RIP Officer Brad Jones; Kudos to ICE & Pinal County Sheriff's Office; Japanese American Veterans To Receive Bronze Stars and Congressional Gold Medals; Study Finds Burn Pits Harm Inconclusive; Veterans Unemployment Outpaces Civlian Rate; 9/11 Still Taking Toll on NYC Firefighters and Responders

"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat."---Winston Churchill

RIP To Officer Brad Jones, Glendale, AZ

Glendale, Arizona Police Officer, Brad Jones, was shot late Friday night while assisting a probation officer. Jones was 26 years old and a four year veteran of the department. He's survived by his wife and two young children.---Police One

ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)  and Pinal County Sheriff's Office Take Down 22 Suspected Smugglers

ICE, with the Pinal County Sheriff's office in Arizona, arrested 22 suspected drug smugglers tied to the Sinaloa cartel. The drug trafficking ring is responsible for smuggling an estimated $33 million worth of drugs through western Arizona. This followed a 17-month operation called Operation Pipeline Express. Kudos to ICE agents and the Sheriff's office for a job well done.---USA Today

100th Infantry Battalion and the 442 Regimental Combat Team To Be Honored

This week, Japanese American Veterans of the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442 Regimental Combat Team will be awarded Bronze Stars and Congressional Gold Medals for their heroism in WWII. Terry Shima, executive director of the Japanese American Veterans Association, said, "This is an American story and speaks to the greatness of this nation."---U.S. Army


Institute of Medicine Reports Harm from Burn Pits Inconclusive

USA Today reports The Institute of Medicine (division of the National Academy of Sciences) reported this week that the effects of open burn pits on the health of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are inconclusive. Studies did cite high levels of dust and pollution created by these open burn pits. In addition, the Defense Department reported cardiovascular cases of active-duty service personnel increased from 65,520 in 2001 to 91,013 in 2010. Neurologic problems also increased by approximately three fold. These increases led researches, physicians and environment experts to suspect open pit burning. Scientists intend to do continue further long-range studies that include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Long-term health-effects study of service personnel exposed to burn pits
• A comparison study between service personnel deployed to Balad (where a burn pit was fully operational) to other bases in Iraq that did not have burn pits.

Veterans Unemployment Numbers Rising

The Washington Post and Bloomberg Business News reported that unemployment for veterans outpaced civilian unemployment. Veterans who left the military in the last 10 years experience an unemployment rate of 11.7% compared to the current 9.1% among civilians. We have several good resources on this blog for veterans looking for work. Please refer to the section entitled, "More Resources" below for that information. In the meantime, HIRE A VET!!! Most veterans possess the skills appropriate for many jobs including the all important discipline and reliability.

Nearly 900 Responders Have Died in Last Decade Since 9/11

In 2010, Fox News reported that nearly 900 NY firefighters and responders died since 9/11. Advocates suggest that many died to illnesses related to 9/11. And the numbers keep growing. Health officials say they cannot conclude many died due to their heroic work on 9/11. But many advocates suggest the health department's study is flawed. Many firefighters moved out of the NYC area and their health has not been tracked, according to the FealGood Foundation, a group that advocates for the 9/11 responders.