December 15, 2011 – American Forces Press Service

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta joined Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey and other U.S. and Iraq leaders in honoring eight years of service and sacrifice as they commemorated the end of the U.S. military mission in Iraq.

“No words, no ceremony can provide full tribute to the sacrifices that have brought this day to pass,” the secretary said during a ceremony here.

Panetta paid tribute to the Iraqi government and military for their courage, leadership and loyalty to Iraq’s future. “Your dream of an independent and sovereign Iraq is now a reality,” he said.

He also praised the leadership of Ambassador James Jeffrey and Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Forces Iraq, who oversaw the drawdown that the secretary called “one of the most complex logistical undertakings in U.S. military history.”

“Your effort to make this day a reality is nothing short of miraculous,” he said.

But Panetta reserved his highest praise for more than 1 million U.S. military members who served in Iraq since 2003. “Your nation is deeply indebted to you,” he said. “You have done everything your nation asked you to do and more. Your dedication, your commitment to this mission has been the driving force behind the remarkable progress we have seen here in Baghdad and across the country.”

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December 15, 2011 – Fortbragg.patch.com

After nearly nine years, 4,500 American dead and 100,000 Iraqi dead, U.S. officials formally shut down the war in Iraq — a conflict that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said was worth the American sacrifice because it set Iraq on a path to democracy.

Panetta stepped off his military plane in Baghdad Thursday as the leader of America’s war in Iraq, but departed as one of many U.S. and global officials who hope to work with the struggling nation as it tries to find its new place in the Middle East and the broader world.

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Happy Holidays to all of our MVRC partners and friends.  We hope this is a blessed and peaceful time for all of you.

2011 seemed to be a very busy year for support activities in our area.  MVRC thinks we should be letting everyone know just what a productive year it was for our partners supporting our military, veterans and their families in the Triangle.  Some of you are leaders in large organizations who are able to do many many good things.  Some of you are individuals who in your own ways have provided some comfort and support.  Nothing that is done for our military or veterans is too small or insignificant.  So we want to begin a tradition of creating an annual report of all of the various activities that have been provided for military and veterans in the Triangle area.  Not a report about MVRC, but a report about everyone who is doing their part to serve.

I have been learning recently about where our MVRC news emails have been getting forwarded.  Wouldn’t it be great for us all to put out a report of the many good things you all have accomplished in 2011 and see that report go across the state and even further.  We should be proud of the work we are each doing and we need to be letting others know how individually and corporately we have been making good things happen for our local military and veterans.  Let folks in Washington and throughout North Carolina know what we are doing right here, from large organizations to caring individuals.  Let everyone know that we are all about “Joining Forces” in the Raleigh area and that we have a “Sea of Goodwill” here as strong as anywhere else in the USA.

So will you get back to me by the end of December with any 2011 activities and datarelated to supporting local military and veterans that you would like to see included in this report.  Lets get as much information into this report as we can to show what a great job you all are doing.

Randy Marsh

Chair

Military and Veterans Resource Coalition

919-267-3690 ext 3

contact@mymvrc.org

December 14, 2011 – American Forces Press Service

When the last U.S. troops in Iraq case their colors and move to Kuwait, they can leave with their heads held high, secure in the knowledge they did what was right for America and peace in the region, President Barack Obama told service members at Fort Bragg, N.C., today.

Obama noted the end of the war in Iraq during his speech to thousands of service members — many of whom served multiple tours in Iraq since 2003.

The most important lesson from the war in Iraq is about America’s national character, Obama said.

“For all of the challenges that our nation faces, you remind us that there’s nothing we Americans can’t do when we stick together,” he said. “For all the disagreements that we face, you remind us there’s something bigger than our differences, something that makes us one nation and one people. Regardless of color, regardless of creed, regardless of what part of the country we come from, regardless of what backgrounds we come out of, you remind us we’re one nation.”

That fact is why the American military is the most respected institution in the country, the president said.

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SAMHSA and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline are collaborating with Facebook to help those in crisis.

In partnership with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, Facebook is announcing a new service that harnesses the power of social networking and crisis support to help prevent suicides across the Nation and Canada. The new service enables Facebook users to report a suicidal comment they see posted by a friend to Facebook using either the Report Suicidal Content link or the report links found throughout the site. The person who posted the suicidal comment will then immediately receive an email from Facebook encouraging them to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or to click on a link to begin a confidential chat session with a crisis worker.

Learn More  |  Read the SAMHSA Blog