check out Warrior SOS: Interviews, Insights and Inspiration, the book on Amazon.com. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3WO7VK

Part 1 - PTSD, Warrior SOS Radio Interview, Turning the Tide

To read amazing interviews with warriors, check out Warrior SOS: Interviews, Insights and Inspiration, the book on Amazon.com. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3WO7VK

Part 2 - PTSD, Warrior SOS Radio Interview, Turning the Tide

Interview with Tom Spooner, Invictus Alliance Group LLC & Labyrinth Guides

Tom Spooner is a 21-year Veteran of the U.S. Army, 15 of which were spent within the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. His reputation as an Operator and Sniper is second to less than a handful of his immediate peers. Tom's uncanny ability to teach Close Quarters Battle (CQB), Sniper Operations and high stress decision-making and planning, can be directly traced to his 40 months of Direct Action combat experience in a Special Missions Unit over a decade of deployments. Using his 21 years of tactical experience and mastery, Tom has efficiently condensed his knowledge into precise and effective customized instruction and application plans, and is arguably the most experienced and qualified tactics instructor currently available in the private sector. Tom is also a husband of 20 years, and the proud father of two boys.

Along with his brother, Scot, also a Green Beret, Tom Spooner is the owner of Invictus Alliance Group, a customized tactical training organization, training a myriad of law enforcement organizations, SWAT teams, and military special operation forces. They also own and operate Labyrinth Guides, which provides customized leadership consulting and training to professional organizations.



W-SOS: Tom, thank you so very much for agreeing to do this interview. Let's begin. Will you explain--in generic or specific terms, (whatever you're most comfortable with)--some of the situations you've encountered during your military tenure?

Spooner: My first unit was the 82nd where I stayed for 5 years. I was in the first gulf war as a private right out of basic. That was my first experience with the face of war.I then spent 5 years on an ODA with 7th group training soldiers in central and south America.

Sep of 2001 I went to selection and made it into a special mission unit. I had one deployment to Afghanistan and 11 to Iraq. I have been a part of 3 mass casualty events, killed or captured thousands of terrorists, been a part of hostage rescue operations, involved in the first battle of Falluja, conducted over 3,ooo combat operations, buried many friends, saved many Host Nation civilians from the brutality of terrorism and protected our way of life.

W-SOS: Have those events changed your life?

Spooner: Yes, Forever.



W-SOS: What was it like to have Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)?

Spooner: The more correct statement is, what is it like to have TBI. The most important part of the TBI process for me was to take the tests that definitively identify the parts in the brain that are not working the way they are supposed to. Having been diagnosed with mild TBI (what the hell does mild traumatic brain injury mean anyway. Does not seem mild to me or my family), it was a huge relief. The reason why it was a relief was because I thought I was loosing my mind. The tests said I was not crazy, just damaged.

W-SOS: Are there on-going effects today?

Spooner: Yes. The parts of my brain that were damaged are verbal memory, processing speed, and vestibular balance. When I get really tired my brain slows down and it is hard to make simple decisions when new information is presented. All of this only occurs on the inside. To the outside world I just seem tired or a little confused. My family and I have had to make some adjustments and gain a lot of understanding. We are adjusting well though and our life is very good.

W-SOS: What, if anything have you done to try and regulate your life back to normalcy--emotionally, mentally, spiritually?

Spooner: A lot. First of all I do not believe in the concept of “life back to normal”. Experiencing war has forever changed me. It is my responsibility to expand myself (lack of better words) to accept all of the hate, love, rage, joy, pain, kindness, depression, freedom, terror, dignity, guilt….etc, etc. I cannot do this on my own. That is why I have my God, support of others like me and education.

The first thing I did was take those tests to identify what was the problem. Then I went to the TBI clinic on Fort Bragg. There they set me up with cognitive therapy, vestibular rehab, headache specialist and a psychiatrist. I did intense (to me) therapy for 3 months. I was put on Zoloft and saw a non military psychologist. I was also diagnosed with a strong case of PTSD…….imagine that.

W-SOS: Do you ever find difficulty talking about experiences or admitting "normal reactions to abnormal events" (a.k.a. post-traumatic stress)?

Spooner: At times I do have extreme difficulty talking about certain experiences. Sometimes I will refuse to think about them and attempt to put them out of my mind. Other times (like this interview) I don’t have a problem at all. It all depends on the day. I know I must to help others. I don’t agree with statement “normal reaction to abnormal events”. There is nothing abnormal about war. Combat in one way or another has been going on since man was put on this earth. That statement and many more like it that many psychologists use only helps to make me feel more different than I already do. Those events (combat) are not normal to most of society, they are to us.

W-SOS: How has your believe in God helped you through your trials, current or past or both?

Spooner: I could not have survived the last 10 years without depending and trusting on my Creator. The same goes for my everyday life now.

W-SOS: Do you ever feel like most people wouldn't ever understand what you've experienced? In that way, do you ever feel isolated or disassociated from others?

Spooner: Me feeling like most people would not understand is an accurate emotion. They would not understand. Just like I don’t understand what it is like to be in outer space or a neuro surgeon. I thank God they do not understand. If they understood then that would mean they would have experienced what I experienced. I did it so they would not have to. My choice.



W-SOS: You spent 40 months in war operations. Anytime you're away from your wife and family, coming home has always been a challenge--at least in my experience--because you've changed and so have they. For those who've never experienced that, how would you best describe the time away? What about the readjustment phase?

Spooner: Everyone’s deployment cycle is different. My deployment cycle was deployed for 3 months, stateside for 6 months (at least 2 of that 6 was not at home), X 12. For almost half of my career. All of my 30’s. I was either on a deployment, recovering from a deployment and preparing for a deployment. With no end in sight. I fully had expected and accepted that I would eventually die on a deployment. That did not happen. My wife would say that out of the 6 months I was stateside I was present only for the last month before we started the cycle over again. My wife held my family together. At the end, we both could not take it anymore and I got out. No one can continue that way of life without reaching burn out. Me, the wife, the kids, all of us.

W-SOS: Anger and irritability seems to be one of the main side affects of post conflict experience. Would you agree? If so, or if not, would you elaborate?

Spooner: Anger and irritability are emotions that I experience when someone is trying to kill me and my friends. It is personal to me. I would go from a target to my living room sometimes within 72 hours. We struggled sometimes, but what kept it all together was respect for one another and a lot of hard work, together. What I am saying is those emotions are accurate and normal. What is not normal is if those symptoms get worse or don’t lessen. That is symptoms of TBI or PTSD.

W-SOS: You have told me during our personal conversations, that you've been "scared to death." Several people have uttered this cliche, but not many people have truly had fear like modern warriors. How would you describe your reactions to such fear and how have you overcome the fear?

Spooner: The main times when I was terrified was when we were powerless over the outcome of a situation, ie completely out numbered or mortar fire. My emotional reaction was flight. What kept me from taking action on those emotions was the amount of stressful training we had conducted, over and over and over and over.

W-SOS: "The amygdala [portion of the brain] seems to respond to severe traumas with an un-erasable fear response"--which is the basis for post conflict trauma. Some of the responses for fear include fight, flight, or under some circumstances even, freezing or paralyzation. These natural human responses to fear, allow us as human beings to survive. But, how can warriors survive readjusting to civilian life or a life outside of the theater of operations?

Spooner: By addressing every aspect of who they are mentally, spiritually, emotionally. Again, for me, there is no re adjusting. I can never go back to who I was before September 11th 2001, my 8th deployment, elementary school, or like I was before my grandfather died….etc etc.



W-SOS: What advice would you give to someone who may be experiencing stress related to man-on-man conflict?

Spooner: That is the name of the game. If you are not capable of dealing with the fact that at some point in the near future you and another man are going to be in a fight to the death, get another job.

W-SOS: What advice would you give to veterans who are experiencing troubles, even though they may not have been directly involved in conflict, but are effected by the troubles of the war zone nonetheless?

Spooner: I have found that giving advice does not work. All I can do is tell people my story. If they are attracted to my Truth, then I can tell them what I did specifically. I stay only within my own experience. No one can argue with my experience. Then they can make their own decisions on how to get help. If a veteran truly wants to get better, there are many people and programs that are there to help. I know the system is broken, but it is all we have to work with. No person or institution can stop me from getting the help I want and no person or institution can force me to get help if I don’t want it.

W-SOS: As you travel around the country now, teaching military and law enforcement professionals, what are the top goals for doing so?

Spooner: The number one goal is to give battle proven tactics and principles that come from experience. We are not saying that the way we do something is the only way, it is just a battle proven way that we have experienced.

W-SOS: Thank you so very much, Tom, for the service you've given to our great nation. You've laid many sacrifices upon the alter of freedom. I thank you and your family.

As far as your leadership and customized tactical training goes, you will undoubtedly break new ground--you already have--and you and your team will surely continue to help SWAT teams, patrol officers, hostage rescue units and special ops personnel everywhere you go, not to mention the businesses, corporations and magnates you will yet influence for good. Undoubtedly, warriors today will be far ahead of the tactical power curve if they take advantage of the specialized training you have to offer, all based on many years of recent, proven combat experience. Keep up the great work.

Tom Spooner can be reached through the Invictus Alliance Group or Labyrinth Guides websites.

To read this and other amazing interviews, check out Warrior SOS, the book on Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Warrior-SOS-Military-Veterans-Emotional/dp/1462117341/

For Warrior SOS book endorsements from Glenn Beck, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and others, check out the author's link: http://www.jeffrey-denning.com/books/warrior-sos/ 

Warrior SOS Tactical Training Helps Cops for Christmas

Tomorrow, we'll be teaching a customized Tactical Patrol Rifle course for several police officers at the request of a local Chief of Police. As in all our training, the training costs are low and discounted in an effort to allow budget-troubled departments to have quality training. All proceeds from this training will be used for great purposes--helping families in need.

With the help of local police officers, Warrior SOS will use the money made from this and other training events to help give a happy Christmas to a family who otherwise might not have had one. We are especially interested in helping families with young children.

Not only are police officers most aware of "who's been naughty and who's been nice," but they also see many good families who fall on hard times--whether victims of crime or honest people, in dire circumstances, struggling to make ends meet.

We welcome the private financial help and assistance, as well as donations from local businesses, in an effort to help many families in need this next Christmas season. We unapologetically state, that by doing this service, we can help put Christ back in Christmas.


To read amazing interviews with warriors, check out Warrior SOS: Interviews, Insights and Inspiration, the book on Amazon.com. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3WO7VK

Staff Sergeant John D. Linde

I miss my friend Johnny.

Warrior SOS - helping others admit, understand & get help

Unlike Hollywood portrayals, warriors are not invincible super-humans. The warrior suffers from doing things and seeing things so others won't have to experience them. They are the proverbial shields, protecting liberty and preserving delicate minds from chaos, destruction and physical harm. Unfortunately, as a result, warriors suffer too - sometimes for many years. Susan Evans McCloud so eloquently captured this phenomenon when she wrote: "In the quiet heart is hidden Sorrow that the eye can’t see."

- Warriors know the true cost of freedom.
- Warriors understand what it really means to lose a friend.
- Warriors have silently wept at man's inhumanity to man…woman…and child.
- Warriors understand fear better than anyone.
- Warriors know about homesickness; they know how it feels to work weekends and miss birthdays, holidays and anniversaries.
- Warriors know all too well the feeling of prolonged stress and constant vigilance.

After critical incidents and lethal confrontations, warriors have experienced normal reactions to abnormal circumstances, commonly referred to as post traumatic stress or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Research suggests that around 70% of combat veterans will experience combat and operational stress reactions that can include depression and anxiety, or manifest itself through anger or substance abuse. Moreover, 20% of returning OEF/OIF Veterans—Veterans of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq—meet the criteria for major depression, acute anxiety or PTSD. (As qtd in presentation by Major Thomas A. Jarrett, Warrior Resilience Conference II, 3-4 NOV, 2009, Norfolk VA)

Suicide has taken far too many warriors. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, act now—ACT RIGHT NOW. Asking someone if they're thinking about killing themselves or committing suicide will not put the idea into their minds so that they'd act it out. If the response is "yes", ask them if they have a plan. If there's a plan that would place them in imminent harm, do not leave them. Get them help immediately.

Don't wait to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline until it's everlastingly too late.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1.800.273.TALK (8255)

The warrior often suffers privately. Family members play an integral part in the life of the warrior. As a result, not only does the warrior suffer from loneliness—and on occasion, true despair—but the whole family suffers too. Adjusting and adapting, healing and helping, and mending broken things can only be done with patience, long-suffering, strengthened resolutions and love unfeigned.

In order to fix any problem, admittance is mandatory. Developing a plan and maintaining the course is crucial for mission success. The goal is self-healing and helping troubled relationships. The aim is to feel joy and to be productive.

Don't be deceived through counterproductive and excessive alcoholic intake, fist-fights, pornography or dangerous flirtations outside marital vows; these may elicit temporary pleasure, but they have the capacity to bring lasting remorse, conflict and trouble.

Don't be deceived by thinking—even tacitly—that cruelty to others will make things better: it won't.

The warrior doesn't need to suffer alone. Families don't need to suffer in silence either.

Warrior SOS was developed with you, the warrior, in mind. From traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by explosions and other trauma-related head wounds to post traumatic stress, PTS(D), Warrior SOS was founded to assist, help and bless warriors and their family members.

Whether it's to save a buddies' life or win a lethal confrontation, Warrior SOS exists to add more tools to your "tactical toolbox." Additionally, Warrior SOS was created to emphasize the fact that you're not alone.

Finally, although no one's situation is always perfect, each of us can experience lasting peace and real joy as we focus on God, family and country. The warrior, among all people everywhere, deserves our highest admiration and praise. To the warrior we say: Thank you. We support you. We want to see you succeed.

May God bless you and protect you and your families, now and forever, and may God bless America.

Jeffrey Denning

About me

I'm the founder of a non-profit organization, a former Federal Air Marshal and Iraqi War Vet, and I'm a MORMON.


To read amazing interviews with warriors, check out Warrior SOS: Interviews, Insights and Inspiration, the book on Amazon.com. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3WO7VK

Iraqi War Vet & Police Officer Goes Public, Admits PTSD, Gets Help

To read an amazing interview with Lisa Villont and others, check out Warrior SOS: Interviews, Insights and Inspiration, the book on Amazon.com. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3WO7VK

J.P. Villont and his wife Lisa.

The name Warrior SOS came about after I received a brief text message from my long time friend and warrior-buddy, J.P. Villont. He sent a note - a SOS.

SOS is an international distress signal. In morse code it is: ... --- ...

S.O.S. is the clarion call for H-E-L-P!

Upon getting JP’s message, I immediately called him. I asked him if he had thought about suicide or had thought about killing himself.

Many years ago, in FBI Crisis Negotiation school, I learned that asking someone if they’re thinking about suicide won’t put the idea in their mind; they won’t do it if you ask, in other words. I also learned that sometimes people do not equate suicide with killing themselves, and vice versa, so I began a habit to ask both questions if I sensed any distressing signals appertaining to such a total and complete despair.

Thankfully, with the help of J.P.’s loving and supportive wife, and caring counselors at the VA, he’s been able to get help and healing.

Often signs of Post Traumatic Stress and other combat related emotional frustrations, come in the way of fits of anger. J.P. is no exception as you'll see by the article below. Recognizing and admitting there’s a problem is the first step. There are many people willing and anxious to help, however.

As a personal note to J.P., I simply wish to say: I sure love you, brother. Keep the faith! Fight the good fight. You’re a good man.

Warrior SOS also wishes to thank retired Delta Force Commander, DALTON FURY (DaltonFury.com), for signing a copy of his NY Times’ best-selling book, Kill Bin Laden for J.P. Villont. (As a side note, any readers should definitely be sure to check out Dalton's new fictional Delta Force Novel, Black Site).

Once again, Warrior SOS applauds the great courage of J.P. and his wife Lisa for going public, and agreeing to be interviewed with Stars & Stripes, a military newspaper. By courageously going public to discuss difficult, personal heartaches and heartbreaks surrounding PTSD, hundreds - if not thousands - of military veterans and their family members will likewise be able to find the courage to seek help; others in similar circumstances will be comforted by the fact that they are not alone.

Now, a portion of the article/interview, follows: JP Villont’s Story as Reported by Stars & Stripes.

Story by Matthew M. Burke, Stars & Stripes, published Sept. 23, 2011

http://www.stripes.com/social-media-bridging-gap-between-troubled-vets-and-treatment-1.155937

Marine Cpl. J.P. Villont returned from Iraq a broken man.

The married father of four was angry, paranoid, hyper-vigilant, aggressive and withdrawn — telltale signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Yet, for seven years, the former Marine was reluctant to seek help.

“Obviously I had PTSD and it was undiagnosed,” Villont, 40, said recently from his Phoenix home. “It’s a huge stigma, so I didn’t want to find that out. I pretended I didn’t have it for many years.”

Then, following a couple of violent outbursts, Villont finally contacted a few veterans facilities in Arizona. He was told he would have to wait months for treatment.

With seemingly nowhere to turn, his wife, Lisa, starting posting messages on the Wounded Warrior Project’s Facebook page.
“Its been over 7 years since my husband returned home from Iraq, just last week he finally decided to seek help for what we assume will be diagnosed as PTSD,” she wrote...

Lisa Villont is convinced that [a volunteer with the Wounded Warrior Project’s] actions helped save her husband’s life.

“I can tell you, there is little doubt in my mind that if we had not encountered WWP ... I would be a widow today,” Lisa Villont said.

“He absolutely, positively, would have found a way to kill himself.”
...Finding others with similar problems was the key for J.P. Villont.

In 2003, the infantryman was attached to the 1st Tank Battalion as a machine gunner during the invasion of Iraq. His unit fought its way through Basra, all the way to Baghdad.

“We were in direct combat with the Republican Guard — their tank battalion,” the soft-spoken Villont recalled. “I was with 60 tanks so we were rocking and rolling. I saw a lot of destruction.”

In the middle of his tour, he went on leave to be with his then-pregnant wife who required an emergency surgery in a California hospital.

He rode out of Baghdad with two body bags next to him.

Villont was supposed to have 10 days of leave before heading back to war. But, word came down that his unit had accomplished their mission and that he was no longer needed in Iraq.

“That was pretty surreal,” he said. “Like the Vietnam vets, I went directly from combat back into civilian life.”
He left the Marines and returned to his job in law enforcement.

Not long after, his troubles began.

First, he assaulted a neighbor who shot bottle rockets toward his home in the middle of the night; Villont said it triggered a flashback. He was later jailed for a morning after a domestic disturbance last year. which triggered a six-month investigation. He was cleared after no charges were filed. He was then allowed back to work.

Finally, he sought help but was unsuccessful, and his wife reached out to the web community.

After reading Lisa Villont’s postings, [Jennifer] Boyce, [with the Wounded Warrior Project] referred the couple to local services and a Project Odyssey retreat with fellow vets. The retreat offered outdoor activities and the companionship of fellow combat veterans, plus counselors.

At first, Villont resisted. But after talking with other vets, he decided to give it a shot.

“I didn’t want to sit around hugging each other singing ‘Kumbaya,’” he said. “But it was me and seven other vets. We clicked immediately. It was a breath of life.”

Now, J.P. Villont exchanges texts, calls, emails and Facebook messages with the other veterans he has met.

He uses social media to monitor legislation and find other outreach organizations, and he received a scholarship from the University of Phoenix to get a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling so he can help other veterans. Villont is retiring from his job as a highway patrolman at the Arizona Department of Public Safety due to injuries from an on-duty crash in March.

Although he is not cured, J.P. Villont no longer ruins family outings because of his outbursts. He’s learned he has certain “triggers” — his wife calls it his “Spidey” senses — and needs to stop before he reacts to them, to ask why he feels threatened. Villont just got out of a 24-day inpatient PTSD clinic in Tucson and is looking forward to starting school in October, thanks to the single post his wife made a few months ago.

“It’s been a pretty amazing asset,” Villont said. “You’re able to learn about this stuff from your computer. ... Once you start opening doors there is no end to this stuff.”


To read amazing interviews with warriors, check out Warrior SOS: Interviews, Insights and Inspiration, the book on Amazon.com. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3WO7VK

Davis Brown - The Just War Tradition...Special Issue of the Journal of Military Ethics

The Just War Tradition and the Continuing Challenges to World Public Order, A Special Issue of the Journal of Military Ethics
Launching Speech Given on the Occasion of the Tenth Anniversaries of 9/11 and of JME

Davis Brown


Davis Brown at Norwegian Defense College

Davis Brown, Ph.D. (ABD), J.D., LL.M., is the founder and director of the Just War Theory Project with the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) and the author of The Sword, the Cross, and the Eagle:The American Christian Just War Tradition.

It was a Tuesday morning; warm and clear. After an unremarkable commute I stopped by the Pentagon to run some errands, then I continued to my office a quarter mile away. I was to spend the morning editing a policy brief by the Academic Council on the United Nations System on humanitarian intervention; and I had to get ready for a phone call to the Executive Director of ACUNS. We were preparing this document to present in New York in two months time, and I was going to be at that seminar in person. I had already resolved to finally have dinner at Windows On The World (the restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center), something I had long wanted to do.

Then a plane hit the North Tower, and I and my co-workers rushed to a television to see the news coverage. At first we all thought it was a freak accident. Then the room fell silent as we watched the chilling image of a second plane hitting the South Tower, and we all knew then that this was no accident.

In the meantime, life goes on, so I made my phone call on schedule. We made some small talk about the attack (as if anything about it could be regarded as “small”), then it was back to the mundane world of word-smithing and comma placement. In the middle of the call, I was jolted by a loud whoosh of a plane flying low and fast right right above us. Two seconds later, a thud, in the distance, but the explosion was big enough to shake the building.

I quickly ended my phone call and everyone went outside. A plume of black smoke rose in the direction of the Potomac River. Then someone exclaimed, “It’s the Pentagon!” and despite our disbelief at the events that were unfolding that morning, we all knew he was right. A little while later, we watched in horror as one of the Twin Towers collapsed, then the other. By then our shock had turned into the grim realization that we were probably going to war—never a pleasant thought when you’re in the military.

Two months later, I went to New York for that seminar. It was my first time back in seven years. And it wasn’t the same New York I had once lived in. The city was eerily subdued, the mood like that of a wounded lion. The site of the World Trade Center, once a place of rough-and-tumble commerce, now sacred ground. In sum, the events of ten years ago this Sunday were life-altering to the American national psyche, and I daresay to the international psyche as well.

On September 10th, the academy (of international law, at least) was still fighting the Kosovo War, which recently had exposed the tension between what uses of force are legal, and what are moral or even legitimate. But the attention span of the academy can be short, and after 9/11 nobody wanted to talk about humanitarian intervention anymore. In a way, this was understandable, since everybody thought at the time that 9/11 would change everything.

But as it turns out, 9/11 didn’t change everything. It did not pose any significant challenges to jus ad bellum or just war theory, at least not in and of itself. What 9/11 did do, was to set into motion a chain of events that a year and a half later did challenge jus ad bellum and just war theory. I speak of the doctrine of preemption, which was articulated first as a measure to prevent further catastrophic terrorist attacks, and later invoked as a justification for invading Iraq. And not only is the United States still fighting the Iraq War, but so is the academy.

Preemption is a problem for us, not necessarily because it’s the global superpower that has invoked it, but because of the dilemma for world public order that it poses. Preemptive self-defense would legitimize an attack on another state that has no immediate plans to attack it; it may have long-term plans to do so but may lack the capability or resolve to attack in the present. To allow such an exception to article 2(4) is to open Pandora’s Box. And yet, in an environment in which we struggle to keep chemical, biological, and God forbid nuclear weapons out of the wrong hands, the consequence of not allowing a preemptive attack may be to force a state to suffer a crippling first blow. Prohibiting anticipatory self-defense thus plays into the hands of the state with the original hostile animus—the state that is the real aggressor.

Meanwhile, the problem of humanitarian intervention, which everyone stopped talking about after 9/11, has not gone away. Now, it’s clear that the drafters of the Charter envisioned a world in which aggression would be de-legitimized, hopefully out of existence. But surely the drafters did not intend to provide a shield for such well-meaning public servants as Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein. To legitimize humanitarian intervention is to invite its abuse as a cover for more nefarious motives, but vicious regimes like the ones I just mentioned cannot, must not, be allowed to remain unaccountable for their atrocities, much less remain in power.

These are the two dilemmas that continue to vex scholars and policymakers: anticipatory (or preemptive) self-defense, and humanitarian intervention. How to resolve these dilemmas has been the work of the Just War Theory Project, which is a loose network of scholars and professionals dedicated to exploring the role of military force in maintaining world public order. I and the other contributors to this Special Issue submit that the framework of the just war tradition is well suited to help us find our way out of these dilemmas.

In designing the Special Issue, we sought papers that we believed would advance our understanding of each individual just-war criterion. In the article on Proper Authority, I argue for returning to the original, state-centric understanding of the concept. For various reasons laid out in my paper, I argue against the trend of construing Proper Authority as something multilateral or judicial.

We have two articles on Just Cause, one for anticipatory self-defense and one for humanitarian intervention. Joseph Boyle takes up the anticipatory defense side, and his approach is to distinguish between defense, which he finds a permissible cause to use force, and punishment, which he does not. Henrik Friberg-Fernros takes up the humanitarian intervention side. Now the question of whether humanitarian intervention is legitimate or not has been done to death, and it seemed pointless to add yet another article on that question, when the battle lines within academia and praxis are pretty much drawn at this point. Friberg-Fernros’s article is different: Rather than trying to argue that humanitarian intervention is a just cause, Friberg-Fernros starts with the assumption that it is. His focus, then, is to discover whether humanitarian intervention is a right to act or a duty to act. In doing so, he illustrates the tension between just war theory, which is permissive, and the Responsibility to Protect, which is more or less obligatory.

We also have two articles on Right Intent. In the first one, Darrell Cole argues that Right Intent is best treated not as an inward frame of mind, but as a communal, public act that has observable manifestations. From those manifestations we can deduce the real intent of the actor. Cole then applies that approach to the Iraq War among others. In the second piece, Fernando Teson draws the distinction between intention and motive, and shows how the two are often confused, and frankly, often misused.

We tend to speak of the three just war criteria of Thomas Aquinas, but actually there is a fourth one, which is embedded in the second. Not only must the attacked state deserve to be attacked on account of some fault, but also the attacked state must deserve to be attacked on account of some fault. This is the criterion of Proportionality of Cause, and it’s probably the most difficult one to apply. In my article on Proportionality, I suggest using a tort-based approach, in which the use of force is judged as an appropriate (or inappropriate) remediation to an injury that has been caused by another state that has breached its obligations.

We also have a paper on the under-studied criterion Reasonable Prospect of Success. Frances Harbour proposes that what is to judged as “reasonable” should be the “probability” of success, and not merely the “hope” or “chance” of it. She also calls for an expanded understanding of what “success” is; she argues that there is moral value in resisting a supreme injustice, even when the unjust actor can’t be overcome. That, in her opinion, is a “success,” even if it isn’t a material one.

And finally, Walter Dorn presents his Just War Index, in which the use of force is not evaluated as either “just” or “unjust,” but rather on a sliding scale in which the use of force could be supremely just (or unjust), or moderately, or slightly. In this exercise, Dorn also illustrates the limitations of just war theory. What just war theory can’t do is to provide clear, definitive answers to the question “is this or that war just or unjust”. Why? Because at the end of the day, there is still some subjectivity to evaluating each criterion. For example, two of our contributors find the Iraq War to be largely just; I’m sure some other contributors disagree with that. One of our contributors finds the US war effort in Afghanistan to be more unjust than just. In this case, I know some others disagree. On the other hand, what just war theory can do, first, is to help us find the right questions—questions of authority, cause, intent, proportionality and so on. Second, just war theory can tell us which uses of force are comparatively more or less just than which other uses of force, and why. For example, if our contributors had to rank in order of more just to less just: Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the US invasion of Afghanistan, and the US invasion of Iraq, I think all of them would agree on the same ranking. In sum, our contributors believe that just war theory can provide insight into judging the legitimacy of using force, in a way that the modern, restrictive form of jus ad bellum in international law cannot do, and in a way that most approaches to international relations don’t even address.

That, in a nutshell, is our Special Issue, which should be available in print in a few days. Thank you, Henrik, for your role in bringing these papers to the light of day, and for allowing me to address this august and somewhat intimidating audience.


To read amazing interviews with warriors, check out Warrior SOS: Interviews, Insights and Inspiration, the book on Amazon.com. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3WO7VK

Student shot and killed - called "Ultimate breech in firearms safety"

GBI Investigates Probation Officer's Death: MyFoxATLANTA.com

Report from MyFoxATLANTA
GBI - Georgia Bureau of Investigation

Veteran firearms instructor, teaching correction officers, was using a live firearm inside a classroom when the training should have called for a plastic training gun instead. He was demonstrating firearms tactics to the young, 24-year-old woman, when he drew his service weapon and shot her.

My heart goes out to all involved in this sad - and clearly an accidental - event.

This tragic and unfortunate event is a reminder to reinforce core gun handling safety measures at all times.

Check out the difference between Accidental and Negligent Discharges.

Learn more about Gun Cleaning Mishaps.

For more information and articles I've written for Guns.com, click here.


To read amazing interviews with warriors, check out Warrior SOS: Interviews, Insights and Inspiration, the book on Amazon.com. Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3WO7VK