http://ericnewhouse.com/blog Thu, 14 May 2009 14:35:44 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en So what will the Army do with Sgt. John M. Russell, accused of killing five fellow soldiers last week at a military stress clinic in Baghdad? Or, more to the point, what should it do? Five deployments into combat zones created more stress than Russell could handle, his family's chaplain told ... http://ericnewhouse.com/blog/?p=57 There's good news – sorta – on the lost book front. The U.S. Postal Service found two thirds of them, along with the shredded remains of a sturdy cardboard box, in the bowels of the Chicago Bulk Mail Processing Facility and sent them back to me in a replacement box ... http://ericnewhouse.com/blog/?p=55 While Montana continues to have one of the nation’s highest rates of alcoholism and drug abuse, the recovery rate after treatment is nearly twice as good as it was when I was writing the “Alcohol: Cradle to Grave” series of stories a decade ago. And it was wonderful to see that ... http://ericnewhouse.com/blog/?p=51 The US Postal Service may be the only business in America brazen enough to charge its patrons for stealing their goods (at least, I hope so). Or perhaps, it’s not outright theft — just incompetence coupled with a complete lack of accountability. But for me, it cost $26.16 to lose $1,150 ... http://ericnewhouse.com/blog/?p=46 Court officials are beginning to recognize a need to treat these soldiers and veterans suf-fering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury before they get caught up in a cycle of crime. A coalition of legal officials and advocates for veterans in Maricopa County, Ariz., is con-sidering setting up ... http://ericnewhouse.com/blog/?p=45 Matt Kuntz of Helena, one of the major figures in Faces of Combat, is one of 18 “everyday Americans” selected to join President-elect Barack Obama on a Whistle Stop Tour to the nation’s capital on the Saturday before Inauguration Day. Kuntz was chosen for his efforts in helping the mentally ... http://ericnewhouse.com/blog/?p=42               Montana is a state that clearly shows the stress of combat.             It’s a patriotic place, where many sons tend to follow their fathers through military service. Even though their dads may still be struggling with the aftermath of the war in Vietnam four decades ago, our kids still think ... http://ericnewhouse.com/blog/?p=38 Just in time for Veterans’ Day, there’s a growing realization that America’s 24 million vets are experiencing domestic violence in greater numbers than the general population at large. Two professors at Washington University in St. Louis are teaming up to address this problem. One’s a specialist in post-traumatic stress disorder, while ... http://ericnewhouse.com/blog/?p=35 Tuesday’s presidential election promises a bright new day for America after eight long years of the Bush Administration, although the New York Times had an ominous editorial this week about the civil liberties infringements and environmental damage it fears in the next 100 days before Barack Obama actually takes office. Many ... http://ericnewhouse.com/blog/?p=31 I don’t often agree with the lawyers, but there’s one in Colorado who’s right on the money. Earlier this week, Kenneth Eastridge, 24, a soldier who had previously been deployed to Iraq, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for being an accessory to the shooting death of another Iraqi veteran, ... http://ericnewhouse.com/blog/?p=28