Veterans

Stories like Jim Stanek's are common and quickly multiplying: An Iraqi war veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, he says his life was saved by a dog that gave him the confidence to do seemingly simple things, like go out to dinner and look his wife in the eye rather than watch his own back.

A military wife whose husband suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder decided to bring awareness to the cause in an unusual way - by baring her body and writing her feelings about PTSD on her own skin for everyone to see.

A retired military working dog named Gabe, and his owner Sgt. 1st Class Charles Shuck, nabbed top honors this weekend at the 2012 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards. Gabe is a rescue dog who lived in a Texas animal shelter before being adopted and trained by the military.

Home Post brought you the story last month of Sgt. Karl Hofle, veteran who served 20 years in the military, only to be medically discharged with PTSD. His service dog, Jake, was helping him heal from PTSD, but then Jake became ill and the cost to heal him was too much for the Hofle family, who had to consider euthanizing Jake. Well, today we've got an update - and it's a good one.

Advocates for the homeless said today they're scrambling to come up with money for a facility where people who live on the streets in downtown San Diego can store their belongings.

California native Staff Sgt. Juan Contreras, a Marine with the I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), has always had a passion for cooking. He hopes the food service skills he's picking up in the Marine Corps will help him open a restaurant in San Diego one day.

A former fugitive suspected of running a $100 million cross-country scam collecting donations for Navy veterans has been identified as a Harvard-trained attorney wanted on unrelated fraud charges since 1987, authorities said this week.

The VA sponsors a national sports clinic designed to heal and rehabilatate injured veterans.

The job outlook for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans continues to improve. Many of them are settling down in San Diego and Southern California.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego welcomed Swift Boat P24 to be restored and operated as a new addition to its collection of historic naval vessels, Sept. 18. The craft's addition will serve as a tribute to the sacrifices of service members who fought in the Vietnam War and other campaigns, as well as a tool to educate visitors with an interest in the U.S. Navy's vast heritage.