Alayna Adams leaps into the arms of her father, Lt. Col. Will Adams, after he surprised her at Thursday night’s Rays game. Credit Screen Shot.

By Dalia Colon

Some things turn us to mush every time: Cute animals. Sappy Publix commercials. And most of all, surprise military reunions.

Nine-year-old Alayna Adams was chosen to throw out the first pitch at Thursday night’s Rays game. What the Dunedin girl didn’t know was that the catcher wasn’t a pro ball player. It was her dad, Lt. Col. Will Adams, just home from Afghanistan.

After Alayna threw the ball, her father caught it. Then he lifted his catcher’s mask. Alayna raced toward him and leaped into his arms.

And yes, the crowd went wild.

Here’s the video courtesy of the Sun Sports Rays and Fox Sports.

This Times article shares the back story of the surprise.

As for the baseball game, the Rays lost to the Boston Red Sox, 4 to 3. But Alayna Adams definitely walked away a winner.

First, there was the deadline for the services to submit plans on how to integrate women into combat units or explain why women should remain banned. Many women already are serving in units exposed to combat but aren’t officially acknowledged.

And there is more news related to the growing problem of military sexual trauma.

We talked with an Air Force woman veteran, Larri Gerson, who now serves as a claims examiner with the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs and is a member of the federal, VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans.

Courtesy Dept. of Defense

“I’m glad to talk about how important right now the topic of military sexual trauma (is) because if we had this year 29,000 cases, they estimated suffer from military sexual trauma, that’s going to be too much to wait for next year to talk about it,” Gerson said.

Recently allegations of sexual misconduct have been brought against two military members who are part of the military sexual trauma prevention programs.

Gerson said congress is taking testimony and considering legislation

She said the issue of women in combat also is important but is being addressed over a longer period of time.

Gerson provided several resources for women veterans and contacts.

For Florida women veterans issues, contact Florida’s State Women Veterans’ Coordinator Cynthia T. Brown at brownc@fdva.state.fl.us.

For national women veterans issues, contact Larri Gerson at gersonl@fdva.state.fl.us.

• VA Hotline on Health Care and Benefits for Women Veterans: 1-855-VA-WOMEN (1-855-829-6636)
• Military Sexual Assault DoD Safe Hotline: 877-995-5247 (Text: 55247)
• Military Sexual Trauma
• VA Center for Women Veterans
• Women Veterans Issues
• Women Veterans Health Care
• Homeless Women Veterans
• National Association of State Women Veterans Coordinator
• V-WISE – Women Veterans Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship

Shannon Casey (L) and Matt Casey (R) more than 7 hours into their rowing marathon on a sidewalk in downtown Tampa.

This morning on a sidewalk in downtown Tampa, a brother and sister team were 21 hours into a rowing marathon.

They were working to set a 26-hour and 12-minute rowing record and raise money for Quantum Leap Farm which offers equine therapy to wounded veterans and military families.

Their attempt , however, was stopped short by their father.

Tom Casey called off the rowing event at 8 this morning – 21 hours after it started. He told WUSF 89.7 News that his children would have kept going, but he was concerned about their health.

“They were exhausted,” Tom Casey said. Dad is no stranger to athletic challenges. For 12 years, he swam in a relay across Long Island Sound. So, he understands the perils of pushing beyond a breaking point.

Shannon and Matthew Casey started their fund-raising event Wednesday (May 15,2013) at 11 a.m. Each hour they traded-off sitting at an “erg” rowing machine – pushing with their legs and pulling with their arms and shoulders as the seat slid back and then were pulled forward.

Fueled by water, protein bars, bananas, peaches, trail mix and watermelon. They hoped to row until 1:12 p.m. Thursday, May 16, 2013.

Matt Casey (L) and his dad, Tom Casey (R), on the first day of the rowing marathon.

At 6:30 a.m. Thursday, their father, Tom Casey, reported that the duo made it through the night. Their pace slowed but they kept rowing. However by 9 a.m., they were packed up. No trace of the rowing machine, tables, coolers, chairs and canopy could be found on the concrete sidewalk.

Their goal was to raise $5000 for Quantum Leap Farm. There’s no word on how close they got to that financial goal.

Shannon has volunteered at Quantum Leap Farm since a sophomore at Berkeley Prep High School. She’s now a junior at the University of South Florida. On Wednesday, she couldn’t conceive of not reaching their goal.

“It’s such a wonderful organization (Quantum Leap Farm),” Shannon said. “I wouldn’t want to let them down at all.”

Her brother Matt, who just graduated from USF’s College of Business, said he wanted to do something to help veterans after meeting several WWII vets when he started a stock club at a local retirement community.

“What Quantum does is, yes people have a lot of injuries but, they get them back on their feet and provide them the therapy in order to live their lives like the veterans at the stock market club,” Matt said.

Tom Casey said late Thursday morning that both rowers had gotten a shower and sleeping. He stayed with them all night on the downtown city street. So,  he planned to take a nap too.

Matt Casey during hour 8 of a 21 hour rowing marathon with his sister.

Photo courtesy of Pendleton.Marines.mil

Service members are supposed to be protected from predatory lenders thanks to the Military Lending Act (MLA) in place for several years.

However, a joint investigation by Marketplace and ProPublica found that while the act did reduce the number of “payday loan” problems, the law does not regulate loans that extend beyond three months.

The MLA did little to regulate open-ended credit, or military installment loans longer than 91 days. Those are still available to service members, and in some cases aggressively sold to them. Some payday and title lenders have found ways to exploit gaps in the MLA, offering longer-term high-interest installment loans, sometimes backed by a car-title, that are not illegal but can send service members into a deepening spiral of debt.

Financial troubles are considered a serious threat to force readiness according to the Department of Defense.

At issue now, according to the report, are short-term high-interest cash loans. These “installment lenders” and pawn shops can be found outside the entrances of most military bases.

“I think it’s been a vexing problem for the military,” says Holly Petraeus, assistant director of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Washington.

She points out that the Department of Defense has tried hard to offer alternatives, providing low-cost emergency loans to low-income, cash-strapped military families. But there’s some paperwork involved, and permission from someone up the chain of command may be required, and follow-up financial counseling is strongly encouraged.

“People don’t want to come in and say they’ve messed up their finances,” she says. “And yet, with products where they’re just repeatedly paying large fees to borrow the same small amounts every month—you’re going to end up in a terrible financial mess, and with the real potential of losing your security clearance.”

You can read the full Marketplace and ProPublica report and check out the entire series HERE.

Courtesy Dept. of Defense

Increased incidents of military sexual assault coupled with reports of alleged abuse by military members assigned to prevent such assaults has prompted Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to order the retraining, re-credentialing and re-screening of all personnel involved with sexual assault prevention and military recruiting.

Defense Secretary Orders Retraining

The retraining was directed by Hagel after he was briefed on the second incident involving prevention personnel according to the American Forces Press Service.

“I cannot convey strongly enough his frustration, anger and disappointment over these troubling allegations and the breakdown in discipline and standards they imply,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

… Little said Hagel directed the retraining, re-credentialing and rescreening to address the broader concerns that have arisen out of these allegations and other recent events.

Allegations Surface at Ft. Hood

The Department of Defense on Tuesday opened a second investigation of sexual misconduct by a military member whose job it is to respond and prevent military sexual assault.

This newest case involves an Army sergeant first class who is part of Ft. Hood’s sexual assault prevention office. It comes a week after an Air Force officer who was part the Air Force sexual assault prevention program was charged with allegedly accosting a woman in Virginia.

The official news release:

The Army announced today (Tuesday) that an Army sergeant first class assigned to III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas, is under investigation for pandering, abusive sexual contact, assault and maltreatment of subordinates.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by special agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, commonly known as CID.

The soldier had been assigned as an Equal Opportunity Advisor and Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program coordinator with one of the III Corps’ subordinate battalions when the allegations surfaced.

The accused was immediately suspended from all duties by the chain of command once the allegations were brought to the command’s attention.  There have been no charges filed or preferred at this time.

To protect the integrity of the investigative process and the rights of all persons involved, no more information will be released at this time.

Photo courtesy of Bay Pines VA.

Speech and hearing, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Alzheimer’s Disease are three of several areas the Bay Pines VA is conducting clinical research.

Their work will be showcased today, May 13, 2013, as part of National VA Research Week. The research fair is set from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first floor of the main medical building in the JC Cobb room.

Other areas of clinical research at Bay Pines include: ; psychosocial behavioral science (sexual trauma); diseases of the heart, lung and respiratory system; infectious diseases; cancer and wound healing.

Bay Pines is located at 10000 Bay Pines Blvd N, St Petersburg, FL.

A proud “Marine” mom, Cyd Deathe.

Sunday is Mother’s Day – normally a time for celebration.  But it’s sometimes tough to celebrate when mom is home and the kids are serving overseas in the military. So here are some suggestions.

When it comes to tips on what not to say to a Marine mom, Cyd Deathe, co-founder the Tampa Area Marine Parents Association, has a list:

• Don’t say to a military mom, ‘Why did you let him join up?’ That’s one of Cyd’s biggest irritants because it totally dismisses that the child is an adult.
• Don’t ask ‘When are they coming home?’ Cyd says, “Most of the time we don’t know. We can only hope and the more you hear it and the more you want it and the more you say it it’s not good.”
• Don’t open a political discussion about the wars with the mother of a deployed military member because they cannot change the fact their child is deployed and possibly at risk.
• Do be sensitive. “I had one military mom who took her son’s dress blues to the dry cleaners,” Cyd said. “And attendant asked her if she was getting them ready for him to be buried in them.”

Cyd’s son is no longer in the Marines, but she still leads the parent support group  that is open to all military parents. And she had some advice for parents of deployed service members:

• Give up the crying because it makes them weak.
• It’s not about you.
• Don’t tell them that you miss them, they know that already.
• Your job is to make them strong so they’re on point so they can do what they’ve got to do.

Earlier this week, Dorie Griggs offered 7 suggestions on ways to support a military mom and what to avoid.

You can listen to Dorie and Cyd tell their stories on WUSF.

The waters off MacDill AFB. Photo courtesy of MacDill Happenings.com

The bay waters that lap on the southern shores of MacDill Air Force Base are typically off limits to civilian fishing boats, but not this Saturday, May 11, 2013.

Col. Scott DeThomas, 6th Air Mobility Wing commander, has opened two miles of the base coastline to recreational fishermen starting at 7 a.m. and ending at 6 p.m. for the one day.

Guest anglers must be registered. You can register and get full details by calling the outdoor recreation office at 813-828-4982.

MacDill officials have designated the area as a no-wake zone. Registered fishermen will be identified by a flag provided by MacDill AFB. Those not displaying the issued flag on their vessel will be escorted out of the area.

Tampa Police Department, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Fish & Wildlife and the U.S. Coast Guard will be on the water to provide support.

Painter Scott LoBadio. Photo by Yoselis Ramos.

By Yoselis Ramos

Since 9 a.m. Monday, American artist Scott LoBaido has been painting a 80 x 30 foot American flag mural on the north wall of the Tampa Firefighters Museum in downtown Tampa.

LoBaido has traveled through all 50 states painting murals on rooftops as both a ‘welcome home’ and a ‘thank you’ message to our troops. He has not personally served in the U.S. military.

“I have some military in my family, I have never served but I have more freedom than most people in the world,” he said.

LoBaido’s specialty is American flags. “I’ve gazed at the Sistine  chapel, I’ve touched the statue of David by Michelangelo, but my favorite work of art is the ‘Star Spangled Banner.’ It’s the most meaningful, powerful, the most recognizable work of art in the world,” he said.

LoBaido’s mural will be dedicated to Sergeant Mike Nicholson, who lost both his legs and his left arm during an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Afghanistan almost two years ago.

The American Flag mural being painted on the side of the Tampa Firefighters’ Museum.

Now, the Gary Sinise Foundation and the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation are working together to raise enough funds to build Nicholson a new home in which he can be independent.

These “smart” homes for the most severely wounded U.S. service members cost about half a million dollars and include technology like retractable cook tops and cabinets, automated lighting, and roll-in bathrooms.

To help raise funds for this home, the Gary Sinise Foundation is holding a Lt. Dan Band concert on Friday, May 10, 2013, at Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa. That’s Senise’s rock band named after the legless Vietnam vet he played in the movie Forrest Gump.

LoBaido will also be there “speed painting.” LoBaido will paint a more abstract version of the American flag  in only three minutes and then auction it off. All the proceeds go to helping build Nicholson’s new home.

For concert tickets, click here.

Dorie Griggs with her son and daughter during Family Day at Ft. Stewart. Photo by Stanley Leary.

I am the mom of a member of the U.S. Army. My son is deployed right now. Which means I experience a wide array of emotions any given day, sometimes within the span of a few minutes.

Mother’s Day is approaching quickly. Holidays have a way of bringing up the emotions we can hide the rest of the year. Having a child deployed this year I anticipate a few down moments as I approach that day.

I’d like to offer a few suggestions to readers who would like to show support for a military mom this Mother’s Day.

4 Ways to Help a Military Mom

Offer to send a care package to the deployed soldier. Knowing my son receives packages from a variety of friends makes me smile.

If you don’t have the time or money to send a package, offer to contribute to the postage costs, or supplies. Military families spend a lot on postage during the deployment.

Do let the mom of a deployed soldier know you appreciate their service.

Treat the mom of a deployed soldier to a lunch or dinner out, just to chat. Enjoying positive company is a great stress reliever.

3 Things to Avoid with a Military Mom

I love surprises, but not while my son is deployed. If you would like to visit the mom of a deployed soldier call first to let her know you are coming over. An unexpected knock on the door can bring visions of uniformed officers coming to let you know your soldier has been killed. Please don’t put the family of a deployed soldier through that scenario.

Having a deployed son or daughter is stressful. We get through it one day at a time. Making statements like, “I don’t know how you do it.” Is not helpful. We don’t know how we do it either.

Avoid overtly political discussions, unless the parent starts the conversation. Whether you agree or disagree with what is going on does not change the fact that my son is deployed and I worry.

I hope to spend this Mother’s Day with my husband and two children who are still home. Hearing from my deployed son would be a huge bonus.