Volume 7, No. 34 ŠSS 2015
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2015 For information please contact Waverly Williams 803-774-1237 or waverly@theitem.com
An activist hangs a sign during a vigil on Saturday in Kabul, Afghanistan, at the site of a truck bombing that killed 15 people and injured nearly 300 more. Many at the event blamed Pakistan for the attack and accused the United States of supporting Pakistan. JOSH SMITH /Stars and Stripes
BLOODY FRIDAY
Locals struggle to heal, find answers after record day of violence in Afghan capital
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COVER STORY A boy looks at the devastation caused by a massive truck bomb on Aug. 7 in Kabul, Afghanistan. JOSH SMITH /Stars and Stripes
KABUL STRUGGLING TO HEAL BY JOSH SMITH Stars and Stripes
KABUL, Afghanistan — Baseera Sultani, pregnant with her second child, had just finished feeding her 1-year-old son and was lying down to sleep at 1 a.m. Aug. 7. As she closed
her eyes, a blast sent the mud-brick walls and roof of her second-story house crashing down onto her family. Bleeding, Sultani was rushed to a hospital run by the Italian nonprofit Emergency before she could even find her child. Only the next day would she learn her son and her hus-
band also were lying injured in the larger city hospital. As the war in Afghanistan fades from the world scene, stories like Sultani’s quickly disappear. But the toll on everyday Afghans is higher than ever. The United Nations said the day’s toll was the highest number
of civilians killed and injured in one day since it has been tracking such casualties. Days after the barrage of attacks, residents in Kabul are still trying to heal and to find answers. SEE PAGE 3
Wake, funeral set for Green Beret killed in Taliban attack Stars and Stripes
JOSE LUIS M AGANA /AP
An Army carry team transports the remains of Army Master Sgt. Peter A. McKenna Jr., of Bristol, R.I., upon arrival at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Monday.
A funeral Mass for the Army Green Beret killed in Afghanistan will be Monday in Rhode Island, followed by his burial with full military honors. Master Sgt. Peter Andrew McKenna Jr., 35, died Aug. 7 in an attack on a U.S. special operations base near Kabul airport, the second combat death this year of a U.S. servicemember in Afghanistan. The Army Green Beret died from enemy small McKenna arms fire just a month after he was honored at the Fourth of July parade in his hometown of Bristol, R.I. Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who announced McKenna’s death last week, had presented
McKenna with a U.S. flag flown over the Capitol during the parade. Reed called McKenna “an extraordinary young man with a big heart and a dedicated, distinguished soldier.” He later called McKenna “a soldier’s soldier.” A wake will be held Sunday at St. Mary of the Bay Church in Warren, R.I. The Mass and burial will be Monday at the same church. Department of Defense officials said McKenna was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. The 17-year Army veteran also served in Iraq and been awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device for valor, as well as the Meritorious Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. He was serving at the operations rank of 1st Sergeant during his deployment in Afghanistan. McKenna is survived by his parents, Peter and Carol McKenna of Bristol.
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COVER STORY FROM PAGE 2
The truck bomb that leveled Sultani’s home killed at least 15 people and sent 240 more to hospitals. Another suicide attack later that day killed 30 police and civilians outside a police academy. The last attack of the day, on a U.S. special operations base near Kabul airport, left one American soldier and eight Afghan guards dead. The Emergency hospital where Sultani was recovering focuses exclusively on war injuries because of the rising number of casualties. The scars on her face testify to the devastation that lasts long past the day of the attack, which became one of the bloodiest in the war’s 14-year history. The central Kabul hospital was inundated Friday by dozens of other cases like hers. Its 100 beds were already full of patients when more than 90 new victims surged into the hospital Aug. 7. About half were treated and released, but more than 40 required more serious care, and about 20 remain at the hospital. “Usually in attacks we see at least some police officers or soldiers brought in, but on Friday it was just civilians,” said Luca Radaelli, program coordinator at the hospital. “These waves of war injuries have implications for the future, because even without the mass casualties, we don’t have the capacity to keep up.” The United Nations said the day’s toll was the highest number of civilians killed and injured in one day since the organization has been tracking such casualties. Days after the barrage of attacks, residents in Kabul are still trying to heal and to find answers. At the neighborhood hit by the truck bomb, a crowd gathered Saturday night for a vigil. While peace was the message, the throng pinned the blame for the devastation squarely on Pakistan and on the United States, which they said should stop supporting the neighboring country. But for most victims of the attack, their concerns are less geopolitical. Picking through the rubble, Ghani calls on Pakistan to crack down on the Taliban stripes.com/go/pakistan
PHOTOS
BY
JOSH SMITH /Stars and Stripes
Baseera Sultani, 32, recovers at a hospital in Kabul after she was injured in a truck bomb that struck her neighborhood on Aug. 7.
A man’s sandal rests amid the rubble of buildings destroyed by a truck bomb on Aug. 7 in Kabul. Mohammed Zazai said he doesn’t have the means to rebuild his mechanic’s shop, now just a pile of bricks and smashed machinery. “I don’t know what to do,” he said. “It’s just gone.” Even for those not caught in the attacks, the violence looms large. “Thank Allah we are
given so many children,” said Shafiq, a taxi driver who goes by only one name. “Because without more children, there would be no more Afghans after all these attacks.” Zubair Babakarkhail contributed to this report. smith.josh@stripes.com Twitter: @joshjonsmith
An Afghan man holds a candle at a vigil for people killed in multiple attacks on Aug. 7 in Kabul. The violence left more than 50 people dead and hundreds wounded.
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MILITARY
In McCain bill, all vets’ private care is covered BY H EATH DRUZIN Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — Just before Congress leaves town for a month, Sen. John McCain introduced a bill Aug. 6 that could increase the controversy over how to fix the Department of Veterans Affairs, proposing that all veterans be eligible to have private care paid for by their VA insurance. Currently, veterans who live more than 40 miles from a VA facility and those who face long wait times can apply to seek medical care in the private sector on their VA insurance. That was part of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014, a three-year pilot program that McCain, R-Ariz., championed as a way to give veterans faster, more convenient access to health care and to make it easier to fire senior VA officials. McCain’s bill would make the choice card pilot program permanent and erase the qualifications in the 2014 law, opening the option to every VA-eligible veteran. “This would help remove uncertainty from within the VA, among providers, and especially among our veterans, while sending a strong signal to all Americans that this program is here to stay,” McCain said in a released statement. “More than a year after the VA scandal first came to light and a year since VA reform legislation was signed into law, wait times are still too long and veterans are still not getting the care they have earned and deserve.” Veterans groups seemed caught off guard by the bill Aug. 6, and many contacted by Stripes said they had not yet taken a position on the proposed legislation. In the past, most veterans advocates have come out strongly against privatizing VA health care, and this bill appears to put much more emphasis on paying for private health care for veterans. There was some early pushback on McCain’s
new bill, including from Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, who said existing legislation has achieved the goal of simplifying veterans’ choice in their health care. Sherman Gillums Jr., deputy executive director of Paralyzed Veterans of America, took a cautious approach, saying that many veterans with catastrophic injuries find that VA treatment centers offer the best — and in some cases, the only — care options. “Senator McCain should be commended for taking steps to get more veterans seen by providers as efficiently as possible,” he said in a released statement in response to Stars and Stripes. “But those steps should be accompanied by efforts to ensure VA specialized care and the tertiary support services that sustain them also remain a viable option for veterans with the greatest, lifelong needs.” The Veterans Independence Act, presented earlier this year by conservative veterans group Concerned Veterans for America, has many similarities to McCain’s bill, and McCain was one of the keynote speakers at the group’s rollout of the plan. But the group was critical of McCain’s plan, saying it does not go far enough. “Simply making the [choice] program permanent will not overcome bureaucratic resistance, and thus meaningful, long-term reform, such as the Veterans Independence Act, is necessary,” Dan Caldwell, Concerned Veterans for America’s legislative director, said in an email. VA spokeswoman Walinda West said: “It would … be premature to take a definitive position until we have had the opportunity to thoroughly review the bill.” druzin.heath@stripes.com Twitter: @Druzin_Stripes
George Washington in San Diego for crew swap BY ERIK SLAVIN Stars and Stripes
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrived Monday in San Diego, where most of its crewmembers will disembark and assume their new roles aboard the USS Ronald Reagan. Thousands of sailors aboard each carrier will swap ships over the next 10 days, Navy officials said. Once transferred, the Reagan’s new sailors will conduct a flight certification for its embarked air wing and make other adjustments before heading back toward the AsiaPacific region, officials said. “For training of new crews, each ship will go through a tailored syllabus following the crew swap,” Capt. Timothy Kuehhas, the George Washington’s commanding officer, said in a statement. Kuehhas and some other key personnel will remain with the George Washington as it takes on a complement of Reagan sailors. The George Washington will then head around South America and eventually stop in Newport News, Va., where it will undergo a mid-life nuclear refueling and overhaul expected to take three to four years. The multibillion-dollar project will refuel both of the ship’s reactors, repair the propulsion plant and upgrade several other
systems. Several Reagan sailors serving briefly aboard the George Washington will join the informal “Three Presidents” club this year. After the George Washington arrives in Virginia for its overhaul, they will leave and join the permanent crew of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Meanwhile, the Reagan will replace the George Washington as the Navy’s forward-deployed carrier in Japan when it arrives at Yokosuka Naval Base in the fall. The three Nimitz-class carriers share the same basic designs and specifications, allowing each crew to take over with little learning curve, Navy officials have said. The transfer of the Reagan, which is the second-youngest of the Navy’s Nimitz-class carriers, is part of a Pentagon effort to place more of its advanced hardware in Japan. The recently overhauled destroyer USS Benfold is expected to reach its new Yokosuka homeport later this year, while the destroyer USS Milius is scheduled to make Yokosuka its new home in 2017. The upgraded USS Barry will replace the USS Lassen sometime in the next year. The Navy has also rotated its new P-8 surveillance planes to the region while upgrading its deployed jet and helicopter squadrons in recent years. slavin.erik@stripes.com Twitter: @eslavin_stripes
Courtesy of the U.S. Navy
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington arrives at Naval Air Station in San Diego on Monday.
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MILITARY
Unofficial repairs sideline 3 newest fast-attack subs BY ERIK SLAVIN Stars and Stripes
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — The Navy’s three newest fast-attack submarines are on operational restrictions after a contractor found undocumented repairs made to critical components, service officials said. The USS John Warner, which was just commissioned on Aug. 1, along with the USS Minnesota and the USS North Dakota, have been sidelined because of concerns over pipe elbows that help connect the steam generated by the nuclear power plant to the turbines. “As part of an ongoing investigation into a quality
control issue with a supplier, General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) determined that three steam pipe elbows supplied by the vendor in question required additional testing and repair due to unauthorized and undocumented weld repairs having been performed on these elbows,” Rory O’Connor, a spokesman for the Naval Sea Systems Command, said in a statement sent to Stars and Stripes on Aug. 5 from Washington. GDEB and Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding are performing additional inspections, O’Connor said. The two contractors are the Navy’s primary submarine builders. Keeping up standards for
Courtesy of the U.S. Navy
Sailors man the rails at the commissioning ceremony for the Virginia-class submarine USS John Warner at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Aug. 1. the components is an important safety measure for the crews, O’Connor said. The safety concerns are related to long-term wear on the elbow pipe joints, according to an unidentified Navy official quoted by Defense News, which first reported the story. The elbows were supplied by a subcontractor and passed ultrasonic inspections but
later failed further inspections using different methods, according to Defense News. The North Dakota was commissioned last year after a Navy investigation into substandard third-party contractor components delayed the boat’s launch by five months. The Navy inspected 58 components and made multiple repairs to the $2.6 billion
submarine. The North Dakota and the John Warner are the first two Block III boats, which feature redesigned bows and replace 12 launch tubes with two larger tubes, each of which can hold up to six Tomahawk cruise missiles. slavin.erik@stripes.com Twitter:@eslavin_stripes
World War II airman to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery Stars and Stripes
More than 70 years after his plane was shot down over Germany, U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Stephen V. Biezis of Chicago will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on Friday. Biezis’ remains were recently identified by the Defense Department’s POW/MIA Accounting Agency and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory. Biezis was 22 when his B-26 Marauder crashed in Germany during
a bombing mission on Dec. 23, 1944. The plane came under enemy fire near Manderscheid and Bettenfeld. One crewmember managed to parachute out and was later picked up by German forces as a prisoner of war, and two died bailing out. The fates of three crewmembers remained uncertain. After the war, the American Graves Registration Command successfully located the crash site. The remains of two crewmen were recovered.
Further visits to the crash site in 1999 and between 2011 and 2014 enabled Defense Department investigators to recover the remains of the rest of the crew, including Biezis. Scientists from the DPAA and AFDIL were able to identify Biezis’ remains by using forensic identification tools, including mitochondrial DNA, to match samples from his sister and cousin. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Joe R. Sanchez, of Los Nietos, Calif., was ac-
counted for and returned to his family for burial in 2011. Biezis’ co-pilot, 1st Lt. James F. Gatlin, of Jacksonville, Fla., was buried Jan. 30, 2015, in Florida National Cemetery in Florida. The Martin B-26 Marauder was a medium bomber used extensively throughout the European theater. Although it could not carry as many bombs as heavy bombers such as the B-17 Flying Fortress or B-24 Liberator, the Marauder proved to be the most accurate bomber available to the Allies.
Friday, August 14, 2015
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MILITARY
Study: Managing stress helps with PTSD treatment BY STEVEN BEARDSLEY Stars and Stripes
Therapies that teach coping skills like stress management are nearly as effective as those that confront traumatic memories in reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in servicemembers and veterans, says a study released on Aug. 4. The findings, published in this month’s Journal of the American Medical Association by researchers with the Cohen Veterans Center at New York University, suggest a wider variety of therapies can be offered to PTSD sufferers such as combat veterans and victims of sexual assault with little difference in effect. Giving patients more alternatives in their treatment could reduce the number who drop out of treatment, the study’s authors suggest. Roughly a quarter of all patients in trauma-focused psychotherapy programs currently drop out of treatment. Almost 13 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and 10 percent of Gulf War veterans are believed to have PTSD, according to studies, while 11 percent of Vietnam vets still report symptoms such as flashbacks, hypervigilance and nightmares. The condition is associated with high risks of suicide, depression and substance-abuse disorders. The study found that two psychotherapies embraced in 2008 by the Department of Veterans Affairs were little better than nontrauma-focused therapies that emphasize coping skills. Cognitive-processing therapy, or CPT, attempts to reframe negative feelings surrounding a traumatic memory, while prolonged exposure therapy aims to blunt the power of a traumatic event by having patients recount such an event repeatedly. Both therapies had shown success in the treatment of sexual assault victims. Researchers in the JAMA study reviewed clinical trials of both methods on military and veteran populations and compared results with several methods of nontrauma-focused therapy.
Those methods include present-centered therapy, or PCT, which emphasizes problem solving and is often conducted in a group setting. They found that CPT was “marginally superior” to the nontrauma-focused therapy, showing more immediate relief in the short term but little difference in outcomes in follow-up visits. Prolonged exposure therapy outcomes also showed little difference from nontraumafocused therapies, although the number and size of clinical trials were limited, researchers noted. The study emphasized the limits of all current therapies, which frequently relieve symptoms but rarely reverse a PTSD diagnosis. The availability of alternative therapies may improve patient outcomes, clinician David J. Kearney and Tracy L. Simpson wrote in an editorial in the same issue of JAMA. “Preference for one mode of therapy or another may influence the willingness of a patient to initiate and remain in treatment, which in turn may affect therapeutic efficacy,” they wrote. Another study published in JAMA’s August issue suggests that mindfulness therapy, which teaches sitting and yoga meditation with breathing exercises, can lead to modest improvement in PTSD symptoms in military members and veterans. Participants in the clinical trial attended a 2.5-hour class for eight weeks and a daylong retreat. Their symptoms were later compared to those of a group enrolled in present-centered therapy. The study found fewer self-reported PTSD symptoms among the mindfulness therapy group after two months, but no significant difference in the rate of PTSD remission. The study of mindfulness therapy was based on a randomized clinical trial of 116 veterans with PTSD recruited at the Minneapolis Veterans Medical Center. It was conducted between March 2012 and 2013, with a follow-up in April 2014. beardsley.steven@stripes.com
DAMANY S. C OLEMAN /Courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps
The Veterans Administration has announced it is expanding a review of chemical exposure at the Camp LeJeune Marine Base.
VA may cover more illnesses tied to Camp Lejeune water BY H EATH DRUZIN Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — After a decadeslong fight by troops and family members sickened by toxic water at Camp Lejeune, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced a major step toward covering more illnesses connected to exposure at the North Carolina base. The Aug. 3 decision to review its disability coverage paves the way to adding more conditions with a presumption of service connection for those who spent at least 30 days at the Marine Corps base between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987. The VA already considers 15 conditions connected to the tainted water. For years, former Marines and family members have said deaths and illnesses were connected to chemicals in the water, including industrial solvents and fuel. “This is what we’ve been fighting for,” said Mike Partain, who developed rare male breast cancer that he believes was linked to the water at Camp Lejeune, where he was born in 1968. “It’s vindication that what we’ve been saying is true.”
‘ This is what we’ve been fighting for. It’s vindication that what we’ve been saying is true. ’
Mike Partain former cancer patient who believes his disease was linked to the water at Camp Lejeune
The VA has faced harsh criticism for what former Lejeune residents and lawmakers say was a reluctance to acknowledge the connection, and several senators recently pressured the agency to make it easier for vets to get disability benefits and care. “I’m disappointed that we had to pressure the VA to do the right thing for our veterans in the first place,” Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., who has long advocated for Lejeune victims getting VA benefits, said in a released statement. “The scientific research is strong and the widespread denials of benefits will soon end. Now, these veterans and their family members will not have to fight for benefits they
are due.” VA officials did not respond to a request for comment. Partain, 47, works as an insurance investigator in Florida and has been cancerfree for eight years. But he says he’s never fully regained the strength that was sapped by chemotherapy, and he worries that the cancer could return. “I went from being a young man to an old man, but I’m alive and I’m thankful,” he said. “What this means is these veterans are no longer going to have to fight for the benefits that are due to them.” For more information, veterans and family members should contact the nearest VA health care facility. Call (877) 222-8387 or visit www. publichealth.va.gov/exposures/ camp-lejeune. For information on Camp Lejeune, N.C., and the conditions covered by the VA, go to www.publichealth. va.gov/exposures/camplejeune/index.asp. For those who lived or worked at Camp Lejeune before 1987, you can register for notifications at https://clnr.hqi. usmc.mil/clwater.
druzin.heath@stripes.com Twitter: @Druzin_Stripes
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MILITARY
AF accepting sabbatical applications ‘ We look at it as an
BY JENNIFER H. SVAN Stars and Stripes
investment. We’re looking at maintaining top performing airmen that might otherwise leave the Air Force.
W
hen Staff Sgt. Megan Weiler told her fellow airmen she was applying for a sabbatical from her duties as a dental assistant, they thought she would surely be turned down. “Since the military is downsizing so much, nobody’s going to get accepted because we’re hurting for manning,” Weiler said she was told. “I’m stubborn. I applied anyway,” said the single mother, who’s now using her year away from the Air Force to finish her studies. Weiler was among 35 airmen accepted last year into the Air Force’s pilot Career Intermission Program. The Air Force is accepting applications for the second round of the program through Aug. 31. A selection panel will again consider up to 20 officers and 20 enlisted airmen — active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve — who want the flexibility to pursue personal or professional goals without having to forgo their military careers. The program is aimed at retaining talented airmen who might otherwise leave the service to start a family, care for an elderly parent or go back to school, among other reasons. The Air Force’s program allows airmen to take from one to three years off while retaining their military ID card, full medical and dental benefits and the right to return to active-duty status without losing their place in line for promotion. They transfer into the Individual Ready Reserve and receive a small monthly stipend; the Air Force pays to move them anywhere in the United States. “It’s just all about supporting a healthy workforce,” said Lt. Col. Marcos Garcia, Air Force Personnel Center Accessions Branch chief, enabling airmen to meet personal, family
’
Lt. Col. Marcos Garcia Air Force Personnel Center Accessions Branch chief
Courtesy of Megan Weiler
Staff Sgt. Megan Weiler, shown with her son, Landon, 5, is taking a year away from the Air Force to go to school full-time as part of the Air Force’s Career Intermission Program. or professional needs “while balancing that with their Air Force career.” Airmen are asked why they want to take part in the program, but their reasons aren’t supposed to be factored into the application process, Garcia said. They submit an application through the Air Force Personnel Service’s website, https://mypers.af.mil. The package includes their performance reports, awards and decorations. Of those who applied in 2014, 76 percent said they wanted to care for or start a family, with continuing education the second-top reason cited. Of those accepted, 17 were male and 18 were female. No career fields are off-limits, though airmen must have completed
their initial enlistment period. What is essential, Garcia said, is to be a top performer, someone the Air Force wants to retain in the long term. Airmen in the program commit to two months of service for every month they’re on sabbatical. “We look at it as an investment,” Garcia said. “We’re looking at maintaining top performing airmen that might otherwise leave the Air Force.” Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said during Women’s History Month in March she hoped the program — open to all airmen — would allow the service “to attack the attrition rate, particularly for females” at the midcareer point. The Navy was the first service to offer the program after Congress
authorized all of the services to fund it beginning in fiscal 2009 for up to 40 personnel. Navy leaders have said they will seek approval from Congress to expand the program to up to 400 participants. Weiler, 30, the dental assistant, said that as the single mother of a 5-year-old she would have had trouble completing the rigorous coursework required for the Air Force’s physician assistance program, a career field she wants to move up into, while on active duty. Capt. Tamiko Gheen, 28, a hospital administrator, is taking a three-year sabbatical. She and her husband, Capt. Chris Gheen, have a 2-year-old and another child on the way. “It’s really stressful having two active-duty parents,” she said. The break also alleviates the pressure the dual-military couple feels when deciding on joint assignments, which are more difficult to find as they move up in rank, Tamiko Gheen said. “It’s always about who’s going to sacrifice what,” she said. When she comes back, her husband will be nearing retirement age, she said. “If I want to continue on, I have that option.” svan.jennifer@stripes.com
Official: No charges for troops over weapons in Tenn. attack BY TARA COPP Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — Lt. Cmdr. Tim White, the Navy officer who fired a sidearm in defense during the attack on Navy Operational Support Center in Chattanooga, Tenn., will not face charges, an official familiar with the investi-
gation told Stars and Stripes on Aug. 5. White was reported to be one of two servicemembers carrying sidearms at the time of the attack, which could have led to charges. The Department of Defense prohibits all military personnel other than security forces from carry-
ing arms while on base unless they are in a combat zone. The Navy is still investigating the shooting, in which a lone gunman attacked two separate military facilities. The shootings resulted in the deaths of four Marines and one sailor. After rumors that White
would be charged spurred a national backlash, the Navy countered with a statement that said, “At this time we can confirm no service member has been charged with an offense.” There was also a backlash over why personnel in “soft” military targets like recruit-
ing centers — which are often in easy-to-reach places like shopping malls — were not allowed to carry weapons. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter directed a review to determine how security at those types of facilities can be improved. copp.tara@stripes.com
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MILITARY
Report: VA at fault for veteran overdose death at Wis. facility BY H EATH DRUZIN Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — An inspector general’s report faults a Wisconsin Veterans Affairs hospital for the accidental overdose death of a Marine Corps veteran that sparked outrage and legislation aimed at strengthening guidelines for prescribing painkillers. The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General found that Jason Simcakoski’s death at a Tomah, Wis., VA center in August 2014 was tied to a toxic mix of prescribed drugs and also faulted VA staff for botching resuscitation efforts once he was found. The Tomah VA has been dubbed “Candyland” for what some say was wanton overprescription of opiates. Simcakoski, 35, served in the Marines from 1998-2002 and suffered a head injury. He sought care for anxiety attacks at the Tomah VA, where his family said he struggled for years with no improvement despite a long list of medications. He was found unresponsive Aug. 30, and the report found that the two psychiatrists who prescribed drugs to Simcakoski did not talk to him or his family about risks associated with the drugs. The report also criticized hospital staff for a chaotic resuscitation response and
failing to have the proper drugs on hand to counteract Simcakoski’s overdose. In response to the report, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who requested the investigation, released a statement saying “the sacred trust we have with those who faithfully serve our country has been broken and it needs to be fixed.” “This report confirms that the Tomah VA physicians entrusted with Jason’s care failed to keep their promise to a Wisconsin Marine and his family,” Baldwin said in a released statement. “I have all the evidence I need to conclude that the VA prescribed Jason a deadly mix of drugs that led to his death and that those responsible for this tragic failure should never again serve our veterans and their families.” The Tomah VA said in a statement that it’s saddened by Simcakoski’s “avoidable” death and is committed to learning from it and improving care for veterans, according to the Associated Press. Earlier in the year, the oft-criticized VA Office of Inspector General had defended closing an earlier investigation into alleged overprescription of opiates at the Tomah VA without finding problems in a tersely worded press release that began with this John Adams quote: “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be
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our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” Some lawmakers jumped on that report at the time to criticize then-acting VA Inspector General Richard Griffin for what they perceived as his failure to point out problems within the scandal-plagued VA. Griffin resigned in June. On Aug. 7, the Inspector General’s office defended the earlier Tomah report. “We continue to stand by our earlier Tomah report on opioid prescription practices,” VA Inspector General spokeswoman Joanne Moffett said in an email. “Yesterday’s report notes the patient was not at the time dependent on opioids and that according to VA outpatient prescription records, no VA provider prescribed oxycodone or other Schedule II opioid analgesics.” The IG’s report notes that one of the drugs that likely contributed to Simcakoski’s death was buprenorphine, an opioid derivative, and that he had struggled with opioid dependency in the past. The report on Simcakoski’s death recommends local VA officials determine whether anyone should be punished and that the facility director review their medical emergency procedures. druzin.heath@stripes.com Twitter: @Druzin_Stripes
This publication is a compilation of stories from Stars and Stripes, the editorially independent newspaper authorized by the Department of Defense for members of the military community. The contents of Stars and Stripes are unofficial, and are not to be considered as the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. government, including the Defense Department or the military services. The U.S. Edition of Stars and Stripes is published jointly by Stars and Stripes and this newspaper. The appearance of advertising in this publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by the DOD or Stars and Stripes of the products or services advertised. Products or services advertised in this publication shall be made available for purchase, use, or patronage without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, physical handicap, political affiliation, or any other nonmerit factor of the purchaser, user, or patron.
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Army to deploy 3,000 troops on Asia rotations
III Corps, 10th Mountain troops to be sent to Mideast, Afghanistan BY COREY DICKSTEIN Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — Nearly 3,000 U.S. soldiers will deploy later this year to serve rotations in the Middle East and Afghanistan, the Army said Aug. 5. About 450 soldiers from the III Corps headquarters from Fort Hood, Texas, will deploy to Kuwait in September for a year as part of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, the multinational campaign against Islamic State group forces. “III Corps has a proud history of answering the nation’s call when it has come,” Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, commanding general of III Corps and Fort Hood, said in a prepared statement released on Aug. 5. “We are trained and ready to perform our mission.” The Army also has tapped more than 2,500 soldiers to deploy from the 10th Mountain Division. About 1,250 of the division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team soldiers from Fort Drum, N.Y.,
Marine swept out to sea close to Guam Officials are searching for an Okinawa-based Marine who was swept out to sea Sunday while swimming on Guam. The Marine went missing at around 5 p.m. near Tumon Bay, according to a Marine Corps statement released Monday. Searches are being conducted by the Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard and Guam fire department.
will deploy to Iraq to serve in an advisory role to the Iraqi Security Forces under the Operation Inherent Resolve umbrella. That rotation is expected to last about nine months. The remainder will be deployed to Afghanistan. About 300 of the division’s headquarters soldiers will deploy to Bagram Airfield later this year, where they will replace the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division Headquarters. They’ll be joined by 1,000 soldiers from the 10th Mountain’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team from Fort Polk, La., who are expected to serve nine months in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel. “We continuously train in preparation for contingencies around the globe, which is why I am confident that our soldiers are equipped, trained and ready to assume the missions announced today,” 10th Mountain Division commander Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Bannister said in a statement released Aug. 5. dickstein.corey@stripes.com Twitter: @CDicksteinDC
The Marine’s identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, but officials said the missing servicemember is attached to the USS Green Bay and is from Combat Logistics Battalion 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. Waters around Guam can be treacherous. Last December, an airman, thought to have gone into the water near Tarague Beach on Guam’s northern shore, went missing and was later found dead.
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