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A "disabled combat veteran" says that Amber Heard's PTSD score from her marriage to Johnny Depp is allegedly higher than his own.

The tweet, sent out by the account @KurtMyers1982, whose bio describes him as a "retired Army, homeschool dad" from Nebraska, went viral and caught the attention of thousands of people invested in the court case between Depp and Heard.

Depp and Heard are currently embroiled in a $50 million defamation suit which comes after Heard wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in 2018, stating that she was the survivor of domestic violence. Heard has countersued her ex-husband for $100 million.

"I am a disabled combat veteran that lost a close friend in Iraq in 2005," he tweeted on Thursday. "Amber Heard scored much higher than me on her PTSD test, according to Dr. Hughes. Evidently, being married to Johnny Depp is far more traumatic than the Iraq War." The popular hashtag #JusticeForJohnnyDepp was included in the tweet.

The tongue-in-cheek comment references expert witness testimony given during the ongoing Depp and Heard defamation trial.

Dr. Dawn Hughes was the first witness called by Heard's legal team to testify on her behalf. The clinical and forensic psychologist diagnosed Heard with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and claimed it "interfered" with her work on the Aquaman sequel.

"Miss Heard demonstrated very clear psychological traumatic effects, or the exacerbation of trauma from those statements that Mr. Depp's attorneys made," Hughes said in court. She diagnosed Heard with PTSD allegedly caused by intimate partner violence from Depp.

The Twitter account belonging to Myers and many others in the comment section seemed to disagree with this assessment. Over 10,800 people liked Myers' dry take while 2,400 retweeted him, and hundreds of people replied. Responding to the people who interacted, Myers wrote, "Thank you all for the kind words, it was an honor to serve."

"Thank you for your service and I'm sorry for your loss and the effects you are still suffering," @Grethe1956 wrote, and added, "I'm pretty sure that Amber Heard does not have PTSD."

"It's impossible to reach her scores unless you are cheating the test. It's not designed to have a perfect score so if you score that high you cheated you are clearly faking it," another Twitter user @SchmoJosey wrote in response to Myers.

Not everyone backed the Iraq war veteran's take though.

"Sorry but no matter where you stand in this case, this is so irrelevant," @sparklinaway wrote. "Trauma is trauma. None is worse. Don't compare trauma just because you believe you had it worse. Serving in a war is super traumatic and I'm sorry about that. Thank you for your service but pls don't do this."

@code2high replied to Myers by asking, "Is it a competition? I wasn't aware of that. What my psychologist told me was that it comes down to that moment of terror. Five years is a lot of moments of terror. Being able to act, or not, also impacts outcomes. Maybe you didn't know this?"

The closing arguments in the trial are expected to take place on Friday before the jury is sent to decide their verdict. Follow the latest breaking news from the trial on Newsweek's live blog.

Newsweek reached out to Kurt Myers for further comment.

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Iraq War Veteran Compares His PTSD Score to Amber Heard's in Viral Tweet - Newsweek

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President Biden Friday again made an exaggeration about the number of times he's been to the Middle East, as he gave a commencement speech to U.S. Naval Academy graduates in Maryland.

"I've been in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan of over 40 I think 38 times," the president said.

That number was incorrect, however. A spokesperson for Biden's National Security Council (NSC) said Friday the correct number of times Biden visited Iraq and Afghanistan is 21.

U.S. President Joe Biden, March 31, 2022. Biden's White House has walked back several of the president's comments recently. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)

BIDEN SAYS PUTIN NATO-IZED EUROPE WITH WAR IN UKRAINE

Biden made the Friday comment in the context of congratulating Naval Academy graduates of being, "members of the greatest fighting force in the history of the world." The president said that based on his visits to the Middle East, and his family's military service, he has firsthand knowledge of the quality of the U.S. armed forces.

"I've seen you in action, this is the finest military, not a joke, we have the finest military in the history of the world," Biden said.

Friday's statement was not the first time Biden's made a false claim about how often he's visited the Middle East. While running for president, Biden said at least once he'd been to Iraq and Afghanistan "over 30 times," according to the Washington Post.

President Biden spoke to graduates of the .U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., Friday. (iStock)

As a presidential candidate, Biden also told at least one "moving but false" war story, according to the Washington Post, which jumbled several events loosely together to create a narrative that "never happened."

UKRAINE NEEDS TO FACE REALITY TO END CONFLICT, TALK TO PUTIN: ZELENSKYY

Friday's clarification by the NSC is also just the latest of several recent comments from the president that his team needed to walk back.

Most recently, the White House was forced to clean up a comment Biden made which indicated the U.S. may defend Taiwan militarily if attacked by China.

Earlier this year, Biden made a gaffe saying the U.S. may not have a response to a "minor incursion" by Russia into Ukraine, which his staff walked back. And in Warsaw, Poland this year, Biden said, "this man cannot remain in power," referring to Putin. The White House quickly clarified that Biden was not calling for regime change in Russia.

President Joe Biden speaks in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus, Tuesday, July 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Also during his speech to Naval Academy graduates, Biden touted his approach to U.S. foreign policy, including his emphasis on alliances. He also said Russian President Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine is backfiring as western nations' alliances get stronger.

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"The actions taken by Putin were an attempt, to use my phrase, to Finlandize all of Europe, make it all neutral," Biden said, using a term that refers to Finland's neutrality during the Cold War. "Instead, he NATOized all of Europe."

"Putin's brutal, brutal war in Ukraine, not only is he trying to take over Ukraine, he's really trying to wipe out the culture and identity of Ukrainian people," Biden also said, raising his voice in outrage. "Attacking schools, nurseries, hospitals, museums with no other purpose than eliminate a culture, a direct assault on the fundamental tenets of rule-based international order. That's what you're graduating into."

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Biden repeats false claim about trips to Iraq and Afghanistan, this time to graduating midshipmen - Fox News

Turkey says its soldiers were killed during clashes with fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Five Turkish soldiers fighting Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq have been killed, the Turkish defence ministry has said in a statement.

Another two soldiers were wounded during clashes that occurred on Tuesday near Iraqs border with Turkey, the statement added.

Turkeys official news agency Anadolu said the Turkish soldiers had clashed with fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Ankara and some of its Western allies call a terrorist organisation.

The clashes took place during Turkeys latest cross-border offensive against the PKK, which maintains bases in northern Iraq.

The fatalities raise the number of Turkish soldiers killed in the latest offensive to 17. Turkey maintains that dozens of PKK fighters were killed during the operation but the deaths cannot be independently verified.

The PKK has been waging an armed uprising against the Turkish state since 1984, a conflict that has killed 40,000 people, many of them civilians.

Ankara has launched a series of operations against PKK fighters in Iraq and Syria, the latest beginning in April in northern Iraqs Metina, Zap and Avashin-Basyan regions.

Since 2016, Turkey has also launched three offensives into northern Syria against the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), a Syrian-Kurdish offshoot of the PKK.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Turkey would soon launch a new military operation into northern Syria that he said was designed to create a 30-kilometre (19-mile) security zone along their border.

Turkey wants to use these security zones to keep Kurdish fighters at a safe distance and to house some of the 3.7 million Syrian refugees currently sheltering inside its own borders.

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Five Turkish soldiers killed in northern Iraq - Al Jazeera English

The names of two McLennan County veterans who were killed in Iraq, names unintentionally left off a monument erected in 2018 to those from the county killed in the Gulf War, the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War, have been inscribed on this monument.

Army Spc. Javier A. Villanuevas and Army Spc. Jeffrey P. Shaffers names will be unveiled on Memorial Day in a small, private event just for their loved ones and family members, said Steve Hernandez, co-chair of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8564.

VFW Post 8564 and Phipps Memorial coordinated the monument initially, said Larry Bethea, committee chair with VFW Post 8564. Phipps made the donation to erect this monument on Memorial Day in 2018 as well as one listing McLennan County veterans killed in the Korean War. The VFW post compiled the names.

We want pay homage to the family members (on Monday), Hernandez said.

The main Memorial Day ceremony will be in Hewitt Park at 10 a.m.

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Villanueva

Villanuevas mother, Christine Lebron, said his name should have been included with the rest of those on the monument when it was first erected.

Im really grateful theyre doing it (inscribing his name) now, Lebron said.

She said her son should be honored for the soldier he was.

Villaneuva, who graduated from La Vega High School, served with 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment as a combat medic when he died Nov. 24, 2005, in Asad, Iraq, according to an Army site about the medical clinic named for him at Fort Irwin, California. He died at the age of 25.

He received fatal injuries the day before when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat in Hit, Iraq, according to the Army site.

He was a medic, he saved a lot of lives, Lebron said. He fought and died for his country. He is greatly missed by his family and friends.

Javier Villanueva also had a daughter before he died, Taliyah Villanueva, Lebron said.

Shaffer

Shaffers mother, Melissa Adams, said it is important to her for people to say Shaffers name and remember him. Now that his name is on the monument, people will, she said.

They may not know him personally, but they will know he died fighting a war for this country, Adams said.

People will have the sense of what he did, she said.

Shaffer, who grew up in West, died at the age of 21 on Sept. 13, 2006, in Ramadi, Iraq, according to records. He was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment when a makeshift bomb exploded near his Bradley fighting vehicle.

Adding the names

In 2020, Adams said Lebron called her and told her both of their sons names were missing. The two mothers reported it to county veterans officials who held a special ceremony with the public driving past to show respect because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Bathea said he and his VFW post committee began to look into Villanueva and Shaffer a few weeks ago to confirm they were actually from McLennan County.

Before we (add) a name on the monument, we verify that they were born in McLennan County or went to school here, Bathea said.

Adams said she and Lebron both had to provide proof to Batheas committee of where Shaffer was born and where he went to school.

The called me to verify where he was born and where he went to school, Lebron said.

Adams remains upset that her sons and Lebrons sons names were left off the monument.

Our boys were born in Waco and they deserve respect, Adams said.

At the time the monument was initially erected, County Veteran Service Officer Jeremiah Ballard said the names etched into it were taken from National Archives and Records Administration information.

According to those records, the Army listed Villanueva as being from Temple and Shaffer from Arkansas. That is why neither was included initially.

Adams maintains that Hernandez knew her from day one. She said that as a co-chair of the committee that put the monument together initially, he should have made sure her sons name was on it.

At the time, Ballard said he expected residents to come forward with more names of family members who should be included, and officials would welcome those additions.

Hernandez said that after Lebron and Adams brought their sons omission from the monument to his and Batheas attention, COVID-19 lockdowns hit.

Then came the gamma wave, the delta wave, and omicron. A few weeks ago was the first time he and Bathea could get the committee together to discuss Villanuevas and Shaffers cases.

Bathea said he was pleasantly surprised that Phipps Memorial was able to get the names inscribed last week.

Keeping their (Shaffers and Villanuevas) names going, keeps their legacy going, Adams said.

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Names of two McLennan County veterans, killed in Iraq, added to local monument - Waco Tribune-Herald

The Strategy, supported by UNICEF, is a decisive step towards reaching SDG target #4.2 in Iraq by 2030, ensuring that all girls and boys have access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD), care and pre-primary education.

Baghdad, 26 May 2022.- The Government of Iraq, in collaboration with UNICEF, launched today the National Strategy on Early Childhood Development (ECD). The Strategy represents a comprehensive and coherent approach to ECD and acknowledges different stages in child development up to age 8. It puts accountability on relevant authorities, providers, and communities to ensure the promotion and protection of the needs of young children.

During the launch, UNICEF OiC Representative, Janet Kamau noted that: The new National Strategy on ECD is closely aligned with the global Nurturing Care Framework, developed by UNICEF and other partners, and will be key for benefiting Iraqi children in two ways: first in relation to early life influences on their health during the critical first 1,000 days, from conception and continuing through at least the first two years of life, and second through a stronger focus, up to age 8, on maintaining growth, ensuring psychosocial and physical well-being and early childhood education (ECE).

In recent years, Iraq has made progress on key child survival and nutrition indicators, but progress on access to ECE and sensitive child-rearing has been slower. Participation in formal ECE programs such as kindergarten is below 10%, and almost 90% of children aged 1-14 years have been exposed to some type of violence. This new ECD Strategy represents a major milestone on the road to developing the thrive agenda, with a focus on healthy development and well-being for Iraqs children in a safe and stimulating environment, giving them the strongest foundation for educational achievement, successful socialization, and a long and productive working life.

The Strategy is based on the vision of a safe, stable, and happy childhood within a supportive family, society, and a safe environment to ensure the best opportunities for children's well-being in Iraq. In addition, the executive framework of the ECD strategy has been developed covering the main five areas related to the rollout of the Strategy: management and planning; quality; curricula; training; family, children, and community participation. The framework also includes the adoption of basic goals for each field linked to the ministries involved in this strategy.

This new strategy will need to be matched with new investments to overcome related challenges. For example, while there is a national network of primary health care facilities and high rates of skilled birth attendance and immunization, the ECE network remains scarce, and limited priority is given to early stimulation at the domestic level. UNICEF acknowledges the additional efforts of the Government of Iraq in the National Development Plan 2018-2022, but the goal of increasing ECE coverage to 30% by 2031 is ambitious and will require a higher budget share in the coming years.

To ensure access to ECD services for all children, UNICEF, WFP, and the ILO, funded by the European Union, are working to ensure that children from the most vulnerable groups are prioritized through social protection programs, aiming to improve access to early childhood education (ECE).

With the additional support of other partners like the World Bank and Germany, and in coordination with UNESCO and other UN agencies, UNICEF will work to support the Government of Iraq on the implementation of the National Strategy on ECD, from conception until 8 years of age.

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Media contacts

Miguel Mateos MunozChief of CommunicationUNICEF IraqTel: +964 7827820238Email: mmateosmunoz@unicef.org

Zaid FahmiCommunication OfficerUNICEFTel: 07809126792Email: zfahmi@unicef.org

Originally posted here:
Iraq launches, with the support of UNICEF, the National Strategy on Early Childhood Development [EN/AR] - Iraq - ReliefWeb