While Hollywood may have a penchant for over-dramatizing historical events, there are few who would claim that the events chronicled in the 2001 miniseries "Band of Brothers" were embellished. Rather, many critics say that it was the real actions of William Guarnere and his fellow soldiers of Easy Company during World War II that defy belief.
Military.com reported that Guarnere, 90, passed away Mar. 8 in his hometown of Philadelphia. While he may have lived a relatively obscure life after military service, the WWII veteran's story was brought to light by historian Stephen Ambrose's 1992 book and immortalized by the television series.
War-time exploits
Guarnere was only a year out of high school when he enlisted in the Army from his home in South Philadelphia. As readers of the book and viewers of the series know, Guarnere was placed into the 101st Airborne Division that would parachute behind enemy lines days before the D-Day invasion.
While most soldiers were concerned for themselves, Military.com explained that Guarnere had learned his brother was killed fighting in Italy just days before his jump. His fearless actions during countless firefights after the jump and until the completion of the war in 1945 earned him the nickname "Wild Bill."
"He was without a doubt one of the bravest and best soldiers in all of Easy Company," historian Jake Powers told NBC Philadelphia. "He was one of the best combat leaders not only in his company but also the division. If there was a fight going on with the 1st Platoon or 3rd Platoon, Bill would miraculously show up and leave 2nd Platoon to go help."
Guarnere's tour of duty would be cut short when he lost a leg attempting to rescue a fellow soldier from an artillery barrage as Easy Company marched across Belgium.
Guarnere's life after service
Though Guarnere was no longer a solider, he never let go of Easy Company completely. Powers told NBC Philadelphia how the veteran would coordinate reunions for the surviving members of the company with constant newsletters and personal notes.
Decades before their exploits would become widely known – Guarnere would not tell his own son about his experiences in WWII – Powers believed that he was the real reason Easy Company stayed in contact after so many years.
"He was the glue that held the Company together," Powers said.
All servicemembers deserve praise for the service to their country, but some like Marine Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter go so far above and beyond their call of duty that even the highest praise awarded by the U.S. may not seem like enough.
Initially wounded in a 2010 grenade attack in Afghanistan, Carpenter will most likely be the latest veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to receive the Medal of Honor, according to the Marine Corps Times. Carpenter would be the 10th soldier and second Marine to receive the award since the wars began.
Carpenter's self-sacrifice
According to the Marine Corps Times, in 2010 Carpenter was standing guard alongside Lance Cpl. Nicholas Eufrazio on a rooftop in Marjah district of Afghanistan when an unidentified insurgent lobbed a grenade in front of the soldiers' feet. Without time to act, Carpenter laid his body over the grenade and possibly saved Eufrazio's life in the process.
Stars and Stripes explained that the recommendation for the Medal of Honor comes almost four years later because it proved difficult for Marine investigators to determine what actually happened during the attack. Other than Carpenter and Eufrazio, there were no other witnesses. Due to the injuries both soldiers sustained from the blast, Carpenter was left unable to remember any details of the incident, while Eufrazio was not able to speak due to his injuries until 2012.
Medical examiners initially determined that from the location of the blast on Carpenter's torso, there could be no other explanation than Carpenter sacrificing himself to save the life of his friend.
Media attention and the Medal of Honor
Carpenter has received increased media attention recently as a result of several interviews with Reader's Digest and an appearance on Katie Couric's nationally televised talk show. Even as he is about to receive the nation's highest honor, Carpenter promised on a Facebook page dedicated to him called "Operation Kyle" that he would never take his second chance at life for granted.
"I just want to thank and remind all of you how much it means and how truly appreciative I am for every comment, message, word of encouragement and prayer you have sent my way since that day in November 2010," Carpenter wrote. "You have helped get me to where I am today and for that I will be forever grateful."
While it may not be the compromise that advocates for military benefits wanted, the across-the-board cuts to the cost of living adjustments in veterans benefits packages were repealed by Congress. Some veterans groups are happy to have preserved pensions for retirees that have already served in active duty, but are still unhappy that Congress has voted to keep the COLA cuts in place for all new enlistees.
Fighting back on COLA cuts
Military.com reported on the repeal of the bill which was initially written in response to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's recommendation that the military's future operational capabilities would be hampered by its financial commitment to retirees. Veterans groups and lawmakers railed against the bill for weeks, and the late hours of Feb. 13 saw Congress vote to exempt current retirees and enlisted servicemembers from the COLA cuts. However, any soldier who joined or planned to join the military on or after Jan. 1, 2014 will still be affected by the reduction to their veterans benefits.
Director of government relations for Military Officers Association of America Air Force Col. Michael F. Hayden was glad to hear of the compromise on the bill, but he admitted it wasn't what he and his colleagues were hoping for.
"I can't call it a clear cut victory because we were looking for full repeal," Hayden told Military.com.
Other veterans groups were less supportive of Congress's decision to push the budget cuts on new members of the Armed Forces.
"[This] is a compromise we cannot support because it does so at the expense of future military retirees who will be required to serve and sacrifice just as much as their predecessors," Joe Davis, spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars told Stars and Stripes. "The VFW wants a full repeal of the COLA penalty for all generations, and we hope this vote continues that conversation."
Moving numbers, shifting figures
The COLA cuts will reduce retirees' pensions during their life after service by one percentage point under inflation, and while that may not sound like much, The Washington Post reported that new enlistees stand to lose upwards of $69,000 while officers would see an average of $87,000 vanish into thin air.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash, told the press that Congress had passed the bill without a serious review of its impact on the national budget. Smith also criticized the move as a pass-the-buck maneuver, with politically-conscious politicians electing to make an expedient choice rather than a difficult one.
Continuing the recent increase in veteran employment rates, a coalition of companies in the construction industry have partnered with Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden's support initiative for veterans entering life after service. Several companies have already been vocally supportive of the effort, as the construction industry is expected to be one of the fastest growing sectors in the country over the next dozen years.
A new jobs pledge
Stars and Stripes reported that the first lady led a discussion with representatives from the construction industry Feb. 10 where a variety of companies pledged to hire over 100,000 veterans by 2019. More than 100 companies have already attached their names to the initiative. Businesses range from nationally recognized brands like Jacobs Engineering to local firms in need of specialized labor.
"[Servicemembers] have built cities in the middle of deserts halfway around the world," Obama told the conference. "They've built schools in remote villages. They've repaired complex machinery in combat zones in the middle of the night. In short, our troops have taken on some of the most challenging projects in some of the most inhospitable places under some of the toughest deadlines and constraints."
The hiring drive is part of the White House's "Joining Forces" initiative, which seeks to provide all-purpose support for veterans. The organization's website indicates that the advocacy arm of the group seeks to "inspire, educate and spark action from all sectors of society."
Both Obama and Biden helped launch Joining Forces in 2011.
Decreasing numbers, increasing hope
The jobs pledge comes at a time when the veteran unemployment rate is already falling. The Washington Post reported that the unemployment rate for veterans has been falling ever since a spike in January 2012. A smaller sample size has traditionally led to more dramatic increases and decreases of the veteran unemployment rate compared to the national average, but a steady downward progression is good news. An extra 100,000 jobs will do much to lower that rate even further.
Veterans have faced certain employment-related obstacles in recent years from speed bumps in gaining accreditation for their military skills for use in the private sector. The Joining Forces initiative will also seek to help veterans on that front.
"Many of the skills and abilities gained during military training and service are highly transferable to the skills we require to successfully serve our clients around the world," Lori Sundberg, senior vice president of human resources at Jacobs, told Stars and Stripes.
The challenges facing each veteran in his or her life after service can be difficult to face alone. From finding employment to successfully reintegrating into peacetime society, injuries sustained in combat can make the transition to civilian life hard to navigate. However, when it comes to traumatic brain injuries, the goals are a bit different. The aim of military retirement becomes quality of life, and the Pentagon is throwing the full weight of its research and development department into finding a solution for the many problems that plague TBI patients.
DARPA seeks proposals
Stars and Stripes reported that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is accepting proposals from technology firms for the development of a wireless implant device that would aid veterans who have suffered memory loss as the result of a combat brain injury. DARPA seeks a device that would use implantable probes to monitor brain activity, as well as stimulate nerves to reactivate memories that were lost due to severe trauma.
"The way human memory works is one of the great unsolved mysteries," Andreas Lozano, chairman of neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, told Stars and Stripes. "This has tremendous value from a basic science aspect. It may have huge implications for patients with disorders affecting memory, including those with dementia and Alzheimer's disease."
While the project may result in helpful information regarding many other conditions, this initiative would not specifically seek to help patients recall pieces of information like names and address that slip away due to degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Rather, it would help veterans retrieve information related to motor skills and basic tasks to improve their quality of life.
Traumatic brain injury and the military
Brain injuries have historically been brushed off or misdiagnosed as "shellshock" or other common terms, when in reality a serious injury has occurred. The Brain Trauma Foundation explained that anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have suffered some degree of TBI. The numbers could run as high as 300,000 troops, while among soldiers identified as wounded, the preponderance of TBI spikes to 33 percent.
mTBI, often referred to as a concussion, can be difficult to separate from its more injurious variant. TBI generally manifests itself with short term symptoms like headaches, nausea, slurred speech and confusion. Long term symptoms include difficulty remaining attentive, dramatic changes in behavior and alexithymia, or trouble identifying and processing the emotions of the self or others.
The DARPA proposal is part of President Barack Obama's Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative.
It can be difficult for soldiers to determine just what options are available to them after their military careers are done, but the Department of Veterans Affairs has just made that process a lot easier.
Stars and Stripes reported that the VA released the GI Bill Comparison Tool Feb. 5 to make the process of comparing army benefits easier for retired soldiers. The aggregator compiles information from 17 different online sites and three government agencies to not only simplify the process for troops searching for real-world applications of the benefits they earned through military service.
"Before this tool launched, estimating how much beneficiaries may receive under the Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit was challenging," VA Deputy Understudy for the Office of Economic Opportunity Curtis Coy told Stars and Stripes. "The new comparison tool makes it easy to estimate Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits with just one click."
The tool covers more than just financial assistance, as the website also lists assistance for continuing education programs veterans may qualify for. The assistance includes support for tuition, housing and course textbooks.
The VA has given out more than $30 billion in payments to support veterans interested in going back to school, and this new tool will make that process even easier.
Before Andrew Pike turned 20 years old, his ability to enjoy his favorite pastimes of hunting and fishing were taken away after a wartime injury in Iraq. But with the help of a few Idaho volunteers, companies and a high-tech wheelchair, Pike can once again enjoy the outdoors with as much freedom as before.
A belated Christmas gift
KTVB Boise reported that Pike, now a 28-year-old Army veteran, was honored at the Idaho Statehouse Jan. 22. After a speech on his behalf by Governor C.L. Otter, Pike was presented with a specialized all-terrain wheelchair – complete with a gun rack – that will allow the paralyzed serviceman to hunt and fish again.
The motorized wheelchair has special treads that can move through the difficult terrain normally encountered on a day of trekking through the woods. Most importantly, though, is an automatic system that moves Pike from a seated to a standing position, making it much easier for him to spot game and aim steady. For ease of use, it also features hand-held controls and a flashlight.
Line of fire
Pike enlisted in the Army right after high school and was in Iraq as a Specialist with the 82nd Airborne Division on his first ever deployment. He was patrolling the northern city of Baiji when a sniper's bullet paralyzed him for life from the waist down.
It was during his recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center that Pike was introduced to the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), an organization that not only assures that soldiers receive their military benefits in a timely manner, but also supports medical research for spinal cord injuries.
Cooperative support
While Pike's path toward regaining his mobility began with the PVA, it took a few more organizations full of dedicated volunteers to help it along.
The wheelchair was created and donated by Higher Ground, an Idaho-based firm focused on adaptive recreation. Through therapy or mechanical assistance, Higher Ground seeks to "enhance quality of life through inclusive therapeutic recreation and education for people of all abilities," according to the company's website.
The funds for the wheelchair were raised in tandem by the PVA and The Independence Fund, a non-profit organization that supplements the normal aid and support available to wounded servicemembers through veterans benefits programs.
Sitting in his new wheelchair, Pike can't help but be hopeful.
"The only thing you can do is look to what's in the future, look to what you can do, and take those things and build on them, and if somebody says you can't, then find a way to do it," he told KTVB
For military retirees and those soon to leave active duty, the fight continues against budget cuts to the cost of living adjustments in veterans benefits packages.
Representatives from the Pentagon met again with congressmen Jan. 28 to resist cuts to veterans' pension plans. In addition to opposing the cuts outright, acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Christine Fox and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. James Winnefeld proposed a plan to exempt current retirees and soldiers soon to leave the service from the proposed cuts, Military Times reported. They also argued to the Senate Armed Services Committee that any proposed cuts should only come after an exploratory group within the military had a chance to review the numbers and any effects that may result from proposed cuts.
"Because of the complex nature of military retirement benefits, we recommend that the Congress not make any additional changes in this area until the commission provides its report," Fox said.
The current round of proposed cuts has its roots in a 2011 report by the Defense Business Board that argued the current system of veterans benefits for retired soldiers was too expensive and would eventually hamper the Pentagon's ability to fund military operations.
If not amended, the cuts will go into effect Dec. 1, 2015.
With more and more troops coming home from extended deployments, there was a strong focus on how best to integrate soldiers back into life after service at the Army's quarterly meeting between top officials and several representatives of veterans groups.
Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno and Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho were among the highest ranking officials on hand at the Jan. 24 meeting to ensure that soldiers are being supported in their returns to the U.S., the Army reported. Several veterans organizations were represented, from those focused on finding post-military employment for servicemembers to those helping soldiers work through traumatic experiences from combat.
"When leadership comes in to talk to the veterans' service community, it demonstrates to veterans that they are interested in the soldiers after they get out of the service," said Genevieve Chase, an Army reservist and founder of American Women Veterans.
Among the leadership present was Col. Adam Rocke, director of the Soldier for Life initiative. Founded only a year and a half ago, the program functions as an all-inclusive support system for veterans in search of health care, certification for skills gained through military service and general advice on how to ease back into civilian life.
"These [meetings] are paramount because at the end of the day, it's not about any one individual," Rocke said, "it's about the collective group – the service members and their families as a whole."
It can be easy to lose sight of the important things when politics get involved, but Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg's presence at the State of the Union address reminded the nation what true sacrifice and courage look like.
Injury and triumph
Near the end of his hour-long speech, President Barack Obama took a moment to draw attention to the 30-year-old Army Ranger as he sat in the gallery alongside the first lady and other dignitaries.
"On every issue," Obama said in a transcript of the address provided by CBS News, "the world turns to us, not simply because of the size of our economy or our military might – but because of the ideals we stand for, and the burdens we bear to advance them."
Those ideals are perseverance, determination and optimism – qualities which Remsburg needed in spades after he suffered a catastrophic injury in Oct. 2009, NBC News reports. Remsburg was on his 10th tour of duty, this time in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when a roadside bomb threw him into a nearby canal and peppered him with shrapnel.
Doctors watched as Remsburg remained in a coma for three months, but after years of surgeries and grueling rehabilitation, Remsburg was able to attend the State of the Union as an honored guest of the President, epitomizing the ideals that Obama mentioned when he first introduced the wounded veteran.
Stars and Stripes reported that Remsburg and the President had met once before as the soldier was in recovery, relearning how to walk, talk and eat without assistance after his injury.
"He wanted to show me something," Obama said. "And he leaned out of his chair. And he reached out and grabbed his walker. And with the help of his parents, he pulled himself forward and he stood up. And he looked at me, and he gave me a sharp salute."
"He said, 'Rangers lead the way.'"
Benefits for veterans still a sticking point
Remsburg wasn't the only mention of the military during the much watched speech. With the legislative fate of recent proposed cuts to cost-of-living-adjustments included in veterans benefits still uncertain, Obama took a moment to weigh in on the issue. While some lawmakers have proposed recouping some federal revenue from the cuts, Obama disagreed.
"We'll keep slashing [the deficit] so our veterans receive the benefits they've earned," Obama said, "and our wounded warriors receive the health care — including the mental health care — that they need."
Since their announcement, the COLA cuts have been criticized by legislators, active duty servicemembers and a cadre of the top enlisted retirees from around the country.