It is with unspeakable sadness that IAVA staff and members across the country mourn the loss of Clay Hunt. Clay took his own life on March 31st. Clay served in the Marine Corps for 4 years before being honorably discharged in 2009. He served in an infantry squad in Iraq in 2007 where he was wounded in action, receiving the Purple Heart Medal, and then in Afghanistan in 2008 as a Scout-Sniper.
Clay was an incredible advocate for our generation of veterans, a person of tremendous character and a fierce believer in the value of service. He was a leader for IAVA, participating in Storm the Hill 2010 and playing a critical role in the Ad Council campaign. In addition to his involvement with IAVA, he was active with Team Rubicon and Ride to Recovery. Clay believed his mission in life was to serve both in and out of the military. That is something that we will never forget.
His passing is a huge loss to the IAVA family and to our entire nation. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.
Clay’s services will be held in Houston on Monday, April 4th at 11:00 AM CT. We will post more information in the coming days.
WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is reaching out to Veterans in crisis and their families in a new public service announcement to raise awareness about suicide prevention resources, such as the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
“As more Veterans return from Iraq and Afghanistan, the critical need for mental health care is rising,” said Sonja V. Batten, assistant deputy chief patient care services officer for mental health. “VA is increasing its efforts to reach out to Veterans in need and their families, to inform them about available services and programs.”
The new television spot encourages Veterans in crisis to call the crisis hotline number at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and then push 1 on their telephone keypad to reach a trained VA mental health professional who can assist the Veteran 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Suicide is preventable,” said Batten. “Every Veteran suicide is tragic and regardless of the numbers or rates, one Veteran suicide is too many. We feel the responsibility to continue to spread the word throughout the nation that suicide prevention is everyone’s business.”
So far, more than 379,000 people have called the hotline, and more than 200,000 of these callers have identified themselves as Veterans, family members or friends of Veterans. The hotline has led to more than 13,000 rescues of actively suicidal Veterans.
The hotline also operates an online Veterans Chat program, which provides Veterans, their families and friends with the ability to communicate anonymously online in real-time with a trained VA mental health professional. Veterans Chat can be accessed through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s web page at http://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/Veterans/Default.aspx.
Through the hotline and Veterans Chat, VA can connect Veterans and their families with important services, including suicide prevention coordinators, as well as general inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services at VA medical centers and community-based outpatient clinics.
The hotline, which is part of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, was started in 2007 as a partnership between VA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The PSA can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/user/VeteransHealthAdmin#p/u/1/PPL7CAHixQE.
Quote by wickedpam:
I can understand - storms came through and woke me up about 4am - sounded like the house was being pelted with pebbles!
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by wickedpam:
I can understand - storms came through and woke me up about 4am - sounded like the house was being pelted with pebbles!
Very similar sich her Mala. Compounded by the whole out of work and trying to figure my life out- again! thing.
Quote by Raine:Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by wickedpam:
I can understand - storms came through and woke me up about 4am - sounded like the house was being pelted with pebbles!
Very similar sich her Mala. Compounded by the whole out of work and trying to figure my life out- again! thing.
Good morning!
The house shook like a earthquake here!
Quote by Mondobubba:Quote by wickedpam:
I can understand - storms came through and woke me up about 4am - sounded like the house was being pelted with pebbles!
Very similar sich her Mala. Compounded by the whole out of work and trying to figure my life out- again! thing.
Quote by Raine:
A follow up on the Gauguin Story from yesterday. Ugh.
Quote by Scoopster:
Oooh.. big day today in Wisconsin - they've voting for that state Supreme Court seat.
Time Magazine's website also has its 2011 "most influential" people poll going now. It's kinda time-consuming because you have to enter a captcha code for every single vote you cast. Just a heads up - it wouldn't let me (or a bunch of other ppl) cast any vote at all for Gingrich.
To be clear: Barack Obama vowed to close Gitmo, and took concrete steps to try and do so. But he could not have anticipated the obstruction that would come from his own side in Congress — not on the campaign trail in 2007 and 2008. Once in office, he was confronted with that obstruction almost immediately, and tenaciously.
Is there a way that the president can vault over Congress and bring KSM to trial in New York? The answer is no; not without directly violating numerous edicts passed by Congress (which back in the Bush days, liberals would have considered impeachable.) And the idea that “Bush did it†is more of the liberal fiction that George W. Bush routinely defied Congress, when in fact, Congress colluded with him on national security policy every step of the way.
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:
A follow up on the Gauguin Story from yesterday. Ugh.
good Lord, its a wonder she didn't also knock over all those grecian statues that are out in the halls
Quote by Raine:Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:
A follow up on the Gauguin Story from yesterday. Ugh.
good Lord, its a wonder she didn't also knock over all those grecian statues that are out in the halls
She a train wreck. I don't know if she deserves jail or to be institutionalized. She has quite the rap sheet.
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Raine:
A follow up on the Gauguin Story from yesterday. Ugh.
good Lord, its a wonder she didn't also knock over all those grecian statues that are out in the halls
She a train wreck. I don't know if she deserves jail or to be institutionalized. She has quite the rap sheet.
and a radio in her head
Authorities intercepted a parcel this morning addressed to Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) containing a bloody pig's foot and a derogatory message, a source has confirmed to CBS News.
The parcel was intercepted at the Congressional mail facility in Landover, Maryland, where mail sent to lawmakers is screened for security risks.
The U.S. Capitol Police and U.S. Postal Service confirmed that there is an open investigation, though would not confirm the details of what was contained in the parcel because the investigation is ongoing. King's office, which did not see the parcel, referred all questions to the Capitol Police.
Quote by Mondobubba:
The storms seem to have been on cold front. It is about 15 degrees colder than yesterday.
Quote by TriSec:
Well, poop.
I'm not going to be around to write a blog Saturday am, and I have a topic this week!
(Most Saturdays are spent frantically skimming the internets, hoping something will "leap out".)
Quote by TriSec:
Well, poop.
I'm not going to be around to write a blog Saturday am, and I have a topic this week!
(Most Saturdays are spent frantically skimming the internets, hoping something will "leap out".)
Quote by TriSec:
Well now, that's interesting. I could theoretically write a series of things and have them set up to automatically populate some morning in the distant future. (I prefer to write 'live' most of the time, though.)
Yes, I remember way back in our version 1 days when it didn't quite work right; I haven't tried it since the code was fixed.
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by TriSec:
Well, poop.
I'm not going to be around to write a blog Saturday am, and I have a topic this week!
(Most Saturdays are spent frantically skimming the internets, hoping something will "leap out".)
I thought Bob said we could set blogs to show up on a specific day? You know like time released
Quote by Raine:
Quote by Raine:Yes, that bug is fixed, as is the editing bug.Quote by TriSec:
Well now, that's interesting. I could theoretically write a series of things and have them set up to automatically populate some morning in the distant future. (I prefer to write 'live' most of the time, though.)
Yes, I remember way back in our version 1 days when it didn't quite work right; I haven't tried it since the code was fixed.
So You and Mala need to decide about Saturday, but my offer still stands.
Quote by Raine:
Quote by TriSec:
I'll still yield to the Gentlewoman from Virginia for the Saturday blog.
*tips cap in a courtly manner*
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by TriSec:
I'll still yield to the Gentlewoman from Virginia for the Saturday blog.
*tips cap in a courtly manner*
okey dokey
Quote by Raine:
IdiotAuthorities intercepted a parcel this morning addressed to Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) containing a bloody pig's foot and a derogatory message, a source has confirmed to CBS News.
The parcel was intercepted at the Congressional mail facility in Landover, Maryland, where mail sent to lawmakers is screened for security risks.
The U.S. Capitol Police and U.S. Postal Service confirmed that there is an open investigation, though would not confirm the details of what was contained in the parcel because the investigation is ongoing. King's office, which did not see the parcel, referred all questions to the Capitol Police.
Ibrahim Hooper, National Communications Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations - a target of King's hearings - said he found the situation confusing. He said his organization regularly receives pig-themed hate messages, including letters smeared with bacon.
"My guess is it was an anti-Muslim bigot, and bigots not being brain surgeons they probably got their signals crossed," he said.
UPDATE: A source on Capitol Hill told NBC News that the note "contained anti-Semitic ramblings" and referenced the radicalization hearings. King is Roman Catholic.
Quote by livingonli:
Good day everyone. I think the dreary weather kept me asleep with a cozy kitty at the foot of the bed.
I got to borrow the roomate's car today while she's at work so I can do some errands today. I will be glad once I have my own car again which hopefully will be soon.
Quote by TriSec:Quote by livingonli:
Good day everyone. I think the dreary weather kept me asleep with a cozy kitty at the foot of the bed.
I got to borrow the roomate's car today while she's at work so I can do some errands today. I will be glad once I have my own car again which hopefully will be soon.
Hey Liv. Curious story out on the Island this morning, eh?
Quote by livingonli:
I haven't checked out the local news yet today although I know the string of dead white women being found on the Ocean Parkway made Nancy Grace last night.
Quote by TriSec:Quote by livingonli:
I haven't checked out the local news yet today although I know the string of dead white women being found on the Ocean Parkway made Nancy Grace last night.
That's the one. It's getting some play up this way too, since a couple of the women found were from Maine.
Quote by Raine:
Please don't ask how I came across this. That said, it has been far too long since we have been Diamondized.
Quote by Scoopster:
If I had a uterus, I'd totally incorporate it.