30 Mayıs 2012 Çarşamba

Addressing the Needs of Native Veterans

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Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Oversight Hearing Addresses Needs of Native Veterans
May 28, 2012 - On May 25, just before Memorial Day weekend, the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held an Oversight hearing to discuss improvements to U.S. Government programs and services that assist American Indian, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian veterans. Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) who is one of three U.S. Senators that is a veteran chaired the hearing.

During the hearing, committee members, representatives of the Veterans Administration, Indian Health Services and other tribal leaders in Indian country acknowledged the contributions of and discussed several topics affecting Native veterans. Testimony to include the need for better access to health care for Native vets in rural areas, affordable and adequate housing and improved communications between the Veterans Administration and Indian Health Services.

Akaka, a World War II veteran, opened the hearing by honoring indigenous service members, “It is fitting that we conduct this hearing before Memorial Day in remembrance of the service of Native veterans to our country,” he said.

After citing that Native veterans have served in every conflict since the Revolutionary War, more than two dozen Native veterans have received the Medal of Honor and that Native service members have the highest rates of service per capita than any other group in the nation, Akaka stated that his goal for the oversight hearing was that the United States had to meet it’s unique and dual responsibilities to Native service members as both veterans and as Indigenous Peoples. read more>>>

Military/Veterans: Mental Health Experts Go Online May 30

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for Chat on Post-Deployment
In observance of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury and the non-profit group Military Pathways are joining forces to host an online event on Facebook, 3-4 p.m. (EDT), on Wednesday, May 30.

This opportunity features psychological health experts who will answer questions and provide resources on common post-deployment psychological health challenges, as well as information on where to get help.

For directions to join the discussion, visit the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCOE).

Read more on health.mil about mental health resources supporting the psychological health of the military community.


“Go Red For Women” Fighting Heart Disease in Women Veterans

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VA, American Heart Association’s “Go Red For Women” Fight Heart Disease in Women Veterans
Collaboration Enables Organizations to Leverage Resources, Raise Awareness

WASHINGTON – May 29, 2012 - The Department of Veterans Affairs and the American Heart Association have entered into a formal agreement to raise awareness of heart disease and strokes among women Veterans and Servicemembers, and wives of Veterans and military members.

“This exciting collaboration bolsters VA’s ongoing efforts to prevent cardiovascular disease,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “This is an important issue for women Veterans, and we need to do everything we can to address it.”

In support of the First Lady’s “Joining Forces” initiative, VA and the American Heart Association’s “Go Red For Women” are partnering to raise awareness among America’s female Veterans of heart disease – the number one killer of women.

“Currently, some eight million women in the U.S. are living with heart disease, yet only one in six American women believes that heart disease is her greatest health threat,” said Dr. Susan Bennett, cardiologist, MedStar Washington Hospital Center and national "Go Red For Women" spokesperson. “Go Red For Women is excited about our newest strategic alliance with VA because it will provide additional opportunities to increase awareness of women’s number one killer and encourage military women – active, veterans and military wives – to actively prevent heart attacks and stroke.” read more>>>


Decorated WWII Veteran Purged From Voting in FL

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Meet Bill: The 91-Year-Old Decorated WWII Veteran Targeted By Florida Governor Rick Scott’s Voter Purge
May 29, 2012 - Bill Internicola is a 91-year-old, Brooklyn-born, World War II veteran. He fought in the Battle of the Buldge and received the Bronze Star for bravery. He’s voted in Florida for 14 years and never had a problem.

Three weeks ago, Bill received a letter from Broward County Florida stating “[Y]ou are not a U.S. Citizen” and therefore, ineligible to vote. He was given the option of requesting “a hearing with the Supervisor of Elections, for the purpose of providing proof that you are a United States citizens” or forfeit his right to vote.

This decorated World War II veteran is just one of hundreds of fully eligible U.S. citizens being targeted by Governor Scott’s massive voter purge just prior to this year’s election, according to data obtained from Florida election officials by ThinkProgress. The purge list, according to an analysis by the Miami Herald, targets mostly Democrats and Hispanics.

Voting rights groups in Florida have asked the Justice Department to investigate, alleging that Scott’s voter purge violates federal law.

Bill appeared at a press conference this morning with Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL), who has called on Scott to “immediately suspend” the voter purge. read more>>>


DoD Open Source Electronic Health Record Agent: Free and Open

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Department of Defense Makes EHR Software Free and Open
May 22, 2012 - A downloadable, open source version of the military’s electronic health record software that is used for troops on the battlefield will be available through the nonprofit organization, Open Source Electronic Health Record Agent (OSEHRA).

In a May 22 press release, Dr. Karen Guice, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for Health Affairs, said the open source software is, “similar to the DoD’s theater EHR, which has been instrumental in supporting DoD’s need for capturing and exchanging health care data of our deployed service members.” She added that, “It seems only appropriate that we donate the software to the public, so it can be reused and adapted by both large and small users, as well as developers.”

Here is the complete May 22, 2012 news release:

Washington, D.C. - Many of the everyday technological conveniences you know and love, from the Internet on your smartphone to the navigation system in your car, got their start as purely military applications.

Following in that long tradition of turning over successful products to the public, the Department of Defense and developer Northrop Grumman Information Systems have agreed to provide a version of the military’s Electronic Health Record software to the Open Source Electronic Health Record Agent (OSEHRA), a nonprofit organization established to support advancements in EHR and health care information technology. Known as Open AHLTA, the software is similar to that used for troops on the battlefield and will be available on the OSEHRA website for free download and use.

The release of Open AHLTA follows the recent release of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ VistA software into the open-source environment, where it is also available for download through OSEHRA. read more>>>


23 Mayıs 2012 Çarşamba

New disciplinary action in Dover war remains case

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Ex-mortuary official punished for retaliation
Patrick Semansky / The Associated Press: Three of the whistle-blowers in the Dover Port Mortuary case, from left: Mary Ellen Spera, James Parsons and Bill Zwicharowski.

May 21, 2012 - A former commander who retaliated against four employees who reported the mishandling of remains at the Port Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, Del., must forfeit $7,000 and has received a letter of reprimand, the Air Force announced Monday.

The Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal investigative agency, found in January that the Air Force had violated whistle-blower protection laws and identified three Port Mortuary officials responsible for the retaliation: Col. Robert Edmondson, the former commander; Trevor Dean, former deputy director; and Quinton “Randy” Keel, former director. The Air Force said in a statement Monday it reviewed those findings and conducted a “supplemental investigation.”

Edmondson accepted non-judicial proceedings under Article 15 Uniform Code of Military Justice, the Air Force said. The final punishment of forfeiture of pay and a reprimand followed a hearing and an appeal.

Dean received a 20-day, unpaid suspension for the reprisal, the Air Force said Monday. Keel resigned in late February but was later issued a letter of censure.

“The Secretary of the Air Force reviewed the final disciplinary actions and considers them appropriate,” according to an Air Force news release.

The Air Force had previously found the three ex-supervisors guilty of gross mismanagement, for which Edmondson was issued a letter of reprimand and denied future command. He left Dover for the Pentagon as part of a routine rotation. Keel was involuntarily downgraded to a nonsupervisory job outside Mortuary Affairs; Dean voluntarily took a downgrade to a nonsupervisory job within Mortuary Affairs Operations but outside Port Mortuary. read more>>>


Updated Ordering of Veterans' Grave Marker Medallion

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New VA Form Available for Ordering Veterans' Grave Marker Medallion
May 22, 2012 - The Department of Veterans Affairs has streamlined the process for families of deceased Veterans to receive a medallion which can be affixed to grave markers at private cemeteries and indicates the Veteran status of the deceased.

“This new form streamlines the ordering process, making it easier for families to order the medallion,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The families want everyone to know that their loved one was a Veteran. We should help them do that in any way we can.”

Previously, families ordered the medallion using the form to order a government headstone or marker. VA has introduced a new form – VA Form 40-1330M – for use solely to order a medallion. The older form, VA Form 40-1330, remains in place to order a traditional government headstone or marker.

The medallion is a device furnished in lieu of a traditional Government headstone or grave marker for Veterans whose death occurred on or after Nov. 1, 1990, and whose grave in a private cemetery is marked with a privately purchased headstone or marker. Under federal law, eligible Veterans buried in a private cemetery are entitled to either a government-furnished grave marker or the medallion, but not both.

The medallion is available in three sizes: 5 inches, 3 inches and 1 ½ inches in width. Each bronze medallion features the image of a folded burial flag adorned with laurels and is inscribed with the word “Veteran” at the top and the Veteran’s branch of service at the bottom.

Next of kin receive the medallion, along with a kit that allows the family or the staff of a private cemetery to affix the medallion to a headstone, grave marker, mausoleum or columbarium niche cover. read more>>>


Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs: 23 May 2012

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Seamless Transition: Review of the Integrated Disability Evaluation System
Senate Dirksen Office Building Room 562 Wednesday, May 23, 2012 10am
WITNESS LIST

Jo Ann Rooney, Acting Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness, Department ofDefense

John Gingrich, Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs

Daniel Bertoni, Director of Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues, GovernmentAccountability Office


Sound Familiar: Send Them Into War Theaters

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And cheer those on, when they come home though that's another story, till the next war and group of. Those cheering still not Demanding they Sacrifice, from any country, while either demanding the occupations continue or more likely, as they've totally lost interest, start demanding to bring them home so then they, after not seeking accountability as to those that ordered then abandoned the mission years back to destroy another can now start accusing those in the present! This is happening with any country who's sent soldiers into these present conflicts, reports of abound!

NZ veterans 'suffering in silence'
May 23, 2012 - The Government is not doing enough to look after our shell-shocked soldiers returning from war-torn hot-spots like Afghanistan, says a leading Christchurch veterans service.

Rannerdale Veterans Hospital and Home, founded in 1920 to provide healthcare and support for Boer War survivors, says New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) veterans are suffering in silence.

General manager Stephen Shamy says post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or post-deployment syndrome, is affecting many returning war heroes, but mainstream psychological health services aren't geared up to help them. read more>>>


Dr. Jill Biden: Find a Way To Honor

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Everyone Can Find a Way to Honor our Service Members
May 23, 2012 - Over the past few years, I have been blessed with the opportunity to spend time with our veterans, troops and military families. With every visit, I come away inspired.

They are military spouses, who balance work, family and school — all while dealing with the emotions of a deployment. They are military children, who move from school to school while picking up extra chores while their dad or mom is away serving our country. They are survivors of our fallen, who are pillars of strength for their communities. And of course, they are our troops, veterans and wounded warriors, who have dedicated their lives to defending America.

This Memorial Day, we must remember that these heroes are found in every corner of our country, from big cities to rural areas, from base communities to small towns. But no matter where they are assigned or what their duties are, when our service members are called to serve, so too are their families.

That’s why one year ago, first lady Michelle Obama and I launched Joining Forces, an initiative to bring Americans together to recognize, honor and serve our nation’s veterans and military families. Joining Forces focuses on three key areas — employment, education and wellness — while raising awareness about the service, sacrifice and needs of our troops, veterans and their families. read more>>>


17 Mayıs 2012 Perşembe

Retraining 99,000 Unemployed Veterans

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Joint VA/DOL Program Launches to Retrain 99,000 Unemployed Veterans
Online Site Opens May 15 for Veterans to Apply for Education Benefits

WASHINGTON – May 16, 2012 - Starting May 15, unemployed Veterans between the ages of 35 and 60 can now apply for new benefits to cover education costs for up to one year through a joint Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Labor (DOL) program that focuses on retraining 99,000 Veterans for high-demand jobs.

“This important tool will help those who served our country receive the education and training they need to find meaningful employment in a high-demand field,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “Veterans are disciplined, hardworking, goal-oriented team members who can play a vital role in helping businesses and the economy grow.”

“Our veterans have made this nation stronger through their service, and they deserve our continued support,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “This new program will help unemployed veterans expand their skills and compete for good jobs," she added.

As part of a provision of the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, the Veteran Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) allows qualifying Veterans to receive up to 12 months of assistance equal to the full-time Montgomery GI Bill – Active Duty rate, currently $1,473 per month.

Veterans can apply on a first-come, first-serve basis for VRAP beginning on May 15, 2012, for programs that begin on or after July 1, 2012. Assistance under this benefit program ends on March 31, 2014.

To complete an application, a Veteran will need to know his or her direct deposit information (bank routing number and account number), the name and location of his or her school, the program the Veteran wishes to pursue, and the applicable high-demand occupation.

To qualify Veterans must: read more>>>

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VA Tells the Truth About Guns - NRA attacks them {UpDated}

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Just as I was posting this, and after uploading the pamphlet from the VA to an online doc reader to post within, CBS Newss had a report come on about Soldiers/Veterans with brain injuries, TBI's, in these two wars an a study related to athlete's and the head trauma's they suffer playing their sports with some developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE and leading to dementia.

I'm placing that report below this one.

The NRA Can't Handle It
05/16/2012 - Who can forget the climactic courtroom scene in a A Few Good Men, where Jack Nicholson's character, Col. Nathan Jessup, responds to a demand for the truth from a cross-examining Tom Cruise with the classic line, "You can't handle the truth"? It came immediately to mind when I read about the NRA's new crusade against the Department of Veterans Affairs for trying to protect the well-being of veterans suffering from dementia.

The Veterans Health Administration launched a public awareness campaign about gun access by dementia patients after an 83-year-old veteran pulled a pistol from his pocket in August 2000 and shot a doctor in a V.A. hospital emergency room in Salisbury, N.C. The agency later found that 40 percent of veterans with mild to moderate dementia had a gun in their homes.

In response, the VA's Office of the Medical Inspector issued an invaluable publication, "Firearms and Dementia," explaining the risks of firearms in the home. Although the focus is on the lethal mix of guns and persons suffering from dementia, the VA underscores the risk to others as well. According to the VA, "[t]he presence of firearms in households has been linked to increased risk of injury or death for everyone in or around the home, usually as an impulsive act during some disagreement," noting that "[t]his danger is increased when one of the persons in the household has dementia."

The pamphlet takes special note of the often-ignored problem of firearm suicide:

snip

Of course, this is enough to drive the NRA around the bend. In a statement entitled "Veterans Administration Overdoses on Anti-Gun Prescription," the gun lobby decries the VA pamphlet as "what the taxpayers get when people who know nothing about firearms issues take their cues from people who lie about firearms issues..."

snip
This is not the first time the NRA has sought to prevent military families from knowing the truth about guns. Our armed forces face an epidemic of suicide, with a service member committing suicide every 36 hours and a veteran committing suicide every 80 minutes. Although almost 50% of military suicides are committed with privately owned guns, the gun lobby's Congressional allies have succeeded in amending the National Defense Authorization Act to restrict the freedom of base commanders to talk to service members about guns in the home. read more>>>

Veterans Health Administration: "Firearms and Dementia"

If the NRA were a responsible organization, it likes to tout itself as but most know it for exactly what it is, then it certainly wouldn't be attacking issues like, nor those that lead to inform, this but sending, for free and not as a contribution seeking funding, to all it's members as well as seriously sitting down with others and actually discussing the dangers of weapons!

Study: War vets', athletes' brain injuries similar
May 16, 2012 - In recent years, more than 200,000 troops have tested positive for traumatic brain injuries, including concussions.

Now, CBS News correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook reports a new study finds they may be at risk for the same kind of long-term brain damage that is turning up in football players.

Nick Colgin came back from Afghanistan in 2008 with a Bronze Star for heroism and a problem that's destroying his life.

"A rocket-propelled grenade hit off the right side of my Humvee. I didn't realize it at the time but I suffered a traumatic brain injury," Colgin said. "I got home and I couldn't spell my own name and I couldn't read my own handwriting."

Four years after the explosion, his traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is all-consuming.

snip

Right now, CTE can only be diagnosed after death, leaving Nick Colgin to wonder if he has it or not.

"The only thing that scares me most is that I have this and nobody will ever be able to tell me I have it until I pass away," Colgin said.

CTE increases the risk of a person slowly progressing to dementia over several decades. read more>>>


Did you serve in Iraq or Afghanistan?

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And have you registered for VA health care?
OEF/OIF/OND combat Veterans can receive cost free medical care for any condition related to your service in your theater of operation for five years after the date of your discharge or release.

For this reason, combat Veterans are strongly encouraged to apply for enrollment within their enhanced eligibility period, even if no medical care is currently needed.

Your 5-year enrollment period begins on your discharge or separation date from Active Duty military service, or in the case of multiple call-ups, your most recent discharge date.

Comprehensive VA health benefits -- including preventative care, mental health care, prescriptions, emergency and surgical care -- are available to all Veterans (usually with a co-pay).

Register now! Returning Servicemembers (OEF/OIF/OND)


The VA and 3M's Healthcare Data Dictionary

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3M Opens Access to the 3M Healthcare Data Dictionary under Agreement with U.S. Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs
3M technology removes barriers to interoperability for all U.S. healthcare providers

May 16, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- 3M Health Information Systems announced today it will open access to the 3M Healthcare Data Dictionary under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The 3M Healthcare Data Dictionary will provide the core technology to enable semantic interoperability for the joint DoD/VA integrated Electronic Health Record (iEHR), making it possible to share medical knowledge and secure patient data between care providers at U.S. military treatment facilities located around the world and VA Medical Centers. Access to actionable clinical information whenever and wherever care is delivered will enable safer, better coordinated, and higher quality care for the country's 32 million veterans, active service members, and their families.

Healthcare industry stakeholders could also benefit, as the agreement makes the 3M Healthcare Data Dictionary (3M HDD) software and terminology content openly available to hospitals, health systems, physician practices, payers, vendors, and public health agencies worldwide.

The 3M HDD has been built by incorporating and linking terms from multiple clinical information systems and standard terminologies, such as LOINC, RxNorm, and SNOMED CT. It maps disparate medical terms to give data context and meaning, and is used to standardize data to make it interoperable and computable. Designed to be flexible and extensible, the 3M HDD's concept-based controlled vocabulary and knowledge base have been continuously expanded and maintained for nearly two decades. read more>>>


Army plans to review All PTSD diagnoses

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Army launching a sweeping, independent review of PTSD diagnoses
Staff file photo by Marcus Castro: 'We owe it to every soldier to ensure that he or she receives the care they need and deserve,' Army Secretary John McHugh said.

May 17, 2012 - Army leaders said Wednesday they are launching a sweeping, independent review of how the service evaluates soldiers with possible post-traumatic stress disorder following recent complaints that some PTSD diagnoses were improperly overturned.

The Army said it will review the diagnoses at all of its medical facilities going back to October 2001. And top Army leaders said they will develop a plan to correct any decisions or policies necessary to make sure that soldiers are receiving the care and treatment they deserve.

The latest reviews were triggered by revelations that the forensic psychiatry unit at Madigan Army Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state may have reversed diagnoses based on the expense of providing care and benefits to members of the military.

Soldiers in Fort Bragg's Warrior Transition Battalion also recently complained about their treatment.

Over the past several years, the U.S. military has seen a dramatic spike in the number of PTSD and traumatic brain injury cases as the long and deadly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan dragged on. The services have struggled to find better ways to monitor their troops, identify the often-invisible wounds and beef up treatment at the battlefront and when they return home. read more>>>


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13 Mayıs 2012 Pazar

Military Veterans: The "Got Your Six" project

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The Administration can only do so much, we who serve or served don't just serve groups within we serve the whole country, and actually since even before Barrack and Joe took the Oaths they already had been doing and that continues, now a new initiative is being launched, the rest is up to You and your Representatives, if they represent you, in Congress and the State Legislatures, they make the policy and You should be demanding the Sacrifice, long overdue!!

Alec Baldwin, Sarah Jessica Parker Enlisting in Michelle Obama's Campaign to Help Veterans
I've got your 6 would mean I'm covering your back,I'm on your 6 would mean I'm right behind you.It refers to directions as the hours on a clock. 12 would be forward, 3 would be right. 6 back and 9 left.It's also what a fighter pilot says to another to say they got your back, so the other fighter pilot knows he's safe when his friend says "I've got your six"

5/9/2012 - The "Got Your Six" project links studios, networks, guilds and others with dozens of non-profits in a bi-partisan campaign to help those who served in the U.S. military.

Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Michael Douglas and Tracy Morgan are among the stars who will participate in public service announcements in support of the newly launched Got Your Six campaign, aimed at improving the image of America’s military veterans and helping them successfully reintegrate into civilian life.

This national effort kicks off Friday with the support of many of the major Hollywood studios, TV networks, talent guilds, talent agencies.

The idea was first formed during a meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative America and was inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Joining Forces initiative. read more>>>

Got Your 6.org

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy


Team Rubicon Teams Up With 'Got Your 6' Campaign

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Team Rubicon unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with medical professionals to rapidly deploy emergency response teams into crisis situations. read more of mission statement>>>

Team Rubicon Teams Up With Got Your 6 in Campaign to Support Veterans
May 10, 2012 - In an unprecedented show of support for veterans and military families, nearly every major studio, broadcast and cable network, talent agency, and guild in the entertainment industry has united with Team Rubicon and other top-tier non-profit organizations to launch the Got Your 6TM campaign (www.gotyour6.org). Got Your 6 will create a wide array of opportunities for veterans to successfully convert their leadership operational training into positive civilian roles in our communities nationwide.

“Got your six” is a military expression that means “I’ve got your back, and you’ve got mine.” The six o’clock position or “six” is the designation of the rear of a military formation.

Got Your 6 will focus on six pillars of reintegration: jobs, education, health, housing, family and leadership. Got Your 6 will work with a lead non-profit organization to activate each pillar in pursuit of a specific, substantial launch goal. read more>>>


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Stepping Up for U.S. Veterans

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The few, the proud, the real patriots, joining the other individuals and groups, not just waving flags or using words and symbols only of 'support', but actually doing as the greater majority of the country moves rapidly away from, DeJa-Vu all over again!

Mike Mullen and Steven A. Coheni: Step up for U.S. veterans
05/12/2012 - Our nation is finally emerging from one of the worst recessions in U.S. history, yet for our military veterans there is no recovery in sight. The nation's unemployment rate is 8.1 percent. But the unemployment rate of our youngest military veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan hovers at a stunning 29 percent.

Consider that: Nearly one in three Americans who fought to defend us in distant lands cannot find a job here at home.

And the problem is about to get a lot worse. With the war in Iraq over and the mission in Afghanistan winding down, and the imperative of getting our national debt under control, Congress and the administration are reducing military spending. Under current plans, at least 100,000 men and women will leave military service in the next five years.

Last fall political leaders failed to reach agreement on a bipartisan plan to reduce the deficit. As a result, the Defense Department budget could be slashed by an additional $600 billion beginning in January — cuts that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has called "catastrophic."

America's veterans are a tremendous human capital resource. They are responsible, hardworking and loyal. They possess strong leadership skills and a work ethic that would be valued at any place of business. They have also benefited from technical training and education that is second to none. An Army logistics manager who moved billions of dollars of equipment and tens of thousands of personnel into and out of war zones is perfectly positioned to help a U.S. business move goods and services for its customers. Regrettably, many employers still do not appreciate how the skills our veterans hone on and off the battlefield can help their businesses win here at home. read more>>>


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6 Mayıs 2012 Pazar

Artist's mission: Keeping veterans' stories alive

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Sketching veterans recovering from war, so their stories aren't lost
May 3, 2012 - For nearly 100 years, since World War I, the U.S. military has used combat artists to create a visual record of America's wars.

Among those artists in Iraq and Afghanistan was a Marine named Michael Fay.

CBS News correspondent Chip Reid reports now that he is out of the service, he is documenting America's war veterans as they fight a new battle.

Fay brought the tools of his trade -- pencils and a sketch pad -- as he visited Marine Lance Corporal Timothy Donley at Walter Reed Hospital. His mission was not only to draw Donley, but to draw him out.

Donley lost both legs and part of an arm in Afghanistan, but told Fay he's one of the lucky ones.

"You see a lot of these guys and they've got so much worse injuries," Donley said.

Fay's sketches, including names and details of what happened, have been displayed in museums around the country. He started the project 15 months ago. read more>>>


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Missouri Veteran Goes on Hunger Strike

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No Revenues = No Sacrifice = No Support = DeJa-Vu all over again! Now a decade and counting, told to go shopping, added to the previous decades of under funding the VA, while the peoples reps Still try and lay blame on the Agency, after rubber stamping wars and costs of and those represented cheer on these wars!

MO Vet Goes on Hunger Strike over Missouri Senate Lack of Action
May 3, 2012 - A Missouri veteran has launched a hunger strike to raise awareness of the Missouri State Senate's lack of action over continued funding of the state's seven veteran homes and five cemeteries. Bill Fairbairn of Stover has gone on the offensive to raise awareness of the Senate's lack of positive action. "With this year's session winding down, who knows what could happen," Fairbairn said from the country market he owns and operates in rural, central Missouri. "The lack of action and last minute wrangling from the Senate is shameful and a disgrace to every veteran and their relatives who have ever served our nation."

The Missouri House of Representatives passed a bill (HB 1731) unanimously two months ago and forwarded it to the Senate where Senator Jason Crowell (R), Chairperson of the Veteran Affairs Committee has basically blocked if from coming up for discussion, vote and the Governor's signature. Without a permanent funding solution, the 1,350 housed heroes (and a waiting list of 1,650) could be out into the streets when funding dries up in June 2013. At a Veteran's Rally in the Capitol Rotunda last month, Governor Nixon pledged his full support and pleaded with the Senate to get a bill onto his desk for signature during this term. "The House, the Governor and the people of the state of Missouri know the importance of this funding, what's wrong with the Senate? Especially with young people coming home from at least two wars, what kind of "thanks" and message does this say to them?" Fairbairn asks. read more>>>

While the wealthy and other investors garner their booty, still, from both and many have the chutz·pa to call themselves more patriotic{?} then others wrapped in those false flags, using false slogans and various cheap symbols of and then seek one day events or parades to wave all that patriotism, call it "Supporting the Troops", then go home and either ignore or forget about those that actually sacrificed for the country!


Veterans Jobless Rate Falls a Full % Point

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But for the greater majority 99% that don't serve, Don't Cheer, you have yet to Sacrifice, not only as to jobs for these present veterans but your responsibility as to the Veterans Administration a decade plus added to the previous decades, Federal and States, and especially the wealthy or anyone with investments that don't do them themselves, and stay away from defense investments, who are still reaping growth from both these wars, even with Iraq officially over!

Jobless rate dips to 9.2 percent for young vets
May 4, 2012 - The April unemployment rate for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans fell to 9.2 percent, a full percentage point lower than in March, the Labor Department announced Friday. The overall national unemployment rate remained mostly unchanged at 8.1 percent.

For veterans of all generations, the April jobless rate was 7.1 percent, slightly better than the 7.5 percent rate in March and continuing a trend in which veterans generally are doing better than nonveterans in finding jobs.

For Iraq- and Afghanistan-era veterans — those who separated from the military since Sept.11, 2001 — monthly jobless rates have been difficult to get a fix on because of large fluctuations, but the general trend has been downward. For March, the jobless rate for veterans of this generation was 10.3 percent. read more>>>


VA Hospital Lab Closed "Indefinitely"

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After Death Of Researcher
May 3, 2012 - A laboratory at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center has been shut down following the weekend death of a researcher that was apparently caused by deadly bacteria he was working with, a VA official said today.

The researcher, identified by the medical examiner's office as 25-year-old Richard Din, died Saturday morning after working all week with a rare strain of the bacterium meningococcus that has no available vaccine, said Dr. Harry Lampiris, chief of infectious disease at the San Francisco VA.

Din's research included growing the bacteria and isolating parts of it in the hopes of finding a vaccine, Lampiris said.

After leaving work on Friday, Din apparently started feeling sick around 7 p.m. When his symptoms worsened Saturday, he was taken to the VA medical center where he died, according to Lampiris. read more>>>


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Who's who in veteran fraud case?

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Anyone writing about this and using the Virginia AG's name, add he 'finally', after almost a year plus later, and 'very reluctantly', others had quickly givin any campaign contributions up right after this all broke, donated the funds after getting elected stashing them into a bank account and not carrying forward on any investigations while other states and their AG's had already started investigations which moved into indictments! is girlfriend was finally arrested at the Charlotte NC, about a year or so back, airport has been tried and convicted and is serving time now for her part as the treasurer of the scam.

EDITORIAL: Who's who in veteran fraud case?
May 4, 2012 - Virginians tricked into giving money to a fraudulent charity still don't know precisely who pocketed the donations intended for needy veterans. They also don't know who will seek justice on their behalf.

The man who ran the U.S. Navy Veterans Association under the name "Bobby Thompson" was arrested this week in Portland, Ore., with three wallets, each with a different set of identification papers. One fake Canadian ID under the name "Alan Lacey" led federal agents to a storage unit with still more credit reports, birth certificates and a suitcase stuffed with nearly $1 million in cash.

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A spokesman for Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said this week that information on the case has been turned over to "appropriate authorities." Cuccinelli finds himself in an awkward position because he accepted $55,500 in campaign donations from Thompson in 2009. He later donated the money to legitimate charities. read more>>>