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Anchorage Police Dept. via AP
Sean Warner, 26, is accused of charges including manslaughter. According to his family, Warner served as a Navy field medic in Afghanistan and now suffers from post-traumatic stress.
ANCHORAGE - A 26-year-old Navy veteran who served as a medic in Afghanistan pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges he injected two Alaska teens with drugs on separate occasions, giving one of them a fatal dose.
Sean Warner was first charged with injecting Jena Dolstad, a 14-year-old from Anchorage. She died from the heroin dose almost a week later, and the charge was consequently raised to manslaughter.
He is also charged with evidence tampering and two counts of misconduct involving a controlled substance.
Court records show Warner now faces a new charge of earlier injecting another teen with heroin sometime between Dec. 14 and Dec. 21.
Police Lt. Dave Parker said the second teen — identified only as "R.H." — is a 17-year-old girl. He said she was injected multiple times by Warner.
Anchorage authorities believe Warner didn't intend to harm the girls.
Warner is being held on $100,000 cash bail. A trial was set for March 27.
Dolstad's stepfather, Brett Williams, told NBC station Channel 2 news/KTUU.com his family had some ups and downs, but Jena always came back home. Williams said he's now making arrangements for her funeral and celebration of life.
He told the station she was a typical teenager. He said her mother wasn't around much, and added Jena, simply, made a wrong choice.
“I know she got mixed in with some people I tried to warn her about,” he said on the phone. “And it went from there.”
'She just made a mistake'
A single father who works graveyard shifts, Williams insisted he gave her a stable home.
When asked if his stepdaughter slipped through the cracks, Williams responded, “She just made a mistake, that’s all she did.
A number of Facebook tribute pages have been set up in honor of Dolstad.
Warner's uncle, Doug Tweedie of Bend, Ore., told The Associated Press that Warner served as a Navy field medic in Afghanistan and now suffers from post-traumatic stress.
Tweedie said he and his wife helped raise Warner and that Warner did very well in school and was ambitious. Warner also did well in the Navy, he said.
Tweedie said he spoke with Warner through Warner's father.
"He's terribly remorseful," Tweedie said Thursday. "He's in a very difficult spot."
According to court papers filed before Dolstad's death, two other men went with Warner to pick up the girl the evening of Dec. 22, and they took her to Warner's home to hang out.
Warner was sharing a gram of heroin with the men, and Dolstad said she was willing to try something "new" but didn't want to inject herself, according to the court papers. Warner tried to inject the girl but failed, so he had her lie on his bed and hold out an arm. He then used his belt as a tourniquet and shot 25 to 30 units of heroin, taking several times to find a vein, the papers say.
The two witnesses told authorities they left the girl — identified as "J.D." in court papers — on the bed and found her the next morning, face-down in her vomit.
Warner initially balked at calling 911 because he feared authorities would find drugs, and instead gave the teen Suboxone, a prescription drug used to treat opiate addicts, the court papers say. He called 911 after the girl began to convulse a couple of hours after he gave her the Suboxone, the papers say.
Syringes
Warner locked his bedroom door, and responding officers didn't search it when he told them it was his roommate's room, according to the documents. After police left, Warner and one of the witnesses put needles and other "related evidence" into a box then tossed it behind a trash bin at a nearby business, according to the papers, which say police later recovered paraphernalia including syringes.
Dolstad was found to have heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine in her system when she was brought to the hospital, charging documents said. Medics told authorities she sustained damage to her brain and heart.
Authorities have said the heroin used is known on the street at "China White," considered more potent than common tar heroin.
As far as Tweedie is concerned, no one really knows what happened.
"At this point, two addicts are blaming another addict," he said. "I don't know if I believe another addict."
Figures published last month by the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future program — an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of American secondary school students, college students, and young adults — show the level of heroin use had remains "steady" but marijuana use has risen for four straight years.
Alcohol use — and occasions of heavy drinking — continued a long-term gradual decline among teens, reaching historically low levels in 2011, the study found.
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NBC News, The Associated Press and msnbc.com editor Alastair Jamieson contributed to this report.
Leave a Comment:
Marijuana is not a drug. Drugs are man made.
Johnny Pot Seed says "A joint a day keeps the doctor away."
Plant a seed and grow some weed. Let it dry and get high.
You're the same dude who claims to see alien space ships.
You sound seriously stupid. Jeffrey.
Why Allison? Theres a lot of truth in Jeffrey's poem. This planet would be a much nicer place if more people followed that advice. Right on Jeffrey. Peace
i'm taking a hit right now for everyone that hates on marijuana. please put some peace in your heart.
Jeffrey I sure wish the pot smokers would get off their high horse with the , "it's not man made" line. You don't smoke it just because it's not man made, you smoke it to get high. Same reason some do coke, speed, smack, shrooms, K2 or the newest arrival bath salt to get high. Anyone who gets high or has in the past on any drug should be for the decriminalization of all drugs. The users will either maintain or not maintain.
Jeffrey, like this kid Sean Warner and a lot of other druggies, would do well to overdose sometime. Would go a long way in cleaning out the gene pool.
Come on, who hasn't seen alien space ships?
"Anyone who gets high or has in the past on any drug should be for the decriminalization of all drugs."
What a shockingly naive statement.
Some (like heroin) can kill you - others can make you cough - so it's not even possible to compare them as if they had the same level of risk and harm. Trying to imply they're all the same is very ignorant.
Besides, most of the same uptight people who have some notion that they're more moral than the rest of the public regularly get high (or at least mentally altered) on prescription medications and alcohol - but they have some notion that corporate greed based drugs are somehow OK but natural ones are not.
Only when certain vets gets caught doing something wrong they blame it on P.T.S.D. It gives a bad name to those who actually suffer from it.
He would do well to overdose? He's advocating marijuana, which you don't overdose on, you fall asleep instead. Please don't make ignorant statements. If everybody on the planet smoked a joint just once a day we'd have a least one hour a day where nobody was blowing things up, killing their kids, or going on a shooting rampage. The most relaxed, least stressful hour ever. How many times do you hear about a guy smoking then flying into a rage and killing someone? Never, because pot isn't alcohol, it isn't pills or 'mother's little helper', or coke, or heroin. If it was legal, people wouldn't be killed by drug gangs over it. How about making something illegal that actually kills you, like cigarettes? Do you think I like breathing in your second-hand cancer? You have every right to kill yourself. Please, go ahead. I just want to smoke something that won't kill me, only calm me down a bit. But the tobacco industry has already been regulated so the gov't gets the maximum amount of money from it, whereas the marijuana industry hasn't. It won't be regulated, because then they couldn't seize the millions of pounds they find every year, or the cash, money and property that they can seize and sell for profit after. And I'm curious, what happens to all that pot the find? If you think they destroy it, just smile, go back to your breakfast, then go outside and ride your pet unicorn to work because you obviously live in a land of make-believe.
Iconspired Spired You don't smoke it just because it's not man made, you smoke it to get high. Sir you have no clue...... I have an autoimmune system disease. I was on on oxycodone,morphine for years. It began causing me all kinds of other health problems. The doctors kept telling me there wasn't much they could do.. So I took matters in my own hands. I weaned off the man made chemical crap that the drug comp,Doc,and government want you to take. Remember if it causes other issues it keeps them all in business. Any way i started using marijuana to help with my pain levels. It works just as good and is not causing my kidneys,liver and other organs to fail like the chemicals I was taking began to do.
I love all those anti-drug freaks. Brainwashing at it's best. Just imagine 200 years ago when George Washington, Ben Franklin and the other founding fathers ALL grew AND smoked pot. So how do you explain to people that drugs are bad, but yet drug users and abusers founded our country? Must be one of those things "OMITTED" from Republican propaganda textbooks. Thank god I was taught the "TRUTH" from "Hippie" teachers!
It's called dope for a reason. You're it.
you actually get 4 times more the tar so it is not any better for you.
@Ghost:
Myth #4: Marijuana is more dangerous than tobacco
This myth is FALSE
Because,
Smoked marijuana contains 2 times more tar and carbon monoxide as tobacco, but you should realize that someone who is a heavy tobacco smoker, smokes a lot more tobacco then a heavy marijuana smoker.
So a heavy tobacco smoker inhales much more smoke then a heavy marijuana smoker. As a result, the risk of serious lung damage is far more lower with marijuana smokers.
Then there are always people that say stuff like this:
“Someone told me that one joint equals 8 tobacco’s”
Some “scientist” said this 20 years ago on TV and people still believe this ferry tail.
Allow me to bust this myth once and for all and hit you with the facts.
Tar and carbon monoxide are the main reason why tobacco and marijuana are dangerous.
Tests have proven that the amount of tar and carbon monoxide in marijuana is about 2 times more then the amount of tar and carbon monoxide in tobacco’s.
This would mean that 1 (pure) joint equals 2 tobacco's. But, like I said before, Marijuana smokers smoke lesser joints then people that smoke cigarettes and there are only a very few people that smoke there joint pure.
Most of the time people mix there marijuana with tobacco, so that also lowers the above value of tar and carbon monoxide.
Lets take an example, if john would smoke 1 (pure) joint per day, versus steve that smokes 6 cigarettes a day (most people who smoke cigarettes, smoke a lot more, but I’am going easy on them).
That would mean that the 1 pure joint that john is smoking, equals 2 cigarettes that steve is smoking. So steve would be smoking (6-2=4) 4 cigarettes or with other words 4 times as more tar and carbon monoxide then steve.
John would have to smoke 3 pure joints a day to match up against the 6 cigarettes that steve is smoking, and 6 cigarettes a day is not a lot for a heavy tobacco smoker.
So if you look at the facts, it is true that marijuana contains more tar and carbon monoxide then cigarettes, but when you look at it in a real life situation you see that the cigarette smoker loses against the marijuana smoker!
Also, There have been no reports of lung cancer related solely to marijuana. Where there are millions of people that we know of that died of lung cancer, solely from smoking cigarettes
Unlike tobacco, marijuana causes no problems with the lung's small airway.
That shows that people will not develop emphysema (chronic lung disease) from smoking marijuana.
So we can conclude that marijuana is much SAFER than tobacco.
@Ghost:
Myth #4: Marijuana is more dangerous than tobacco
This myth is FALSE
Because,
Smoked marijuana contains 2 times more tar and carbon monoxide as tobacco, but you should realize that someone who is a heavy tobacco smoker, smokes a lot more tobacco then a heavy marijuana smoker.
So a heavy tobacco smoker inhales much more smoke then a heavy marijuana smoker. As a result, the risk of serious lung damage is far more lower with marijuana smokers.
Then there are always people that say stuff like this:
“Someone told me that one joint equals 8 tobacco’s”
Some “scientist” said this 20 years ago on TV and people still believe this ferry tail.
Allow me to bust this myth once and for all and hit you with the facts.
Tar and carbon monoxide are the main reason why tobacco and marijuana are dangerous.
Tests have proven that the amount of tar and carbon monoxide in marijuana is about 2 times more then the amount of tar and carbon monoxide in tobacco’s.
This would mean that 1 (pure) joint equals 2 tobacco's. But, like I said before, Marijuana smokers smoke lesser joints then people that smoke cigarettes and there are only a very few people that smoke there joint pure.
Most of the time people mix there marijuana with tobacco, so that also lowers the above value of tar and carbon monoxide.
Lets take an example, if john would smoke 1 (pure) joint per day, versus steve that smokes 6 cigarettes a day (most people who smoke cigarettes, smoke a lot more, but I’am going easy on them).
That would mean that the 1 pure joint that john is smoking, equals 2 cigarettes that steve is smoking. So steve would be smoking (6-2=4) 4 cigarettes or with other words 4 times as more tar and carbon monoxide then steve.
John would have to smoke 3 pure joints a day to match up against the 6 cigarettes that steve is smoking, and 6 cigarettes a day is not a lot for a heavy tobacco smoker.
So if you look at the facts, it is true that marijuana contains more tar and carbon monoxide then cigarettes, but when you look at it in a real life situation you see that the cigarette smoker loses against the marijuana smoker!
Also, There have been no reports of lung cancer related solely to marijuana. Where there are millions of people that we know of that died of lung cancer, solely from smoking cigarettes
Unlike tobacco, marijuana causes no problems with the lung's small airway.
That shows that people will not develop emphysema (chronic lung disease) from smoking marijuana.
So we can conclude that marijuana is much SAFER than tobacco.
@Ghost:
Myth #4: Marijuana is more dangerous than tobacco
This myth is FALSE
Because,
Smoked marijuana contains 2 times more tar and carbon monoxide as tobacco, but you should realize that someone who is a heavy tobacco smoker, smokes a lot more tobacco then a heavy marijuana smoker.
So a heavy tobacco smoker inhales much more smoke then a heavy marijuana smoker. As a result, the risk of serious lung damage is far more lower with marijuana smokers.
Then there are always people that say stuff like this:
“Someone told me that one joint equals 8 tobacco’s”
Some “scientist” said this 20 years ago on TV and people still believe this ferry tail.
Allow me to bust this myth once and for all and hit you with the facts.
Tar and carbon monoxide are the main reason why tobacco and marijuana are dangerous.
Tests have proven that the amount of tar and carbon monoxide in marijuana is about 2 times more then the amount of tar and carbon monoxide in tobacco’s.
This would mean that 1 (pure) joint equals 2 tobacco's. But, like I said before, Marijuana smokers smoke lesser joints then people that smoke cigarettes and there are only a very few people that smoke there joint pure.
Most of the time people mix there marijuana with tobacco, so that also lowers the above value of tar and carbon monoxide.
Lets take an example, if john would smoke 1 (pure) joint per day, versus steve that smokes 6 cigarettes a day (most people who smoke cigarettes, smoke a lot more, but I’am going easy on them).
That would mean that the 1 pure joint that john is smoking, equals 2 cigarettes that steve is smoking. So steve would be smoking (6-2=4) 4 cigarettes or with other words 4 times as more tar and carbon monoxide then steve.
John would have to smoke 3 pure joints a day to match up against the 6 cigarettes that steve is smoking, and 6 cigarettes a day is not a lot for a heavy tobacco smoker.
So if you look at the facts, it is true that marijuana contains more tar and carbon monoxide then cigarettes, but when you look at it in a real life situation you see that the cigarette smoker loses against the marijuana smoker!
Also, There have been no reports of lung cancer related solely to marijuana. Where there are millions of people that we know of that died of lung cancer, solely from smoking cigarettes
Unlike tobacco, marijuana causes no problems with the lung's small airway.
That shows that people will not develop emphysema (chronic lung disease) from smoking marijuana.
So we can conclude that marijuana is much SAFER than tobacco.
@Ghost:
Myth #4: Marijuana is more dangerous than tobacco
This myth is FALSE
Because,
Smoked marijuana contains 2 times more tar and carbon monoxide as tobacco, but you should realize that someone who is a heavy tobacco smoker, smokes a lot more tobacco then a heavy marijuana smoker.
So a heavy tobacco smoker inhales much more smoke then a heavy marijuana smoker. As a result, the risk of serious lung damage is far more lower with marijuana smokers.
Then there are always people that say stuff like this:
“Someone told me that one joint equals 8 tobacco’s”
Some “scientist” said this 20 years ago on TV and people still believe this ferry tail.
Allow me to bust this myth once and for all and hit you with the facts.
Tar and carbon monoxide are the main reason why tobacco and marijuana are dangerous.
Tests have proven that the amount of tar and carbon monoxide in marijuana is about 2 times more then the amount of tar and carbon monoxide in tobacco’s.
This would mean that 1 (pure) joint equals 2 tobacco's. But, like I said before, Marijuana smokers smoke lesser joints then people that smoke cigarettes and there are only a very few people that smoke there joint pure.
Most of the time people mix there marijuana with tobacco, so that also lowers the above value of tar and carbon monoxide.
Lets take an example, if john would smoke 1 (pure) joint per day, versus steve that smokes 6 cigarettes a day (most people who smoke cigarettes, smoke a lot more, but I’am going easy on them).
That would mean that the 1 pure joint that john is smoking, equals 2 cigarettes that steve is smoking. So steve would be smoking (6-2=4) 4 cigarettes or with other words 4 times as more tar and carbon monoxide then steve.
John would have to smoke 3 pure joints a day to match up against the 6 cigarettes that steve is smoking, and 6 cigarettes a day is not a lot for a heavy tobacco smoker.
So if you look at the facts, it is true that marijuana contains more tar and carbon monoxide then cigarettes, but when you look at it in a real life situation you see that the cigarette smoker loses against the marijuana smoker!
Also, There have been no reports of lung cancer related solely to marijuana. Where there are millions of people that we know of that died of lung cancer, solely from smoking cigarettes
Unlike tobacco, marijuana causes no problems with the lung's small airway.
That shows that people will not develop emphysema (chronic lung disease) from smoking marijuana.
So we can conclude that marijuana is much SAFER than tobacco.
There's nothing more boring than a drugs bore.
Personally, I think if you have to do anything daily to manipulate your body/mind into being able to relax, then you have a problem. I don't have any difficulty in relaxing without either alcohol or drugs.
That said, marijuana should be legal. I just don't want to hang out with people who smoke it. Trying to have a conversation with them is like talking to a 5 year old.
There's nothing wrong with marijuana. Propaganda fuels peoples' naivete about the effects. Propaganda that is fueled by the multi billion dollar alcohol and pharmaceutical industries that would see their profits plummet if marijuana were to be legalized.
This, coming from somebody who doesn't smoke the stuff(anymore). I personally get far too paranoid when I smoke it, so the reason I don't do it is because it's undesirable for ME. It affects everybody differently, but not in a way that's going to hurt other people or society as a whole as alcohol and prescription drugs so often do.
I have to agree with Snook. However, as a disabled Veteran being prescribed this trash to live a "normal" life, I cannot smoke pot. If even ONE UA comes back dirty, I lose my benefits - try finding a civie dr. - Even my VA Dr. wanted to prescribe the less invasive, natural, pain relieving marijuana, but being Federal, her hands were tied.
Go figure. Corporate Pharmacy at its best
I wholly disagree with this incorrect addiction analogy regarding pot, whereas any substance, including pot, can become addictive if one engages in it too often. Those who smoke weed regularly and then stop will suffer withdrawal symptoms and/or the same type of difficulties as other addictions, such as smoking, drinking, taking pain killers, hoarding or engage in compulsive eating.
I have a problem with this situation due to the fact she wasn't an innocent bystander who was "forced" to take drugs and appears to have been engaging in this activity by hanging with the wrong crowd according to her own stepfather. This dupe was simply the individual who delivered one of the many substances found in her body that she had willingly taken prior to her death, whereby, unless the coroner can conclusively prove it was the _heroin alone— that killed her, and not the other drugs collectively, then he shouldn't be charged with her death.
I think he should be convicted of lesser charges such as distribution of illegal narcotics and not calling for medical assistance. Teens her age know the consequences of taking drugs with the amount of media and information available today. Had he given it to her "against her will" I would take an entirely different position, but if it wasn't him it would have been some other unlucky slob. The same goes for that other 17 year old girl...if she willing allowed or asked him to deliver the heroin on several occassions then why should HE be in trouble for it? It's like asking someone to drive them to the store using their car and then blaming them for getting hit...BUT FOR had you not asked them to drive you wouldn't have been hit! When will people start taking RESPONSIBILITY for THEIR CHOICES and stop blaming someone else when something goes wrong because of it?!? Geesh.
She was a 14 year old child, he was a 26 year old adult. That makes him responsible. As she is dead and can't confirm his story, we are just dealing with heresay. It is just as likely that him and his buddies picked this girl up off the street and figured they would take her home, drug her and rape her. Remember, he is a 26 year old junkie, junkies tend to lie a lot.
Yes I have seen UFO's and I do have an Alien spirit that lives with me.
Have a good day evreyone.
Get some help Jeffrey. Go to rehab, your a drug addict.
commentingbecauseican
You can't even take a joke. I bet you are addicted to something.
Jeffery D Parks
Keep on token!!! and Don't let anybody tell you different. As a society we are constantly lied to.
How about the victim's family gets to give him an injection?
Do you really believe he did it? Isn't he a Navy Vet? A Hero?
I hate to say this, but the military does not produce the best people in the world, psychologically speaking. Yes, we should be greatful for the sacrifices they make to protect us, but at the same time we shouldn't let that blind us to the fact that they are still human and thus capable of ALL of the evils that the human race is capable of. In fact becuase of the derangements they suffer as a result of what their job entails they can be more prone to these evils.
Bob-434277, It seems to me that had the family done a better job, she might not be dead. This quote, "A single father who works graveyard shifts, Williams insisted he gave her a stable home", does not jive with the pictures on that Facebook tribute page. I am a single father, and there is no way I would let my daughter dress or act as she was in some of those pictures. This young girl clearly did not get much guidance at home, and went astray.
LittleOhRed, I certainly believe he did it. Also, just being in the military does not make you a hero, regardless of what the public thinks. For the record, I served honorably for 8 years.
I do not understand the reasoning of a single parent that is gone on midnights, what 11pm to 7am, not counting travel time, etc., seriously thinks this would work with a teenager in the house!!!!!!!! That would be equalivant to cooping up a 10 week old puppy in a small dark room with 10 pairs of dirty underwear for 10 hours and believing those valued underwear will be intact in the morning. Celebrate her life at the funeral? What to hell, she didn't get a chance at life. Parents the predators are out there. Start parenting.
How about the poor, dead, young woman accepting responsibility for her own actions? It's a new thing...consequences. She wasn't in grade/mid school. it is reported that she asked for it as she was willing to try something "new." Death is new
The way that the title is worded, it makes it sound like he was on active duty while the alleged* act took place.
What is the next misleading title? Here is one:
*Innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Definitely a sad and tragic story. However, I wouldn't characterize this girl as a victim of anything but ignorance and poor judgement. Moreover, I'm disappointed - though not surprised - by all the people vilifying and blaming the STEP-father . . . a lotta high horses 'round these parts.
pot is not a drug. you put a seed in teh ground and grow it then dry it just like tabacco. dont even try to put it in the same group as herione and all the other man made drugs. Mary jane has tons of benifits for people and everyone talking about the tar and how it has so much more than ciggerettes thats true IF u smoke a joint or bong rip. If they use a vaporiser there is no tar just vapor and no carsonjins or however u spell it. the government made a huge mistake classifing it how they did and could make just as much money off it by taxing it like ciggerettes and create jobs not to mention take away 2/3 of the mexican cartels drug money. 2/3!!!!!!!! by the way it was harder for me when i was in high school to get beer or liquer than it was for pot. why??? because of the strict regulations on alcohol and having to be 21 and the consiquinces of buying for someone under 21. People have been smoking pot ever since people have been on this planet. Making it illegal is the biggest hipocritical stance that a supposedly FREE country could make. The countrys that have made it legal have seen an actual drop in useage because when somethings legal it losses apeal becuase its legal. Just like when i turned 21 drinking wasnt as fun anymore because i was aloud to do it. Legalize it. Tax it. Create jobs. and take away 2/3s of the cartels profits.
Marijuana is also dangerous as it can cause paranoia, anxiety and schizophrenia
Paranoia being the by-product of engaging in something that shouldn't be illegal but is illegal, nonetheless. You must have read the pseudo-report wherein the results of testing "MJ" on 15 males in their 20s indicated that their brain activity changed and that they became more paranoid after being given THC in tablet form. Had they tried it on hundreds of individuals, including females, I might be inclined to believe some of that bag guano junk research. I might also be inclined to consider their "study" if they had allowed the study subjects to just take a few tokes off a real joint. Giving them high concentrations of one element of "MJ" does not make for accurate results. It just proves that if manipulated enough, people will believe anybody who tells them about The Boogie Man, and that they are the biggest paranoids walking the earth today. Good grief. . .what a bunch of Reefer Madness bunk!
Somebody had to do it right???
somebody did it wrong...
Another wacko vet.
this from another wacko civie.
There is plenty of both kinds of wackos to go around.
Seriously? another "whacko vet" despite the overwhelming number of veterans than served living well and making a living, you point out the exception? how liberal do you have to be to ignore the fact that veterans are statistically less inclined to commit crimes, be on welfare, or be a mooch to society to make such a statement? Get a clue. pointing out the exception does not negate the rule.
john-537378 That wacko vet is the reason you can talk stupid SH&%.
"to ignore the fact that veterans are statistically less inclined to commit crimes, be on welfare, or be a mooch to society to make such a statement?"
So the vets who are on 100% disability sucking up the gravy train from the rest of the public when they got a minor injury - you don't see that as welfare, or mooching? Seriously I know a guy who clearly was bipolar before he went in the Air Force, but since he was diagnosed during his service We The People "get to" pay for his "disability" as if he was actually wounded in battle. I knew another who served in the Army and was literally busted down to Private 3 or 4 times in a ~6 year enlistment but who is still eligible to receive some major benefits from the VA - even though he was more or less booted out for bad behavior and constantly being drunk.
Please, although most veterans served with honor and deserve our respect - DO NOT for a second try to fool yourself into thinking that anybody who has worn the uniform is deserving of respect - as there are many out there who are not.
And don't forget that we have seen a huge rash of recently returned veterans going all Rambo on their friends and family. There have been a ton of family massacres in the past few years where the shooter was daddy, recently home from a combat zone. How you overlooked these regular occurrences in your desire to flame the poster before you is beyond me. I don't see how calling somebody a wacko vet is partisan to one side or the other - the simple fact is that there are some who come home with some serious mental issues, and those people should not be sent right back to live with the wife and kids until it's obvious that they're going to be OK.
Just like with Vietnam, it seems that the DoD is doing a terrible job of outprocessing these soldiers - if they're not able to work in a normal civilian job yet, perhaps they should be an instructor at a stateside base before they return to civilian life - at least it would let them get it in their heads that (normally) nobody is out to shoot them. Having that understanding could take a long time to form for some of the really scarred veterans - but with others it would provide for a much smoother transition back to "the world".
john-537378, you can be sure there will be more Veterans with PTSD! YOU have NO idea what these people went through for our country (even if it was for a lie perpetrated by our CinC and his V.P.). They all went year in and year out to hellholes where ever second their lives were exposed to death!
There are many Veterans that will come through the hell they experienced "relatively" unchanged. However, these recent wars put more stress and length of stress on these people than any previous wars the US has engaged in. There are hundreds of thousands of Veterans out there that will not go "unchanged", and our system is no where near prepared to care for all of them, which is our duty and responsibility to each of them at the very least! Each has his tolerance level to the horrors we placed them into. Many now are fighting themselves, asking "what is happening to me?" Many other only have the feeling that something is wrong, but still able to function. Still others have taken their own lives and in this instance someone else's life unfortunately.
I DO place blame for all of this on Mr. Bush, Mr. Cheney and even Mr. Obama for continually placing our nation's youth in harm's way over and over again. Mr. Obama would still have them in Iraq if given his way. We left Iraq because the Iraqi's would not give US troops immunity against Iraqi prosecution for any alleged crimes. Remember some of the ruthless wealthy in this country make billions off of war. That has been a fact for as long as we have been a nation. We are not alone in war profiteers, but I'm sure most of us Americans expect much, much, more moral and ethical conduct out of a select few who are without a soul.
If you doubt me, read Marine Corp's Gen. Smedley D. Butler's, "War is a racket". He understood this 80 years ago.
I do hope if that some reading my opinion here will further their knowledge concerning a most serious time for our country's Veterans! We ALL owe them more than we can ever repay. -Paul Hester
War and wacko go together like Republican and bigot.
Alot of people like to hide there Vets behind Honor and Freedom, they always forget that there Vets are not not so immaculate... makes me sick.
Few friends of mine joined just so they can get an excuse to kill people, oh yeah they are sooooo honorable and they fight for my freedom, Sick.
Some deserve respect while others deserve none. Don't even get me started with all the war crimes that your vets commit over sea's. Disgusting.
I would have to disagree with your opinion that it is liberals who ignore facts. It has been statistically shown that conservatives are the mind set that hate change of any kind and consistently try to alter "facts" to their own revised reality.
Drugs are inanimate objects, just like bullets and guns are. It is the person who chooses what to do with either a drug, a gun, or anything else for that matter, that makes the decision to either use them or not use them. Humans are far from perfect and will often times makes the wrong choice in a lot of things. Are all the wrong choices also inherently evil, like guns and drugs have been blamed as being?
People need to accept that everyone is different and may have different values. Just because their values are different than yours does not make them evil or wrong. Live and let live. If you don't want to do drugs or own a gun, don't. Don't judge others though because they may have a different view than yours. Extremists on both the left and right give the term liberals and conservatives a bad name. Neither one can warp reality to fit their views or their agenda, so live and let live and this world would be a lot better place.
If these "few friends of yours" Orly are as you say, what does that say about you and the friends you choose?
I'm going to assume you are a brain-washed media slave trying to credit your opinion with fabricated friends.
But either way Orly, you seem troubled. When you either jump off or fall off your high horse and accept you're just as bad as those you speak of - then you will have taken your first step towards wisdom and actual goodness.
Cheers!
For all these negative comments about vets, if you don't understand the cost of freedom then move out. I am sure Russia will take you in. Sure there maybe a few bad apples in an occasional bushel but isn't it true about every community?
Don't forget your Mother and your Uncle, wait I mean your Father, wait that is your Uncle!
thelastbrainalive
So we all- ALL join the Military just for the Honor? Please give me a break. Admit your just one of
those Crazed Military Family Bud heads that believe's that your Son or Daughter can do no wrong -
because you have have instilled "family Values".
CHEERIO!
Excellent post Roadhead! Both parties and the terms they use to segregate and divide our Union because of personal beliefs/agendas does this country far more harm than good! If both sides got together and had to select the TOP FIVE areas that are the most important to them, I bet you a dollar both sides (Rep and Dem) would find they have more in common than all the minutia bull crap they use to seprate themselves, and in doing so, divide our country for no legitimate reason.
This country is in serious need of a political intervention!
up urs pal.
Orly-4376386
You're an idiot. I don't care if they sign up for honor or to drop bodies. They do it. More than you can say. My point is that you were just lying to prove an opinion, which is just pathetic. You're an arrogant little f*ck who needs to experience the real world before you start talking about "atrocities" and "disgusting" acts committed by individuals here or abroad.
Cheers you little sh*t
Hey y'all leave Jeffery alone. I don't and have never consumed any drugs but I have been around people that smoke weed and I can say one thing. People on weed are not as mean or obnoxious as most people drunk from liqueur or beer.
Ditto.....I divorced an alcoholic and he was the most obnoxious person I know when he was drinking.
I admit that I believe many vets suffer from PTSD but this excuse for criminal behavior is getting tiring. Every morning I sit here to read 'the news' and every morning there is another vet arrested for which 'suffering from PTSD' is always mentioned. If there are that many vets living among us with such severe, untreated, undiagnosed PTSD, how do we care for our vets so they can return to and live a well adjusted and happy life and still keep the rest of us safe in the process? This is getting frightening - for them and us.
Your name is thank you vets? See any irony there?
He is 26 years old, he knows right from wrong. He had the girl there not because they were friends, but because he wanted to have sex with a 14 year old. He injected her,he should face the consequences. This has nothing to do with PTSD. PTSD is a serious condition, but not an excuse for this type of crime. He has an entire list of things he can be, and should be, charged with. Being in the military does not make you a better or worse person. There are plenty of stand up guys in the military, and plenty of losers like this one.
You hit the nail on the head- He was just going to have sex with the 14 year old and she was stupid enough to get involved.
That's the one thing that stuck out to me reading this article - a 26 year old man hanging with underage girls. This is not a case of PTSD or millitary issues. The dude is a pedifile.
most herion users dont care about sex, heroin destroys/ replaces that craving.
I never read in the article where it said anything about sex with a child. Maybe you all better take a look in the mirror.
What else would a 14 yo girl be good for??? The laundry or a steak dinner? He knew what he wanted and so dd she. When they fry him, the world will be that much better off without those two.
As being a recovering addict, I can assure you it almost assuredly did not have to do with having sex with that girl. The post above is accurate, heroin replaces the craving for sex. Your sex drive becomes non-existent. What I can tell you was probably truly going on is that, when I was using I was absolutely miserable, and misery LOVES company. It's very sick but as a user I wanted to have as many other users around me as possible. It was what gave me a sense of being "okay" or "normal", allowing me to continue to run from my problems and live in a fantasy. Unfortunately, the fact that she was 14 really and truly probably did not get processed in his head as wrong.
Very sad story, I will keep victim(s) in my prayers.
Sorry Jimmy-3198532, Alaska doesn't have the death penalty.
What? Reread the article. You're making it up as you go.
There is no such thing as a Navy "Medic". There are Army Medics and Navy Corpsmen. I guess learning the English language is no longer a requirement for a journalism degree.
@Thankyouvets, I agree that the "PTSD" argument is getting old. It seems that everyone who commits a crime has suffered from PTSD and is therefore not responsible for their stupidity. So old!
Thank you Phydeaux! You finally corrected the journalists!
Anyway, there are many vets out there who have served this great country of ours and I hope that those vets who do suffer from PTSD, receive all the help that they need.
Phydeaux,
What you read in the article is probable the problem with most of what you read because it is written by some dumba$$ too lazy to do the proper research.
Don't know if you've ever been interviewed by a "newspaper" person, but I have. When I read the article based on a face to face, I could hardly believe what was written because it certainly was not what I said.
A lot of these "journalists" are people that could not cut it at anything else so they become "writers." As far as I am concerned the education system needs to buckle down and weed out these dummies.
i tend to agree to a certain extent....one addict blaming another addict.......all three were guilty, unfortunately, one was of age and didn't OD...he'll need to answer up
One more reason I believe in executing pushers and users of hard drugs.
That's pretty ignorant MOSinEUR.
So your family members who are pain killers right now should be executed as well? Same drug my friend, different potency but same effect and same ability to OD.
Being a recovering heroin addict who pays taxes, has a successful job, runs a counseling program to help addicts get freedom from their addictions, and even drives the speed limit; I take offense to your belief that I should have been executed.
And when I foretold this I received nothing but flames, including one that said I ought to be killed. The core message was: They fought for your freedom, so shut up. ROFL Translation: they fought for my freedom to regurgitate PC BS. Truth: They fought because they wanted to play bad-a$$ in real life and found the non-video version wasn't as much fun as they thought it would be. Spin: They have PTSD.
They weren't well-adjusted before they left. Well-adjusted people don't invade other countries and kill civilians except in defense, even if a drunken moron tells them to.
Lynndie England coming to a town near you. Aren't you proud? Won't you sleep better at night?
As the song says, you ain't seen nothing yet.
Chickens. Coming home to roost.
Interesting....I've been thinking about the structure of benefits our service people get...for the rest of their lives. I agree that it's hard to say anything about this because of all of the PC ramifications.
The armed forces does a physical when you go in and another when you leave. Any changes are documented and given a percentage of disability. It seems to me that medical services should be tiered so the taxpayer isn't paying for thousands and thousands of people's medical care forever when they have a low or no change of disability. I don't know the percentage of recruits who make it to the front line but I'm guessing many don't. Many have regular old jobs like the rest of us do every day. Part of the pitch to join the service is to learn a trade and why they should get medical care forever for learning that trade is beyond me. Especially if the United States plans on being in some kind of war forever which seems to be the case.
It smacks of universal care...but only for a certain sect. The very sect that thinks we shouldn't have it for everyone.
As for PTSD the post above is right. We have to remember that many of our service members are very poor kids who grew up in ghetto conditions. Many of them have already suffered traumatic conditions and I'm sure war didn't help any of that. PTSD is getting as old as the race card. Unfortunately, some times it's true.
I knew many in my units in Nam that did MJ. Some did more then that. I never did, because I grew up hearing about Heroin and LSD and just hearing about those drugs was enough to scare me away from using any MJ. I am sure it's the same with vets that have been in the middle east. Combat has a way of doing that to troops.
Very sad. Condolences to both famlies.
she was a 14 yr. old kid. he had no buisness sticking a needle in that girls arm.now if she had been over 21 then i dont think he should be charged with anything.junkies shoot up each other all the time but not kids.
They go pick up a 14 year old girl, take her home, (presumably for illicit sex), she says she "is williing to try something new" which tells me she was not a junkie, just a kid willing to experiment. Those facts being established he needs to spend the rest of his natural life in prison to protect ths rest of our youth from this predator.
You got that right Brother!!!!! In spades!! This little Cock knocker needs to have his balls slapped with a razor blade and then coverd with fire ants. I am the father of a Six (6) year old girl, and I would love to be the Gaurd at his cell after "Lights out".
Southern, the "experimental menatality" explains the heroin. How do you explain the meth and coke that were in her system? This wasn't a newby. She had already experimented and was only upping her game. Wrong choice. Yup, the over-age drug addict has some explaining to do, but I'm pretty sure that he didn't ask for her ID to verify that she was of age. 17 years old can look like 30 sometimes. Just sayin'
Southerngent - Your 'presumptions' are not 'established facts'.
Paulcountry - if you can't spell Guard, I doubt you could be one. As far as being a guard in his cell at "Lights Out", should everyone presume you are a sexual deviant, a bully, or just another criminal? As far as being the father of a six year old, now that's scary.
Yet another example that the American military is just as full of idiot misfits as they are heroic volunteers. A substantial amount of those serving in the military are not doing it because they saw 9-11 attrocities, or have a tremendous sense of duty to the country. They are there out of desperation for a job, or they were unable to get their own sh** together in life so they signed up, or they just want to play cowboy. The media and Americans in general need to stop glorifying it SO much, so that jackasses like this guy don't get such a feeling of entitlement. The volunteers that take a bullet, or fly jets, or drive in to enemy fire deserve more thanks than we can ever give them, but we owe them a little more discretion so that the losers don't continue to piggy-back on the courage and integrity of the honorable volunteers.
Well said
I guess I'm just another misfit, that served for 26+years. So IDIOTS can spout the BS you are pushing...
After you have adopted, raised, and paid for their college - THREE children. Sponsored TWO international exchange students and TWO - CFC children for DECADES...
Then we can decide who is the misfit, that has done NOTHING for their country or fellow man...
Well said AC Robertson, thanks for your service......
AC Robertson It sounds like you need a hobby and have too much money on your hands. Let nature take its course with the poor stupid and inbred. In other words, Mind your own business.
AC - bitter much? Why are YOU insulted? You are easily part of that large portion of people with integrity - BUT you seem to insist that everyone bow down to every common Joe that ever signed on with the military just because they did. THAT is BS.
Mike C - Your application of statistics is amazing. Your breadth of insight astounding.
Did not intend to harm? How as a Navy medic can you not know the possible consequences of this kind of action? I hope he is prosecuted to the fullest extent law will allow!
No one on this thread supported any of the wars. Just checking.
This article is heart rending to read and so are some of the posts. There is no way to excuse the behavior of the veteran - heroin addict, nor the father of the 14 year old girl. I do sympathize with the father since he had to work graveyard hours and was a single parent but leaving a 14 year old unsupervised is asking for trouble. Kids that age are spreading their wings, beginning to seek out new experiences and without proper direction and supervision they are prone to being victimized by people with predatory inclinations. The veteran - heroin addict is a predator and while he may have not meant to kill the girl, the "no harm" mentioned here is BS. How can someone with his background inject someone with one of the most addictive substances known to man and claim he meant no harm?
Heroin.
How can a drunk who kills someone while driving say that killing was not their intent? Because of the booze. It is far more likely that killing was not their intent at all. Drinking was. How can someone under the influence of heroin kill someone by injecting them, like they did to themselves, and say that killing was not their intent? Because of the heroin. Getting high was their intent. It is far more likely that killing was not their intent at all. Further, someone who does drugs does not default to also being a sex offender or pedophile or murderer or how about adding wife beater, arsenist or satanic worshiper. However, it is more convenient to think of it in those terms. It's a rush. And it's easy. Problem is, more often than not, that is not the case. Drug abuse is not exclusive to any group or age and is often symptomatic of myriad problems that you can list ad infinitum. For all our education in America, I am overwhelmed at how limited our understanding is, how quick we assume, and how wholly unwilling we are to choose insight over condemnation. Because again, it is more convenient to think of it in those terms, but it rarely speaks to truth.
As a former Navy corpsman who served in heavy combat with the Marines, PTSD is a real disorder and is challenging the resources of our VA medical system. Hopefully the budget cuts will not diminish help available to these vets. On the other hand I find the allegations that this former corpsman injected these dangerous drugs apalling. I believe he should be evaluated to determine if he is mentally capable and based upon these results held accountable for his actions to the fullest extent of the law. I find it difficult to understand that PTSD can totally remove a person's sense of right from wrong in the context of this case.
Dennis, living with PTSD can be quite an emotional roller coaster, but I believe that with all his training, he was an expert on what NOT to do, but he did it anyway. He knew what he was doing was wrong and I think he should be hung as an example to others.
Hopefully as much truth as possible will come out in a court case so that justice will be served.
I served in Alaska and there is a saying that applies aptly to this individual. That being( Give him to us, the bears need fed anyway!)
Sarge your suggestion is really helpful! You should know better then anyone that we have created a generation of young people with combat related physical and psychological problems. While this does not give them a free pass to commit criminal actions, I am disappointed that you want to feed one of them to the bears. Glad you are retired and no longer defending our country with that attitude.
You are correct! I wasn't thinking. Would not want to give the bears diarhea! However blaming PTSD these days seems to be the practice for every conceivable act. What once was blamed on having a bad childhood is now blamed on PTSD. PTSD has become the catch phrase for far too many crimes that are just that crimes! I do however agree with you that he needs to be evaluated to see if he is competant and understands what he did. I volunteer with the local VA Medical Center and they run one of the best PTSD programs in the country. So if he was diagnosed with PTSD was he being treated ? If not, why not?
Dennis,
Once you have made a few trips to families and have to tell them their relative is DEAD due to a addiction or by the hands of someone that is addicted...
You will change your attitude...
USMC - 26+years and a EMT/Firefighter/Rescue Diver sence 1982...
You are correct Retired: Many of the creeps we read about went INTO the military that way. For awhile the military took anything that could slither through the recruitment door. The recruiting gsts. didn't care, they just wanted to meet quota. But hey, for saying they have ptsd they get a check every month.
Sarge, I agree but you cannot force a person to be treated for PTSD or even be evaluated for it. However talk like feeding him to the bears shows a negative societal bias toward people with PTSD. The latter makes you feel like a social outcast if you have PTSD. Therefore, you do not seek help and will not admit you need help to avoid this bias. This is a serious disorder and should be treated seriously. If I saw your post and had not come to terms with my PTSD I may continue to hide it and not seek help. I know. I congratulate you on volunteering at the clinic. I hope you do not bring the attitude you demonstrated in these posts to your VA activities.
Jeanette: Back when I went for my enlistment physical part of the process was everyone joining the Army got to sit down and have a chat with a mental health worker for a short interview as to our reason for enlisting in the Army. Perhaps they no longer do this. If not it should be brought back. I spent six years as an Infantry Drill Sergeant and watched as the caliber of recruits went from highly motivated people to self indulgent cry babies who couldn't wipe their noses without mommy or daddy there to hold their hand. As I understand it now a person going through Basic Training gets time outs and all sorts of other concessions that make it almost like going to summer camp. How I was raised was to be self reliant and take responsibility for my own actions. I fear the way kids are raised today is that if mommy or daddy isn't there doing it for them they don't know how to act. Except to whine!
Dennis: My respones re: the bears was not with regard to his PTSD but the fact that he was responsible for the death of a 14 year old girl. So this was in response to the act not the circumstances! I am part of a Native American culture that will tell you, you do not hurt our children or our elders. We have veterans here from WWII being treated for PTSD, no longer called Battle Fatigue. I am glad you are being helped and I consider it a priviledge to be able to help support veterans who suffer from PTSD or any other injury or illness for that matter. I am old school and still support the idea of no one left behind be it in the field or here at home.
But won't the poor bears be poisioned by the toxins in his body??? I think the crabs can deal with the toxins better.
Another addict DEAD, who cares...
Catch the person who administered and/or supplied the drugs, and make sure they DIE also...
Opps, this is the USA, where everyone has more rights that the victim... Ha! Ha!
Glad I'm leaving for Asia Monday, where they put dealers/traffickers to DEATH and users can go to jail for life...
AC please don't make assumptions about what I did or did not do. You would be wrong. You come across bitter and disillusioned and angry. Symptoms of PTSD possibly. Sounds like you have been through a lot for our country and community. Maybe you should seek help. I say this is constructive way not being critical or flip because of your long service.
Promoting personnel accountability and being held responsible for ones actions...
EXCUSES are for little children...
PTSD is just another excuse for someone, so they will not be held accountable for their own actions...
Dennis-952637: In case you missed my response. When I suggested the bears need fed. It had nothing whatsoever to do with PTSD but the act and the fact that a 14 year old girl had died. PTSD is a very real problem but it is also not a new one. It was formerly called Battle Fatigue. I consider it a priviledge to be able to spend time with the men and women currently being treated at our local VA Hospital regardless of injury type. I come from a background and a tradition that puts our children and elders first and foremost so understand my response to the person responsible for the death of any child. I am also old school in my thinking, leave no one behind, be it on the battle field or at home. My phone is available 24/7 for any local veteran who is in need of help!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The fact that this has NOTHING to do with the man being a vet. really shows the author has a personal agenda against our armed forces.
This was my first thought. What did him being a vet have to do with anything?
1SGTFitzsWife4ID: You are right being a vet had nothing to do with it. Although PTSD is a very real issue for some for others it"s the new way of saying I had a bad childhood!
ummm, he INJECTED them with HEROINE...
it was a friendly gesture...hmmp...
looooooooooooooooooseers
wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnners...
hoooooooomoooooos!
So sad. Such a beautiful young girl. What a waste.
So sad. A young man. What a waste.
I'm not saying that post-traumatic stress isn't real but it now seems to be the excuse used every time a vet does something bad.
Congratulations, Chris A.
You just became 'enlightened' to the reality of sending very young adults off to pick up the pieces of their dead young friends bodies and minds, "For Freedom".
Unless you have been, you can never understand. Now paddle on downstairs and get pack to your video game. Their world needs saving.
Rick Day,
I've had friends go over to Iraq and Afganistan not just once but several times. They don't come back shooting kids up with heroin! It doesn't mean that war hasn't affected them, it means that you can't just use war as an excuse for bad behavior. You just come of as a total idiot.