Tag Archives: Army Ranger

MedAssets Recognizes Veteran U.S. Army Airborne Ranger Sean Parnell, Humanitarians Linda Egle, Jamie

By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool

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MedAssets Recognizes Veteran U.S. Army Airborne Ranger Sean Parnell, Humanitarians Linda Egle, Jamie and Ali McMutrie for Dedicated Public Service

ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)– MedAssets (NAS: MDAS) today announced the recipients of the 2012 George Herbert Walker Bush Pacesetter Award and 2012 Norman Borlaug Humanitarian Award, which were presented during the 2013 MedAssets Healthcare Business Summit, held April 2-4 in Las Vegas.

The 2012 George Herbert Walker Bush Pacesetter Award honoree is Sean Parnell, a retired captain of the U.S. Army Airborne Rangers 10th Mountain Division, who served in combat during the war on terror in Afghanistan. The 2012 Norman Borlaug Humanitarian Award honorees are Linda Egle,founder of Eternal Threads and sisters Jamie and Ali McMutrie, founders of Haitian Families First.


2012 George Herbert Walker Bush Pacesetter Award Winner Sean Parnell

“Veteran Sean Parnell represents the American spirit of the George Herbert Walker Bush Pacesetter Award through his exemplary service during the war on terror, and advocacy on behalf of veterans’ issues,” said John Bardis, chairman, president and chief executive officer, MedAssets. “We are honored to highlight Sean’s story and efforts to make more Americans aware that we can do more to help our brave service men and women heal from what often are invisible wounds of war.”

A Pennsylvania native, Sean Parnell transitioned from college student to Army Ranger after the events of September 11, 2001. At age 24, he led a 40-man elite infantry, known also as the Outlaw Platoon, through 16 months of brutal combat while serving patrol in Afghanistan. His leadership and dedication to his men during an ambush led Sean to earn the Purple Heart and two Bronze Stars, including one for valor. In addition, 80 percent of his men earned Purple Hearts. Now retired and healing from post-concussion syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder, Sean is sharing his experiences with the hope that other soldiers will be open to seeking help. As part of his own healing process, Sean wrote, “Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan,” a New York Times bestseller. He serves as a national ambassador for veterans issues and is working on a post graduate degree in clinical psychology to one day counsel and help soldiers heal from the psychological and emotional wounds suffered while serving in combat.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance

Operation: Supply Drop: Fighting PTSD And Bolstering Troop Morale, One Video Game Care Package At A Time

By Michael Venables

My Forbes colleague, John Gaudiosi, recently wrote an excellent post on the Matheson bill introduced Jan. 15 in the House. H.R. 287 proposes to make it unlawful to sell or rent violent or Mature-rated video games to minors, making it punishable by a fine of up to $5,000. With the culture war over video games evident in full force, it’s a distinct pleasure to highlight the inspiring story of Operation Supply Drop‘s Captain Stephen “Shanghai Six” Machuga. Now retired from active military service, Machuga is a former airborne Army Ranger who created Front Towards Gamer, a site that provides video game reviews, editorials, geek content and the Claymore Podcast Network. Operation Supply Drop is the charity wing of the site, a military-themed charity organization that raises money to build video game care packages for soldiers deployed to high-threat provinces in Afghanistan and hospitalized veterans in Army hospitals in the U.S. Machuga got the nickname ?Shanghai Six? after having been ?stop-lossed? in the Army following 9/11. Originally only supposed to do four years in the Army, he ended up doing a total of eight years instead, thus the “Shanghai-ed” moniker. The ?Six? is used in military radio chatter to designate the unit?s leader. In two and a half years, Operation Supply Drop has raised over $150,000 in support of getting video games and gear to troops deployed overseas to combat zones. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Technology