As Russian forces close in on Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv, two Vietnam war veterans in San Antonio praise the spirit of Ukrainian troops and citizens to defend freedom
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio natives John Rodriguez and Juan Perez are familiar with the horrors of war, having served in the U.S. military during the Vietnam conflict. Now, they watch from afar as the people of Ukraine defend their independence against a Russian invasion.
“War, it’s unfortunate but we just have to support those who are fighting,” Rodriguez said.
Russian military forces are advancing toward the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in an attempt to dismantle the government.
The invasion has resulted in the deaths of at least hundreds of troops on both sides of the conflict, including Ukrainian civilian casualties.
World leaders have condemned President Vladimir Putin’s actions and implemented a series of economic sanctions against Russia.
Rodriguez served four years in the Marines. He and his band of biological brothers also served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
“One tour in Vietnam I was assigned to a helicopter squadron, crash crew,” Rodriguez said.
The Vietnam-era draft led to Perez carrying out numerous life-saving missions alongside the Army’s First Cavalry Division.
“They would call us and we were in the area and they were wounded and we went in there and picked them up. It was hard,” Perez said.
The two veterans are still coping with the scars of war decades later while keeping active in the local military community through the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9186.
The Ukraine-Russia crisis resonates with Perez and Rodriguez, who empathize with the families of Ukrainian troops defending the country’s freedom.
The Ukrainian government has prohibited citizens ages 18-60 from leaving the country.
Residents in Kyiv have joined the resistance in preparation for Russia’s assault on the city. Despite lack of training among the ordinary Ukrainian citizen, what remains strong is their willingness to protect their homeland.
“I can relate to them in a sense that they have to standup for what they (Ukrainians) believe,” Perez said.
“If it means sacrifice, then they’re going to sacrifice their life. For them to lose a loved one on this particular war, it’s going to be hard, it’s going to be engraved in their hearts for the rest of their life,” Rodriguez said.
DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) – It’s estimated about 20 veterans lose their life to suicide every day. Many of them suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury.
North Carolina’s Senate Bill 442 is creating an opportunity to expand treatment to help deal with these issues. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is often used for sores or wounds that don’t heal. At Extivita RTP, it’s being used to help veterans.
“To imagine being an absolute suicidal and broken person that just can’t go on, I was a lump on the couch for my teenage girls, to get to a point because somebody introduced me to hyperbaric, that I get my life back, is amazing,” said Simon Ellis Lamay, a retired sergeant major with the U.S. Marines.
Lamay has gone undergone 80 sessions with the hyperbaric oxygen chamber to help with trauma developed during his career in the marines. He was exposed to physical traumas after being exposed to explosions and gunfight. They made the emotional traumas of witnessing his best friend’s death and loss of limbs of another friend more difficult to cope with.
Lamay’s post traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries brought him to his lowest in 2012.
“I couldn’t pull my life together and at one point in 2012, I crawled underneath a bed in bedroom in Temecula, California with a 9mm. While under that bed, I decided that was the place that I needed to be because I didn’t want my children to see the mess that I was about to make,” he said.
His wife helped convinced him not to pull the trigger. His uncle and aunt convinced to try hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
“I’d say it’s gotten to at least 1,000 soldiers in the U.S., but, as you may be aware, it’s hundreds of thousands that we need to get to,” said Edward diGirolamo, CEO of Extivita, a clinic conducting hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
The idea is to pump pure oxygen and pressure into the chambers to relieve inflammation in the body.
“A lot of people may believe that traumatic brain injury and PTSD is a physical injury, when in fact, that difficulty in thinking is being caused by, potentially, some damage to the brain from impact,” said diGirolamo.
The therapy can also help athletes with injuries like concussions. A few Carolina Hurricanes players have signed the chamber after their treatment.
“Hyperbarics gave me an opportunity when I came back to treat that injury, to get myself back to a place where I could be a good husband, a good father,” Lemay said.
Senate Bill 442 allocates a total of $150,000 to give free treatment to veterans. Exitivia’s new program charge veterans $75 per session. Health care staff on site typically prescribed most vets 40 sessions to start.
“If I would not have done this treatment, I truthfully will tell you, I would have been a statistic to suicide,” Lemay said.
Lemay hopes more veterans will hear about this and start their journey to healing, too. He knows this may not work for every veteran, but it could be worth a try
“Let’s keep moving forward and let’s treat people. Let’s help them,” he said.
Staff at Extivita said they are typically available for appointments within a week. Patients meet with a nurse practitioner to asses if their needs could be met by this kind of treatment. If they can, that nurse practitioner can up a prescription for the treatment for patients to begin.
To make an appointment, click here or call 919-354-3775.
Dallas Hudson, a resident of the Yellow Creek area in Dickson County for decades, started a business. He and wife Doris made a close-knit family together. He’s grown watermelons on the family’s nearly 50-acre farm and was known for “selling” them using the honor system.
Hudson has lived a good life, which was celebrated Thursday on his 98th birthday.
He is also among the roughly 200,000 World War II veterans still alive in the United States from the estimated 16 million people served.
Though a little hard of hearing, Hudson was able to communicate his memories and thoughts on nearing the century mark.
“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s good to be alive, I reckon,” Hudson said.
Hudson, who was born and raised in Humphreys County, moved to Dickson County after meeting his wife Doris, whose family also lived in the Yellow Creek area. She died in 2019 from lung cancer.
After working for a Clarksville construction company following the war, Hudson started his own Hudson Municipal Contractors business in 1981. The business, which his son Gary also joined, was a construction company for water and sewer treatment plants that lasted 35 years.
But before those years – when Gary and wife Christal and their four children would come along, settling on the family land – Dallas’ craftsman skills were recognized when he was drafted shortly after graduating from McEwen High School.
When asked about the Army or Navy, Hudson said “I didn’t know much about either one of them.”
“They said, ‘I am going to put you in the Navy.’ I said, ‘OK.,’” Hudson added.
He was stationed aboard the USS Manning, a DE-199 Destroyer escort ship.
“I was a carpenter mate on a steel ship,” Hudson said.
The ship was stationed in the South Pacific, “fighting Japanese,” he said.
Hudson became friends with his fellow sailors. He also fondly remembers the ship’s leader.
“We had a good captain. He told us if we got along together, and we kept a clean ship, he would give us every advantage he could,” Hudson said.
If possible, the sailors would be informed of an impending invasion so they could clean the ship and also clean themselves for a better chance of survival if woudn
Hudson recalls multiple ships being nearby at various times, sometimes “real close.” At his level, he said “you couldn’t tell which one was hit” during the fighting.
The USS Manning sailed from 1943 to 1945 when the Japanese surrendered.
Years later, Dallas and Doris would annually for more than 30 years attend reunions for the USS Manning, though Hudson said he doesn’t know of any surviving shipmates now.
Hudson’s mentality about his Dickson County community, and life overall, is represented in his decision to leave a cash jar unattended beside watermelons for sale.
“He told me one time that ‘People, for the most part, are good and honest,'” said his daughter-in-law, Christal Hudson, who was by his side.
Editor’s note: This story is free. Please consider becoming a subscriber to help us continue Dickson County coverage.
Support local journalism. Unlock unlimited digital access to floridatoday.com Click here and subscribe today.
The chairman of Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard, Inc. has been charged with two felonies after the nonprofit improperly paid board members and employees and filed false information with state charity regulators, a warrant affidavit said.
Richard “Doc” Russo — who also chairs Melbourne’s annual Florida Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion at Wickham Park — was arrested Thursday.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates charitable organizations, charged Russo with two third-degree felonies: submitting false information on a document and failure to register as a charitable organization.
Russo remains held on $2,000 bond at the Brevard County Jail Complex, and his initial court appearance is scheduled this afternoon. Message seeking comment were left on his cell phone. Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard President Richard Hickman declined comment.
More:World War II surviving veterans continue to dwindle as decades pass, history slips away
More:Military veterans at 211 Brevard fielding calls for help from thousands of fellow vets
Russo is chairman/vendor coordinator of the Florida Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion committee — which bills itself as the nation’s largest veterans reunion. Hundreds of veterans and their relatives flock to Wickham Park every year, and dozens of military and civic organizations participate.
He is also manager of the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, a Melbourne-based, 288-foot-long mobile monument that is a 3/5 replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C.
In a less publicly visible role, Russo is chairman and vice president of Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard, Inc. Founded in 1985, the nonprofit operates the Veterans Transitional Facility, a temporary shelter for homeless veterans and their immediate families, on Fee Avenue in Melbourne.
According to an FDACS warrant affidavit, Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard’s IRS 990 forms from 2016-20 claimed zero compensation was paid to officers or key employees.
However, a review of bank records showed paychecks were issued to various board members and employees, along with Christmas bonuses and bonuses for passing inspections, the affidavit said.
Dorothy Walsh is a veterans advocate who served as resident counselor at the nonprofit’s Veterans Transitional Facility before resigning in February 2021.
“This is just one step in addressing an issue that’s been ongoing for many years. They say that they’re a 501c3 and that they’re volunteers, but they’re not. When you dig into the records, it shows that they have been paid all along,” Walsh said.
“That takes away from the benefits that the veterans should have access to,” she said.
The FDACS bank review showed four checks in the amount of $500 were issued to a Suzanne Russo as a monthly stipend from February 2020 to April 2020, the affidavit said. She is listed as Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard’s membership coordinator on the nonprofit’s website.
“The review of bank records from 2020 also showed that multiple employees were paid a salary,” the affidavit said.
Vietnam and All Veterans of Brevard also failed to reregister with FDACS as required by state law from 1997 to 2020, but continued to solicit donations. After the department issued a notice of inquiry, an application was completed and registered by Russo in November 2020.
Todd Brown, spokesman for State Attorney’s Office, referred comment on the investigation to FDACS.
Activities with Melbourne’s 34th annual Florida Vietnam and All Veterans Reunion are scheduled to kick off May 1. That’s when hundreds of motorcyclists will escort the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall from Eastern Florida State College’s Cocoa campus south along U.S. 1 to Wickham Park.
Reunion ceremonies are scheduled to continue at the park through the May 8 closing ceremony.
The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall is next scheduled to appear at a Vietnam veterans gathering from April 21 to 25 in Homosassa, according to the organization’s website.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or [email protected]. Twitter: @RickNeale1
WINCHESTER, Va. (WDVM) — Private First Class Nelson Ritter, a combat infantryman with the 1st Division Air Cavalry [Airmobile], leaped out the frying pan into the fire when the “Point Man” in a rifle squad volunteered to become a “Tunnel Rat” during the Vietnam War.
Tunnel Rats were soldiers who crawled headfirst into tunnels and caves the Viet Cong used as storage and staging areas against U.S. forces in the Central Highlands where PFC Ritter was based.
“You didn’t have anything on except a .45 caliber pistol and a flashlight when you crawled into a hole in the ground,” said Ritter.
1911A semi-automatics like the one the Rat below is carrying were disliked because of the muzzle blast that temporarily blinded and deafened them in a tight tunnel. That’s why many Rats preferred silencer-equipped .38 Specials.
Ritter says being a tunnel rat was one of the most dangerous jobs in the U.S. Army because death was only a heartbeat away and the enemy always had the advantage.
“Their eyes were acclimated to the darkness,” said Ritter, “And we were in broad daylight descending into total darkness. So it took a while for our eyes to adjust.”
Rats depended on their sense of hearing and smell to determine where the enemy was lurking.
“I hear Charlie [the name GIs used to describe the Viet Cong] releasing the safety on his SKS assault rifle,” Ritter said.
He said that he could also smell the enemy’s bad breath long before they came face to face.
“I’ve been almost eye to eye with ’em; closer than you and I are sitting during this interview,” said Ritter.
Tunnel Rats only used flashlights they carried to explore tunnels and caves after they silenced enemy sentries. Ritter says the one who fired first usually survived, “Or the one who was the scaredest.”
At one point, he came upon a Viet Cong guerilla pointing a rifle at him in a tunnel, but both the “Hunted and the Hunter” didn’t open fire. Instead, Ritter said, “We backed away from each other.”
Once outside, Ritter hurled some grenades and explosive charges into the tunnel but doesn’t know if the enemy soldier survived
“It was unreal,” said Ritter.
Tunnel rats slithered into holes in the ground like snakes that the Viet Cong would hang from the ceilings of tunnels they dug underground. The Bamboo Pit Viper was one of their favorites.
Americans called the highly-poisonous reptiles “Two Step,” because two steps were about all U.S. soldiers could take before they dropped dead after being bitten by a Bamboo Pit Viper. The Viet Cong would hang them at eye-level in tunnels to make sure they didn’t miss unwanted guests.
Some of the larger tunnel complexes in the Central Highlands contained a hospital, sleeping chamber and storeroom. This one could house more than one-hundred Viet Cong guerillas.
It took a special kind of soldier to become a tunnel rat.
“Usually the person who became a tunnel rat in my unit was small enough to get down into the entrance hole,” said Ritter who was very skinny; 5’8″ and 120 pounds.
Once in a while Ritter, who has been diagnosed and treated for PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, says he’ll have a dream about something that went on over there, “But I’ve never had nightmares or anything like that.
It took almost two years before Nelson Ritter felt comfortable talking about his experience as a tunnel rat.
“When you came home, you didn’t talk about it,” said Ritter at the end of our interview at American Legion Post 21 in Winchester where his common-law wife is the post commander. “But sometimes it gets a little rough talking about it.” Tears welled up in his eyes and he hung his head down.
When WDVM’s Ross Simpson asked why it hurts so much after so long, Ritter said he wished he could answer that question.
“If I could, it would solve a lot of problems.”
Ritter doesn’t expect the pain to ever go away, saying, “I don’t think anybody who goes to war ever loses what they have experienced.”
Ritter was awarded an Air Medal for 80 hours of flying combat missions in a 1st Air Cavalry Division helicopter and was written up for a Bronze Star that he never received.
According to the Department of Defense, a total of 700 soldiers served as Tunnel Rats during the Vietnam War. Of the number, 36 were killed and 200 injured.
Ritter says it just depended on the situation and where you were. Some areas were okay. Some areas were hot spots. And you never knew what awaited you below ground.
SUFFIELD, Conn. — Bridges are an integral part of America’s infrastructure. Day in and day out, they are used as a constant resource for critical commutes and to connect communities. Without bridges, the world would not be as interconnected as it is today.
Many northern Connecticut residents have become impatient with the ongoing construction on the Enfield-Suffield Veteran’s Bridge. They said it has caused them to put off an errand, or to go out of their way to avoid the bridge altogether.
As citizens, we understood that sentiment, and were drawn to visit the heart of the construction itself in order to see if we could get some answers on this inconvenience. We went to the CT Transportation Bridge Center’s Bridge Department, and asked to interview them on their timeline. We intended to get their side of the story, and in doing so, found out several interesting details, thanks to the eye-opening interviews from Paul Diorio, Project Engineer, Lukasz Obrebski, Chief Inspector, and Juan Cassaretto, Inspector.
The construction took 432 days in total, and ending November 2021. It covered general maintenance, such as active construction of the topside roadway, as well as the superstructure framing on the underside of the bridge. Painting and steel repair work was done as well, along with repaving and strengthening work. Overall, there were many separate projects, all overseen by ROTHA Contracting Company, Inc. ‘s Jack Thavenius, the acting project manager.
Sign up for the FOX61 newsletters: Morning Forecast, Morning Headlines, Evening Headlines
With the overall construction itself originally costing over $6 million, the team made a day-by-day plan in order to start the construction on May 24, 2020, and to have it successfully completed by November 27, 2021 within budget, which they were able to do after much hard work and overcoming of obstacles, such as the age of the bridge, COVID-19, or a season taken off for a falcon’s nest protected by the state.
RELATED: Simsbury High increases security to be ready for possible incidents: FOX61 Student News
Although it might have taken a long while in order to properly get the bridge work done, it is now much safer and generally improved than it has ever been, thanks to the work of the Department and ROTHA. Reforms like these will develop bridges all around the world to the next level, where commuters will be able to cross rivers safely, comfortably, and efficiently. This is just the beginning, and all we need to do is cross the bridge of construction to get to the other side.
RELATED: FOX61 Student News: Tik Tok challenge creates issues for schools
The FOX 61 Student News program empowers Connecticut middle and high school students to explore the world of multi-media journalism by giving them the opportunity to capture, edit and publish original content under the guidance of industry professionals.
Each student produced and hosted segment will showcase a local story or event, highlighting all that is great about our state. Segments will be featured on-air during Friday’s Morning News at 7:25 a.m., 10 p.m. news and during the FOX61 Morning News on Saturday at 7 a.m., on our Facebook page and right here on FOX61.com!
Stay tuned and keep an eye out for the next news star! If your school would like to get involved learn more here or email us at [email protected].
WINCHESTER, Va. (WDVM) — When U.S. Army Corporal Carmel Whetzel landed in France with the 26th Infantry Division three months after D-Day on June 6, 1944, some soldiers thought the war in Europe was winding down, when in fact, Germany was getting ready to “go for broke” during the Battle of Bulge in December.
Whetzel drove trucks and jeeps for the “Red Ball Express,” a convoy operation that hauled food, ammunition and other supplies from ports in France to the front lines in Germany. Whetzel was with American troops when they arrived in Rodalbe, a small village in eastern France near the Rhine River where they were ambushed and captured by German troops when the Fourth Armored Division pulled out when they ran low on fuel and ammunition.
“When we saw a German tank coming down the street, two buddies and I fled to a barn that was attached to the farmhouse where we had parked our vehicles, and we burrowed down about three feet in the haymow. That night German soldiers slept on top of us, but didn’t hear us,” said Whetzel.
Whetzel and his buddies spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday hidden in the hay, but decided to come out when they heard American weapons being fired.
“They have a different sound than German weapons,” said Whetzel.
But he didn’t know German soldiers were firing some American weapons they had captured.
“Those who weren’t captured were killed, and you didn’t dare put a potato peel in your mouth, or you’d be hit in the head with a rifle butt by a German guard,” said Whetzel, who spent the first day in captivity peeling potatoes for the enemy’s evening meal.
The next day, Whetzel and other soldiers in the 26th Infantry Division were marched to Stalag XII, better known as Stalag 2-A, just inside Germany.
“It was raining, and we had to sleep on the ground for two days without food or shelter,” said Whetzel.
Unlike their Japanese allies in the Pacific, the Germans allowed prisoners of war like Carmel Whetzel to notify their loved ones that they had been captured. Whetzel’s wife in Baltimore received this card from her husband in November 1944.
During the next six months until the camp was liberated, Whetzel says the Germans fed them very little food and worked them like slaves.
When Whetzel noticed their Nazi guard often failed to lock the door on their wooden barracks, he and his buddies made plans to escape.
One night when the guard failed to lock the door, Whetzel and his buddies used a pair of wire cutters they had acquired to cut a hole through the fence and slip past the guard tower.
“We were free for 15 days before we ran into some Germans in a forest and were recaptured.”
There was a standing rule in German POW camps; escapees will be shot if they are recaptured, “but we were lucky. We were only sentenced to three weeks on bread and water,” said Whetzel.
He weighed only 90 pounds when the POW camp was liberated after Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945.
Carmel Whetzel, one of ten kids who grew up on Wilkins Moutain in West Virginia credits his hard-scrabble upbringing for his ability to endure six months as a prisoner of war.
Whetzel dropped out of school in the fourth grade. He said, “Hillbillies like me know how to survive.”
A few years ago, the 97-year-old soldier wrote a book about his experience as a Prisoner of War.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) joined a bipartisan group of their colleagues in calling for changes to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Caregivers Program. The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, on which Senator Blackburn serves, found that the VA denied 88 percent of applications to the program between October 2020 and August 2021. The VA Caregivers Program offers support and services for eligible veterans and their caregivers, including caregiver education and training, mental health counseling, respite care, and a monthly stipend.
“We write to express concern regarding the number of applications to the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (Caregivers Program) denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the need for better guidance from VA to the veteran community on how to navigate the Caregivers appeals process,”The Senators wrote. “As you consider regulatory changes to bring the Caregivers Program into line with Congressional intent, the Department must also provide clear guidance for veterans, caregivers, and advocates.”
The Senators’ push is particularly important given that the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims ruled last year that veterans should have the opportunity to appeal a denied application to the VA Caregivers Program – and now thousands of veterans are expected to appeal their cases to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
The Senators cite in their letter,“In December 2021, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals estimated 40,368 Caregivers Program cases will be appealed to the Board in fiscal year 2022, and 52,043 cases in fiscal year 2023.”
The Senators also discuss the previous administration’s decision to narrow eligibility for the program and urge the Biden administration to reverse the change.
The Senators write, “As a nation, we must ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of our veterans, their families, and their caregivers is at the forefront. Because of this, we also continue to urge VA to reverse the previous administration’s regulation limiting eligibility, such as the activity of daily living (ADL) and the 70 percent requirements to ensure that veterans and their caregivers may receive the support that they deserve.”
The Senators are specifically calling for the VA to ensure that it has enough Caregiver Support Coordinators to effectively manage the workload and deliver quality, focused assistance to veterans and their caregivers, as well as provide congressional offices and Veteran Service Organizations with uniform guidance on how to best serve veterans as they navigate the appeals process.
To read the Senators’ letter to the VA, click hereor see below.
Dear Secretary McDonough:
We write to express concern regarding the number of applications to the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (Caregivers Program) denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the need for better guidance from VA to the veteran community on how to navigate the Caregivers appeals process. As you consider regulatory changes to bring the Caregivers Program into line with Congressional intent, the Department must also provide clear guidance for veterans, caregivers, and advocates.
Between October 1, 2020, and August 1, 2021, VA received approximately 97,100 Caregivers applications. The total rate of denied applications for this period is 88 percent, according to your August 2021 letter in response to Chairman Tester and Senator Murray’s inquiry.
While we believe VA needs to take all measures to ensure that decisions are made correctly the first time and are in the veteran’s best interest, thousands of veterans will appeal their denied Caregivers Program application in fiscal year 2022 and 2023. In December 2021, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals estimated that 40,368 Caregivers Program cases will be appealed to the Board in fiscal year 2022, and 52,043 cases in fiscal year 2023. If these estimates hold, the Board would not have the resources to process these appeals.
Veterans in our communities and across the country are receiving letters notifying them of their denial and the option to appeal their Caregivers Program application. However, congressional offices and Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) do not have clear and uniform guidance on how to best serve veterans as they navigate the appeals process. For that reason, we ask VA to conduct outreach and provide information to both congressional offices and VSOs, so we can best assist our veterans.
We have also heard from our constituents that VA’s Patient Advocates are not able to provide guidance on navigating the appeals process. We ask that you ensure that there are enough Caregiver Support Coordinators, equipped with all necessary resources, to effectively manage the workload and be able to deliver quality, focused assistance to veterans and their caregivers. VA care like the VA Caregivers Program should not require hurdles and exclusive access on best practices for applying and appealing.
As a nation, we must ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of our veterans, their families, and their caregivers is at the forefront. Because of this, we also continue to urge VA to reverse the previous administration’s regulation limiting eligibility, such as the activity of daily living (ADL) and the 70 percent requirements to ensure that veterans and their caregivers may receive the support that they deserve. Finally, we ask that VA take a holistic approach to how it proceeds with the VA Caregivers Program, including allowing for consideration of how the current backlog in disability ratings decisions and appeals due to COVID-19 have likely led to claims-related obstacles for entry into the Caregivers Program.
The VA serves as a cornerstone of our nation’s system to provide care for veterans. We thank you for your committed leadership to veterans and look forward to the update VA can provide on the VA Caregivers Program.
Elden Ring may be a new franchise for FromSoftware, but if you’re familiar with the studio’s past work, you know that this latest project borrows plenty of systems, mechanics, design elements, and its general feel from all those games.
Whether you’ve been playing since the days of Demon’s Souls when no one knew what a FromSoftware is, or you jumped on along the way, these Elden Ring tips are for you. Here, we’re going to go through a number of tips and point out specific quirks that will only make sense if you played Soulsborne(kiro?) games.
While what we’re going to touch on will benefit everyone, newcomer or veteran, the tips are intended for those of us who know their way around a bonfire. So without further ado, let’s see what changes Miyazaki and co made to the formula this time around.
Poise and super armour are big deals
Your character’s poise vs those of enemies and bosses has always been something you had to be aware of if you wanted to improve your survival in Soulsborne games. The same is true for super armour. Elden Ring brings back the two systems, but they’re brought to the fore in a new way.
Having a higher poise than your target effectively means your attacks cannot be interrupted, while theirs can. Think about how easy it usually is to land hits on a mage, and you’ll get the idea. Your armour is largely what affects your poise (you can see that value under stats). For enemies, the heavier they look, the more likely their poise is going to be high.
Super armour, particularly for bosses, is another element that you’ll need to engage with. While Elden Ring doesn’t actually show you a super armour bar or anything like that, it’s always present, and you always need to chip away at it. Super armour regenerates slowly over time. The best way to keep that from happening is by continuing to attack the boss. Even when you need to back away, remember to throw a dart/arrow or two at them. This will prevent them from regaining their super armour.
Once it’s broken, you’ll hear the big boom, letting you get a critical hit. Super armour can be broken multiple times during a fight, so keep at it.
You can move while chugging flasks
Series veterans will be happy to know that while drinking your Flask of Crimson and Flask of Cerulean Tears, you can move. This is a bigger deal than it sounds, because you won’t be locked into a corner as you try to regain some of your lost HP/FP.
That said, you’re going to be moving very slowly, so keep whatever you’re fighting in frame so as to anticipate any upcoming attacks. Obviously, if you get interrupted, you’re going to have to start the animation all over.
There’s no weapon durability
FromSoftware has finally done away with the weapon and armour degradation mechanic. It never really made sense, and that’s likely more true now considering the gigantic size of the game’s world.
In Elden Ring, you won’t have to worry about repairing your weapons and armour, which is just great news. This actually leads us into the next tip.
Illusory walls are back
Yes, as unsurprising as that might sound, Elden Ring brings back secret areas/entrances/chests hidden behind illusory walls. Most of these can be found at a certain academy, and in some caves and catacombs.
If a wall looks too clean or out of place, don’t be afraid to smack it. You won’t have to worry about degrading your weapon’s durability or damage. You should probably also help your fellow players and leave a note letting them know.
Two-handing weapons offers a damage boost
This is another returning mechanic that we’re happy to see again. In Elden Ring, wielding your weapon with two hands offers a clear damage boost. You can track how much that is for any given weapon by simply equipping it and consulting your stats page before and after.
Doing this also unlocks a new moveset for every weapon, so take a moment to
experiment with the different combos. The new Ash of War skills – basically Weapon Arts from Dark Souls 3 – mix in particularly well with the two-handed stance, too.
You won’t be entirely defencless, either. Holding block will still negate some damage, just like a shield – though nowhere near as effectively. You can track every type of damage mitgation your weapon does by browsing its stats.
To see this content please enable targeting cookies.
Don’t lock yourself into one play style
As much as you might be used to finishing FromSoftware’s games with the same weapon and same armour set, Elden Ring will challenge you to let go of that notion. The game is balanced around juggling ranged with melee combat.
This is also true for spells and incantations. You’re going to need to invest in Faith or Intelligence to keep up with the game’s challenge. Most classes’ starting FP, and the cost of those skills themselves, sets you up to easily include them in your repertoire of moves.
If you’re yet to git gud, check out our Elden Ring Beginner’s guide.
The front entrance to the Brunswick Police Department. C. Thacher Carter / The Times Record
Brunswick police and local veterans on Sunday will collect American flags that are worn out beyond repair for a retirement service this summer.
The event will take place at the police department on Pleasant Street in partnership with the Brunswick American Legion Post #20. The public is invited to drop off flags that are unserviceable between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Dave Watson, the commander of American Legion Post #20, said in an interview Thursday that flags will be kept then burned in a June ceremony in accordance with U.S. Flag Code. The ceremony is an annual event typically held at the Chamberlain Monument, Watson said.
The legion retires hundreds of flags every year, Watson said.
“We’re honoring the flag, we’re inspecting the flag and we’re retiring flags that are no longer usable for display,” said Watson, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1966-70 and is also a town councilor.
Watson said that, to his knowledge, burning the flag as a method of retirement when it is beyond repair is the only appropriate scenario to do so. Otherwise, he said, it is a sign of disrespect.
“What people have to realize is that the flag does not represent the present administration,” Watson said. “Yes, it is a symbol of the country, but it represents the people of the country and it’s the people’s flag. That’s how I feel about it – it really represents all the people in the United States and to me that’s of significance as to why we need to honor it.”
Brunswick Police Chief Scott Stewart said that the event is designed to engage and educate the community. Stewart said that particularly in light of the events in Ukraine, it is important to remember what the flag means.
“We’re just trying to bring awareness to the flag, and to patriotism and exactly what that symbolizes,” Stewart said. “We here at Brunswick are a proud bunch and recognize our veterans here at the PD but also throughout the community. It’s a good chance to revisit that awareness and remind people exactly what that flag stands for.”
According to the Congressional Research Service, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the U.S. Flag Code on June 22, 1942, which provides rules that govern the display and use of the flag by U.S. citizens.
The U.S. Flag Code states: “The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.”
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you’ve submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you’ve submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.