Warrior Connection

Brenda a Female Desert Storm 90-91 veteran is interviewed Re about Gulf war illness. Then we covered  about her COVID19 hospitalization and her whole course being intubated with a tracheotomy and sedated and possible ECMO  then having to go to rehabilitation.  She was hospitalized from 6 July to 26 August then to rehabilitation facility until September 18. This was prior to vaccines being available in 2021. We are all lucky to still have Brenda an Army Desert Storm Veteran with us! This was early on before the vaccines were available.  Hear her thoughts and recommendations. 

September  16 edition of Warrior was a discussion former Army Sgt and  American  hero Garrett Anderson about succeeding in college  and life after severe traumatic injuries in combat.    

September 9 edition of Warrior was discussion about 9- 11 and it's horrible medical consequences.

The September 2nd edition of Warrior connection  was a discussion  with producer and director Joseph Stillman about  his new film on the life off Ramsey Clark. His film is available on Amazon.  

The Jun 10th edition of Warrior Connection was dedicated to Ray Clark's USMC Vietnam era platoon members who were killed, were wounded, or survived the horrors of ground combat during the Vietnam War.   We also read two poems from Western Illinois University's 2018 edition of SITREP: Veteran Perspectives on Combat and Peace.  

Our guest for this week is Desert Storm Veteran, USAF Capt. (retired) , Lydia Pace..  Lydia served as a USAF reservist from 1981-1991 during which time she was activated and deployed first to Desert Shield and then Desert Storm from October 1990 to the end of Desert Storm in February 1991..  She is an RN and while in country she served as a charge nurse with the 34th Medical Evacuation Service (MSEC) attached to the 1st Tactical Areomedical Staging Facility. Deployed right at the Desert Storm Flight Line her duty in theater  was to help prepare wounded soldiers for flight to US military hospitals located in Germany (Ramstein primarily)   or in Spain.  Serving in that capacity she helped save the lives of countless soldiers for which out country owes her a debt of honor....a debt America has yet to pay her or the other hundreds of thousands Desert Storm Veteran suffering from Persian Gulf War Illness.  Lydia her self is quite ill as a consequence of her service and she is here today to tell us about this and about her experience in war and post Desert Storm in 'battle' against the VA..  She is an unsung American hero and we are proud to have her our program today. Guest. co-host, Patricia Axelrod Director of the Desert Storm Think Tank and All Veterans' Advocate has known her for about 25 years or so and is proud to have the chance to air her story.  (Axelrod stands by to assist veteran/soldiers in need  and can be reached at 775-412-5980). 

This show began with guest Patricia Axelrod of The Peoples' Advocate/Desert Storm Think Tank and ALL Veterans' Advocate revealing her work with a whistle blowing high ranking VA doctor who has complained to regional and onsite VA Supervisory and Directorship Personnel about extraordinary  shortage of medical equipment , instruments, support  and technical staff impairing the quality of care he is able to provide for his veteran patients.  Axelrod went on to inform listeners of the VA retaliatory persecution and prosecutorial efforts the VA has launched against him as he has now been charged  by the VA with 'creating a hostile environment in a Federal workplace'.  The VA has sworn the doctor to secrecy in the matter even though they have already begun hearings against him for which he was denied access to counsel or adviser. Axelrod complaints of wrong doing to the VA Office of Special Counsel (VAOSC) who has statutory supervisory oversight of these hearings has resulted in VAOSC failure to act in accordance with their own law.  Host Rokke related his first hand knowledge of whistle-blower retaliation  afterwhich the show segued into military base  toxic contamination.   

The May 13 th edition of Warrior Connection was a discussion with Pastor Bob Shaw about ljngering  ethical and moral issues. 

The  May 6 th edition of Warrior Connection was a discussion with University of Illinois ROTC cadre about the benefits of a ROTC education for prior service  or family members.  

The Feb 27 the edition of Warrior as a discussion about the horrific events in Parkland,  Florida  high school.

The February 11th edition of Warrior Connection was a discussion about acute and chronic pain causes and pain management  

The February 4th edition of Warrior Connection was a discussion about denied, delayed, and  ineffective medical care with the wife of  an american hero - DU - burn pit - etc. casualty  of OIF OEF  who's uncle is one of our nation's greatest and legendary WW2 heroes.  

The January 14th edition of Warrior Connection was dedicated reading and discussing the new poetry  book  "DANCING BAREFOOT IN THE WIND" written by Bonnie Rokke Tinnes , a retired psych nurse, teacher, and Russian linguist.  Bonnie's  poetry and other books in the "Growing Up Margaret" series are available through your bookstore and on line.  Her work focuses on the good things of life.     

The October  8 discussion on Warrior Connection was about alternative treatments such as acupuncture and tens unit use with  Dr. Lisa Conboy, MA, MS, ScD; Instructor in Medicine, Part-time, Director of the Research Department, The New England School of Acupuncture at MCPHS University  and her colleague Dr. Beth Sangree  of The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School.

The September 24th edition of Warrior Connection was a discussion about the new Ken Burns- Lynn Novick PBS documentary "The Vietnam War".  Fifty years later Vietnam remains a thorn in the life of millions.        

The July 16th edition of Warrior Connection was a essential and timely discussion with John Boch- Executive Director of Guns Save Life, author, and extraordinary basic firearms, concealed carry, and force-on-force instructor with GSL defense training about how to avoid nasty situations and what to do if you find yourself in harms way.  John  provided us warning signs of what to look for and common sense validated procedures of how to avoid those nasty situations that we might encounter during our daily lives.  John and his GSL defense partners provide probably the best training in the  midwest and beyond.

The July 9th edition of Warrior Connection was a discussion Dr Ann Lopex, with Professor and Director of the Farm Workers institute about the health and environmental effects of pesticides on farm workers, children, and all.  It is extremely clear and frightening how pesticides have infiltrated our diet with horrific effects, The effects on warriors going bsck to the Vietnam War and until the present is a similar travesty. We also discussed the plight of migrant farm workers who hand harvest  most of our fresh fruit and vegatables. .          

The June 25 th edition of  Warrior Connection was a discussion with Durham North Carolina VA  "Writing to Wellness "program co-directors and veterans  Iretha Alston and Diana Graham.           

The June  4th edition of Warrior Connection was a discussion with 87 year old Korean war hand to hand combat survivor and Vietnam war journalist SISI Mosby.  SISI a retired but active  historian, actor- director,  and journalist provided unique insight into the meaning of war and it's profound effect on our lives. As one of the founders of Veterans for Peace and as a wartime correspondant for the Chicago Defender and Negro Press International SISI provided unique and very important insight into not only the black warrior's experiences but how war transforms everybody. SISI was editor of Veterans Stars and Stripes for Peace.        

The May 7 edition of Warrior Connection was a discussion with Becky Hayes a highway - concrete construction union employee who was exposed to DUCRETE a mixture of depleted uranium metal dust and normal concrete components who al of the same serious medical problems as specified by the VA and DOD and as experienced by military and civilian personnel exposed to depleted uranium during combat or other military operations.   The Tragedy of DU just never ends.

The April 23 edition of  Warrior Connection was an EXCEPTIONAL AND INFORMATIVE discussion with Gavin P. Smith, Founder and President of Civilian Exposure  (civilianexposure.org)  that dedicated to unraveling, revealing, and discussing the extent of environmental contamination and resulting health effects caused by military operations and the extensive list of bases that have extensive contamination affecting everybody, animals, and plants and especially the military personnel and their families who lived, worked, played on these contaminated installations. We need to remember that contamination does not stop at the fence line  and is a world-wide problem created by us.  Clearly God sent us an "angel" in the form of Gavin to help us.