In This Issue
1. GI Bill Call to Action
2. House Holds Veteran Suicide Hearing
3. Senate Holds Hearing on Benefit Bills
4. Senate Committee Boosts Pay, Rejects Fees
1. GI Bill Call to Action: The VFW still needs you to urge your senators to support S. 22, and your representatives to support H.R. 5740, so that the VFW goal of creating a new GI Bill for the 21st century becomes a reality. As of this morning, 57 senators are supporting S. 22, a number that is unchanged from last week. Introduced by Jim Webb (D-VA), S. 22 has strong bipartisan support from fellow senators such as Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and John Warner (R-VA). Its companion bill in the House, H.R. 5740, increased by 27 to 293 co-sponsors, or 67% of the House. Introduced by Harry Mitchell (D-AZ), it, also has strong bipartisan support from fellow congressmen such as Bill Young (R-FL) and Chris Smith (R-NJ). America's newest Greatest Generation needs your help to bring educational benefits back in line with current day tuitions. Use this link to contact your members: http://capwiz.com/vfw/dbq/officials/.
8A-10A Coffee and Donuts in 1200 Court of Legislative Building.
House and Senate Members are invited to join the Veterans for coffee and donuts with Veterans from their local districts. Veterans will also use this time to visit members offices and distribute a list of priority legislation supported by Veterans Service Groups.
9:30A Veterans Leadership group to meet with President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight in Room 2023 of the Legislative Building.Because of space constraints we must ask that the number be limited to about 6-10 individuals.
10A-11A (times tentative) Meeting of the Joint Select Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs in Room 1228 of the Legislative Building.
11A-12P (times tentative) Meeting of the Military and Veterans' Caucus in Room 1228 of the Legislative Building (same location as above).
Veterans are invited to view a presentation by Representative Ric Killian (LTC USAR) about his legislative trip to Saudi Arabia to visit an NC Air Guard Unit and a presentation by USMC General Dickerson from Camp Lejeune regarding growth issues at Lejeune.
12P-2:30P NO ACTIVITIES SCHEDULED.Veterans are encouraged to continue to seek meetings with their local elected officials and have lunch in preparation for the afternoon session.
2:30P Veterans Leadership group to Meet with House Speaker Joe Hackney.
Rep. Martin has arranged a meeting with Speaker Hackney for the leaders of the Service Organizations. Because of space constraints we must ask that the number be limited to about 6-10 individuals.
3P (time tentative) Session in Senate and House Chambers. Veterans should plan to attend session and expect to be recognized during the session.
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2008 – Military spouses embody the courage, nobility of duty, and love of country that inspire every American. On Military Spouse Day, we pay tribute to the husbands and wives who support their spouses in America's Armed Forces during times of war and peace.
The legacy of military spouses began when colonial Americans were fighting for independence. Martha Washington boosted the morale of her husband's troops by visiting battlefields and tending to the wounded. Since then, members of our Armed Forces have served our Nation accompanied by the steadfast love and support of their spouses and families.
While our men and women in uniform are protecting our country's founding ideals of liberty, democracy, and justice, their spouses live with uncommon challenges, endure sleepless nights, and spend long periods raising children alone. Many military spouses are also committed volunteers, serving other military families and local communities. Our Nation benefits from the sacrifices of our military families, and we are inspired by their courage, strength, and leadership.
On Military Spouse Day and throughout the year, we honor the commitment spouses have made to freedom's cause. To learn about ways to support our troops and their spouses and families, I encourage all Americans to visit www.americasupportsyou.mil.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 9, 2008, as Military Spouse Day. I call upon the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities and by expressing their gratitude to the husbands and wives of those serving in the United States Armed Forces.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2008 – The national commander of America's largest organization of combat veterans is demanding that Congress pass S. 22, the "Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act."
"A new GI Bill for the 21st century must be passed," said George Lisicki, who leads the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., a veterans' service organization that includes more than 70,000 Afghanistan and Iraqi war veterans among its 1.7 million members.
"We have an all-volunteer force that has accomplished everything asked of them," said Lisicki. "We need to reward them for their service by helping them to reintegrate back into society with an educational package that meets today's cost of tuition. I join with the leadership of Congress and my fellow veterans' organizations to say that S. 22 is the right bill at the right time."
S. 22 was introduced by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) to mirror the original World War II educational benefit. It would repeal the $1,200 enrollment fee, match tuition at the highest in-state rate, and provide for books and fees, and a living stipend. For those veterans accepted to private institutions, S. 22 would also provide a dollar-for-dollar tuition match for those colleges and universities who choose to participate in the program.
By Retired Army Col. Randy Pullen Special to American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, April 20, 2008--The U.S. Army Reserve celebrates its 100th birthday on April 23, marking a full century of service in which Army Reserve soldiers have continuously answered the nation's call.
Army Reserve soldiers served in both world wars, the Cold War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War and the ongoing global war on terrorism. They also helped respond to countless other crises, emergencies, disasters, operations and expeditions.
That busy century of service to America all began when Congress established the Army's first federal reserve force on April 23, 1908. President Theodore Roosevelt signed Senate Bill 1424, creating the Medical Reserve Corps. The Reserve medical officers in the corps could be ordered to active duty by the secretary of war during times of emergency.
In June 1908, the first 160 medical professionals received Reserve commissions. This number grew to about 360 by 1909 and to 1,900 by 1916. The concept of bringing civilian professionals into the Army in a disciplined and quickly-accessible manner also expanded beyond the medical profession and beyond just officers.
Late last evening, our 1,000th member joined the VFW WebCOM Membership forum!!!
We'd like to take a moment to thank you all for visiting the forum over the past year and taking the time to register to become part of the VFW WebCOM Community.
If you haven't visited the forum lately, we'd like to take this opportunity to invite you back to see what you've been missing. We now have over 7,400 entries in nearly 2,000 different topics. The forum has become a wealth of information about all sorts of topics relating to the VFW organization, the VFW community and veterans issues.
We'd also like to issue a special thank you to our top posters in the forum. These are the folks who stop by the forum on a regular basis and keep the information moving. Without them, we wouldn't be where we are today:
We'd also like to remind you that you can stay on top of all the latest entries to the forum, get updates on all the information moving thru the VFW WebCOM Network and support your department by downloading and installing the VFW WebCOM Departmental toolbar at http://toolbars.vfwwebcom.org
And finally, if you'd like to claim the weblog for your VFW Post or District, you can contact your state Blogmaster or IJK3770 in the forum for assistance in getting your Post or District site up and running. We hope you've enjoyed your visit(s) to the forum and welcome your feedback in building a bigger and better community as we reach for our next 1,000 members.
North Carolina's telephone referral service for counseling and support has expanded its hours to around-the-clock service in response to the needs of veterans and their families.
The CARE-LINE service, operated by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, aims to connect people with counseling and other services provided by government agencies and nonprofits. In each of the past two years, it has received more than 200,000 calls, state officials say.
Its expanded service was in part a response to the needs of returning military personnel, veterans and their families, state officials say. In addition to being home to large numbers of veterans, North Carolina is home to more than 125,000 active-duty, reserve and National Guard personnel, about half of whom have served in Afghanistan and Iraq or on related missions.
Reach CARE-LINE 24 hours a day, seven days a week at (800) 662-7030 (English or Spanish) or (877) 452-2514 (TTY). Additional information is online at http://www.nccarelink.gov.
WASHINGTON, April 1, 2008--The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States has pledged up to $1 million to help build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, a visitors and education facility being built on the National Mall, announced Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
VFW is the first veterans' organization to pledge financial support to the Memorial Center. The organization plans to raise the money over the next three years through its more than 8,000 posts and 1.7 million members worldwide.
VFW has a long history of supporting the Memorial Fund and was, in fact, the first major veterans' organization to contribute to building The Wall itself. VFW contributed $250,000 to build The Wall back in 1982, making it one of the largest contributors to the project. Additionally, the group gave $50,000 to the Memorial Fund to create and distribute a curriculum guide, Echoes from The Wall, to 25,000 public and private high schools in 1999.
"VFW has always been a supporter of The Wall, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and any undertaking that pays tribute to the brave Americans who have served their country in other lands," said Scruggs. "We are proud to have VFW as a sponsor of this important new project, to teach visitors about the sacrifices that were made during the Vietnam War, as well as other American conflicts."
"A visitors and education facility is long overdue and is a vital addition to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial," said George Lisicki, the national commander of the VFW and a Vietnam War veteran. "Not only will the Center complement America's memorial to our Vietnam War comrades, it also will provide an educational experience to the 4 million visitors who visit The Wall annually. We lobbied Congress for several years to approve the Center's addition to the National Mall, so we are thrilled for a vision to finally become a reality."
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center will be built underground near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. While still in the planning stages, exhibits will include a wall of photographs of those whose names are on The Wall, a selection of the over 100,000 items that have been left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a timeline of key military events in the Vietnam War, rotating exhibits and a resource center, where visitors can find in-depth information. One exhibit will illustrate the legacy of service demonstrated by the American people, showing images of those who served in all of America's conflicts, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund has raised more than $16 million to date, with a goal of $75 million to $100 million. The Center will be funded completely from private donations, just as The Wall was privately funded when it was built in 1982. The Memorial Fund expects to break ground for the Center in 2010; the building should be completed 18 months later.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Today, through a series of outreach programs, it is dedicated to preserving the legacy of The Wall, promoting healing, educating about the impact of the Vietnam War and is building the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, an underground educational facility, near The Wall.
NEW YORK (AP) -- Family and friends of servicemen and women who died or vanished in the Vietnam War no longer have to travel to Washington to pay their respects at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
An interactive version debuts online this week, a project of historical document archive site Footnote.com in conjunction with the National Archives and Records Administration.
The virtual version of the famous memorial - which is a pair of 246-foot black granite walls inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 American military casualties - is searchable.
Every name etched onto the real-world wall is viewable online and linked to the veteran's service record. Online visitors can add photos and describe their memories of the servicemen and women who died in the war.
Footnote.com Chief Executive Russ Wilding hopes the site will develop into an online community for veterans, family and friends to pay tribute and share their thoughts.
"The memorial is a historical document that obviously is very emotional," he says. "We want the site to help people come together to remember the veterans who were lost."
More than 2,000 photos were taken of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall to create the online version, Wilding said. He said the resulting image is the equivalent of 460 feet wide and the largest of its kind on the Web.
Wednesday was the 26th anniversary of the groundbreaking for construction of the wall, which was completed in November 1982 and officially became a National Monument two years later.
KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 14, 2008--Win a Free Trip to the Daytona International Speedway Pepsi 400 through VFW’s Kahle Fund Trip for Iraq and Afghanistan Purple Heart recipients.
If you received a Purple Heart for wounds sustained in Iraq or Afghanistan, you could be one of eight veterans to win VFW’s trip to the Daytona International Speedway Pepsi 400 on July 5, 2008. Airfare, luxurious hotel accommodations and a ticket to the race for each winner are included.
Don’t miss this chance. Only one completed entry per veteran will be accepted, and must be received prior to the drawing on April 15, 2008. Winners will be notified by mail or e-mail in April. To fully qualify for the trip, winners must send a copy of their Purple Heart documentation to VFW National Headquarters by May 15,2008. Note: Previous Kahle Fund trip-winners are ineligible.
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The VFW does not endorse political candidates. The appearance of political advertising in this location is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an endorsement.
