From: richardandshirley@netzero.net
Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2015 21:58:32 +0000
To: rserge1@outlook.com
Subject: Fwd: Tuesday, 10 February 2015
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Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2015 21:58:32 +0000
To: rserge1@outlook.com
Subject: Fwd: Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Good morning,
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Last month marked the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. In recognition of this milestone, several volunteers from VA’s public affairs office went out to Fort Meade to chat with four distinguished WWII combat Veterans about their experience in the Battle, their military careers and being a part of “the greatest generation.”
Part 1 of this mini-series was released on Sunday. Watch. Enjoy. And please share with your organization’s members and partners.
Link to the blog and video: http://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/16779/was-it-like-the-old-war-movies-veterans-share-their-stories-of-wwii/.
Link to the video on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152737801313178&set=vr.10152737801313178&type=2&theater.
Have a great day,
Special Assistant to the Secretary
Veterans Service Organizations Liaison Office
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- No. 2 official in Secret Service loses job in agency shakeup.
- In his words: Brian Williams' interview with Stars and Stripes.
- Brian Williams should not get our forgiveness.
- Military lawyers lose the 'good soldier' defense.
- Debate over using military force against Islamic State is 2016 foreign policy test.
- North Korea missile launch may signal technical upgrade.
- Obama says he is considering arming Ukraine but appears reluctant.
- Obama, Merkel Discuss Ukraine Situation, ISIL.
- Troops to Receive Millions Under Service Members Civil Relief Act.
- Defense Department Names New Suicide Prevention Office Director.
- Eisenhower Memorial needs final push.
- Bernie Sanders is Skipping Netanyahu's Speech to Congress.
- New Questions Swirl on an Affordable Care Act Challenger.
- VA Secretary Attempts to Change Culture, Combat Critics.
- Obama to hold public ceremony for Veterans suicide prevention bill.
- Texas woman who fought to improve Veterans' care after son's suicide will attend White House Bill signing.
- N.H. Senators move to protect Veterans Choice.
- Defense hearings on budget, military retirement.
- Embattled VA Added to Federal High Risk List.
- 'Candy Man' prescriber at Tomah VA threatens to sue whistle-blower.
- "I'd be really mad". VA sends Veteran medication for 13 other patients.
- DEA Investigates Drug Diversion at VA Facility.
- Sacramento County coroner admits to burial mistake involving Veteran.
- VA program helps Vets battling with obesity.
- Time to Give Hidden Military Heroes Their Due.
- Veterans' skilled-nursing proposal advances in House.
- Area VA services improving.
- Surprised by the VA: For One EP, a Career Switch Meant a Welcome Change of Pace.
- Show some love to Veterans on Valentine's Day.
- 'Beast Mode for the Brave' Challenge for Veterans goes viral.
- Wounded Warrior Project sues a Veteran Critic in Gig Harbor.
Did you know:
Living History: Battle of the Bulge - Part 1: Seventy years after the end of WWII's Battle of the Bulge, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs sits down with Veterans who were there to listen to their stories. Living History is documentar...
No. 2 official in Secret Service loses job in agency shakeup. The deputy director of the Secret Service, who managed day-to-day operations during scandals that badly tainted the agency, will resign his position but will be allowed to accept another unspecified federal job within the Homeland Security Department, the government said Monday.
In his words: Brian Williams' interview with Stars and Stripes. NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams has only ever answered questions about the Iraq incident — how he ended up telling a war story he now admits was false — during an interview with Stars and Stripes. We now publish the full transcript from that Feb. 4 interview, and give you Williams in his own words.
Brian Williams should not get our forgiveness. What we're talking about here is less a matter of trust than of credibility — a far more fragile quality that once questioned is hard to recapture.
Military lawyers lose the 'good soldier' defense. The "good soldier defense" has gone the way of flogging as a tool in military justice. As part of reforms to address sexual assault that were included in this year's National Defense Authorization Act, Congress restricted using military character evidence, bringing courts-martial more in line with civilian courts' rules of evidence.
Debate over using military force against Islamic State is 2016 foreign policy test. Congress is gearing up — belatedly — for a full-throated war debate that will serve as a proving ground for potential presidential candidates heading into 2016.
North Korea missile launch may signal technical upgrade. North Korea's launch of five missile may be more than just a typical response ahead of annual U.S.-South Korea military exercises, analysts and officials said Monday.
Obama says he is considering arming Ukraine but appears reluctant. President Barack Obama acknowledged Monday that he is considering arming Ukraine's military if a diplomatic push fails to yield a cease-fire with Russia-backed separatists, but worried that such an approach could do more harm that good.
Obama, Merkel Discuss Ukraine Situation, ISIL. The United States will continue to stand with nations around the world in sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine, President Barack Obama said during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel today. The two leaders met at the White House, where Merkel briefed the president on her recent discussions on …
Troops to Receive Millions Under Service Members Civil Relief Act. The Justice Department announced today that under its settlements with five of the nation's largest mortgage servicers, 952 service members and their co-borrowers are eligible to receive over $123 million for non-judicial foreclosures that violated the Service Members Civil Relief Act.
The five mortgage servicers are …
Defense Department Names New Suicide Prevention Office Director. The Department of Defense announced that Dr. Keita M. Franklin is the new director of the DoD Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO) effective today. This marks elevation of DSPO leadership to a career Senior Executive Service (SES) position, reinforcing the department's commitment to decreasing the incidence of suicide and increasing resiliency across the armed forces. "I am very pleased to have Dr. Franklin take the lead …
Eisenhower Memorial needs final push. Eisenhower's memorial is in the home stretch. It now awaits the federal funding promised when legislation creating it was passed by Congress as part of the 1999 Defense Appropriations Act.
Bloomberg (Politics): Bernie Sanders is Skipping Netanyahu's Speech to Congress. He talked about the hundreds of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who'd come home and entered the Veterans Affairs health care system, and his work in the last Congress running the Veterans Affairs committee. But he did not take a position on a new AUMF. The debate about that, for now, is entirely among Republicans.
The Wall Street Journal: New Questions Swirl on an Affordable Care Act Challenger. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that two male plaintiffs in the case could also be subject to a dispute over their legal standing to sue, because as Vietnam veterans they likely qualified for care through the Department of Veterans Affairs that would fulfill the law's requirement for them to have coverage or pay a penalty.
U.S. News & World Report: VA Secretary Attempts to Change Culture, Combat Critics. Six months after taking over as Secretary of Veteran Affairs, Robert A. McDonald has proven himself capable in the eyes of many of leading the scandal-ridden agency… But experts agree that the Department of Veterans Affairs still has much work to do – especially regarding transparency and restoring the trust of military veterans. But experts agree that the Department of Veterans Affairs still has much work ... to Garry Augustine, executive director of Disabled American Veterans.
The Hill: Obama to hold public ceremony for Veterans suicide prevention bill. President Obama on Thursday will sign legislation meant to help prevent suicides among veterans during a public ceremony… The president will sign the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act into law in a ceremony from the East Room of the White House, said a spokeswoman for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
Times-Picayune: Texas woman who fought to improve Veterans' care after son's suicide will attend White House Bill signing. Susan Selke, whose Marine Corps son Clay Hunt committed suicide after deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, says her son became frustrated with bureaucratic fumbling and inertia as he sought treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder… to be at the White House as President Barack Obama signs the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American veterans Act into law.
Military Times: N.H. Senators move to protect Veterans Choice. New Hampshire's senators have asked the Obama administration to safeguard a new program that lets veterans see a doctor outside the Veterans Affairs system and have introduced legislation to make the program permanent in several states.
Military Times: Defense hearings on budget, military retirement. Lawmakers continue their discussions on the fiscal 2016 budget and long-term military compensation reform this week, with a series of hearings on both the House and Senate sides of Capitol Hill… Lawmakers look at current VA land-use arrangements and concerns about waste and inefficiency in those deals
The Fiscal Times: Embattled VA Added to Federal High Risk List. After a year of scandal at the Veterans Affairs Department, where officials were accused of keeping hidden wait lists and covering up poor treatment of veterans, it should come as no surprise that the agency is now among the most risky programs in the federal government.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Updated): 'Candy Man' prescriber at Tomah VA threatens to sue whistle-blower. A top doctor at the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center who has been dubbed the "Candy Man" is threatening to sue a whistle-blower for comments about the doctor and his troubled facility… David Houlihan — a psychiatrist who is chief of staff at the Tomah facility — was given that nickname by some veterans for his supposedly easy and widespread distribution of painkillers.
KFOR-TV (NBC – Video): "I'd be really mad". VA sends Veteran medication for 13 other patients. Army veteran Jerry Bliss has a pile of pills on his living room table, but only one bottle belongs to him… "Not good, and if it was really important like I think some of those might be, I'd be really mad," said Bliss… Bliss immediately contacted the VA to tell them about the mistake.
DisabledVeterans: DEA Investigates Drug Diversion at VA Facility. VA released its previously withheld Tomah VA investigation report yesterday, which embarrassingly revealed the agency is under an active investigation by DEA into drug diversion and inappropriate prescribing of narcotics. The investigation has now taken on renewed vigor with the State of Wisconsin also investigating wrongdoing at Tomah VA alongside DEA.
KCRA-TV (NBC – Video): Sacramento County coroner admits to burial mistake involving Veteran. A Sacramento woman is suing the county after discovering her father wasn't buried in the veterans cemetery where county officials said he was laid to rest… Despite state law forbidding veterans from being buried in so-called "pauper's graves," a woman discovered her father's remains were mistakenly buried by the county in the communal spot.
WNEM-TV (CBS - Video): VA program helps Vets battling with obesity. Mental health issues dominate the headlines when it comes to caring for veterans, but the side-effects of military service don't end there… Monday marked the beginning of National Salute to Veteran Patients Week. A week to pay tribute to veterans as well as raise awareness about the role of local VA hospitals.
The Huffington Post: Time to Give Hidden Military Heroes Their Due. It is laudable that the VA has made special notice of its younger caregivers and offers a truly great caregiver support line and website. I've personally seen how much harder it can be for our younger post-9/11 caregivers, who are thrust into situations where they are coping with physical disabilities, stressful situations or other emotional and behavioral changes, often for the long haul.
Casper Star-Tribune Online Veterans' skilled-nursing proposal advances in House. A proposal to build a skilled-nursing center for Wyoming veterans received ... Berger said the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs would cover the ...
The Daily Reflector: Area VA services improving. Military veterans and family members who attended Friday's forum at East Carolina University on the future of services for older veterans in eastern North Carolina said they see improvements this year in VA services.
Emergency Physicians Monthly: Surprised by the VA: For One EP, a Career Switch Meant a Welcome Change of Pace. In my current position as an emergency physician with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), prior military service is often the initial connection made with a patient. Depending on how urgent the patient's issue is, the conversation will often go deeper, into where, and in what capacity, they served… So as you can see from my description, EM in the VA is in flux.
The Mercury: Show some love to Veterans on Valentine's Day. This Valentine's Day many veterans who fought to preserve our freedoms will be hospitalized, receiving the medical care they earned, but separated from the homes and communities they defended. No one should be alone on Valentine's Day and, with the help of our grateful community, no veteran has to be.
Fox News: 'Beast Mode for the Brave' Challenge for Veterans goes viral. In this 4:29 minute video, the brother of deceased "American sniper" Chris Kyle, Jeff Kyle, describes the Guardian for Heroes foundation, which places home gyms in the homes of Veterans when they return from deployment.
The News Tribune: Wounded Warrior Project sues a Veteran Critic in Gig Harbor. A national veterans nonprofit group is suing a Gig Harbor veteran in federal court, alleging that the former airman has defamed the organization in articles he posted to several websites… The Wounded Warrior Project is seeking unspecified financial damages from Vietnam veteran Gordon "Alex" Graham in a lawsuit the nonprofit filed in federal court in Tacoma last week.
