AMVETS_HAWAII: 2011

Monday, December 26, 2011

AMVETS National Commander Message

A Holiday Message from Commander Fry

December 22, 2011

To our men and women serving in the Armed Forces, it is because of your honor and commitment that we are able to enjoy our freedoms here at home. Even as the war in Iraq comes to a close, thousands of you still serve overseas, fighting to protect our freedoms for, as we know all too well, war does not take a holiday. Your loved ones, too, are enduring the heartache of separation. So to you, our brave heroes serving in harm’s way and your families, I offer my sincere thanks and deepest appreciation this holiday season.

As members of AMVETS, we will remind those around us of the emotional importance of this time of year to the troops who are so very far from home. After all, they are honoring our nation with their service, while fighting to keep our country free. If it weren’t for their sacrifices, America would not be the place that it is today. And at the heart of it all, what they are fighting for speaks to the very essence of the meaning of the holidays we celebrate, and to our core principles as Americans.

While we are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers, let us not forget the troops who never make newspaper headlines. From the Korean Peninsula to North Africa, and the Balkans to the Middle East, the United States military is deployed in more than 150 countries around the world. Some are even sailing the seas, protecting our shores from afar. Their mission should never be taken for granted or forgotten.

The debt of gratitude we owe this 1 percent of Americans who have volunteered to bear the burden of the cost of our freedom can never be adequately repaid. The least we can do is to give them more than a passing thought. As we enjoy our holiday revelry, keep in mind that someone in uniform is making your joy possible. The AMVETS Family understands the sacrifices of which I speak, and the importance of remembering those actively serving and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We will never forget.

As you continue to make preparations to celebrate this holiday season, let us all consider in sobriety that freedom is truly not free. You as AMVETS know all too well what this means.

In that spirit, on behalf of AMVETS, I wish you all a Merry Christmas, or happy holiday in the tradition of your faith. May the New Year bring you peace, tranquility and prosperity.

May God Bless America.

Gary L. Fry
AMVETS National Commander

Monday, December 19, 2011

Donations and your Membership provide support for our preservation, education, and outreach programs like the USS Arizona Memorial.

Donations and your Membership provide support for our preservation, education, and outreach programs like the USS Arizona Memorial. Your contributions will ensure that we Remember, Honor & Understand the history of Pearl Harbor, World War II in the Pacific, and Kalaupapa. Together not only can we preserve and protect the memory of crucial historical events, but we can help make that history relevant to new generations.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Wall Photos

Donovan Lazarus (in white) accepts the charter for newly-formed AMVETS Hawaii Post #1 from AMVETS National Commander Gary L. Fry on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Day, at the USS Arizona Memorial. Cmdr. Lazarus successfully launched Post #1 within two weeks of first inquiring with the National Membership Department about the cha...rtering process, and is now working toward organizing the first-ever AMVETS Department of Hawaii. For information about starting a new AMVETS post in YOUR area, contact AMVETS National Membership Director Harry Neal: hneal@amvets.org; He'll get you into the game!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

AMVETS [American Veterans] National Commander Pearl Harbor Day Remarks

Commander Gary Fry will observe the 70th anniversary of the "day that will live in infamy" in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The following are his remarks.

It is a privilege to be here today to honor the men and women who fought and gave their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Forever entrenched in our minds as “a day that will live in infamy,” the United States was attacked, and the strength of our nation was tested seventy years ago today.

The sky over Oahu was clear and blue that Sunday morning and America awoke in peace. But at 7:55 a.m., this tranquil scene was shattered as Japanese aircraft bombarded the Naval outpost of a dormant Pacific Fleet. Targeting the battleships moored in Pearl Harbor, the enemy planes struck hard and fast. They bombed the Navy air bases at Ford Island and Kaneohe Bay, the Marine airfield at Ewa and the Army Air Corps fields at Bellows, Wheeler and Hickam.

The attack was over in less than two hours, but the devastation was overwhelming. Twenty-one of more than ninety ships in the U.S. Pacific Fleet were damaged or sunk. More than three hundred aircraft were hit or destroyed. But most overwhelming of all was the loss of more than 2,400 lives and the injuries inflicted on 1,200 others.

The sinking of the battleship USS Arizona remains the most recognized symbol of that tragic day. Today, more than 1,100 men are still entombed within her rusting hulk. As an organization born of World War II, AMVETS has made it a point to honor those heroic individuals for their sacrifice. Our efforts to raise the necessary funds to complete the USS Arizona memorial and, later, the wall bearing the names of those aboard who died, testifies to this ongoing commitment.

And while much of the world has yet to fully realize the peace and freedom for which these men gave their lives, we remain determined that they shall not have died in vain. The Japanese struck a savage and treacherous blow at our peace-loving nation on December 7, 1941. The attack triggered a global war of unprecedented proportions and forever changed the course of world history. Our enemies were unaware at the time that their attempts to weaken us brought them only short-term success. Responding to the attack, Americans joined together in an all-out effort to win the war, which we thankfully have not had to repeat since. It was this unbreakable unity, sacrifice, and national resolve that ultimately became our most effective weapons.

On that fateful Sunday afternoon, an editorial appeared on the front page of the Honolulu Star Extra, which foretold the role of our national unity. It stated, “In this crisis, every difference of race, creed and color will be submerged in the one desire and determination to play the part that Americans always play in crisis.”

Today not only marks the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, but also an unhappy yet inevitable milestone for the veterans’ community. Today, the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association will observe this day in history for the final time as an official organization. Congressionally chartered in 1958 with more than 18,000 members, the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association now numbers less than 3,000, and most members are in their 90’s. Because of dwindling numbers, the Association has announced it will be forced to forever close its doors at the end of the month. This serves to remind us all of the fleeting opportunity we have to, honor, celebrate, engage, and learn from this vanishing generation of heroes, our greatest generation. They are national treasures all, and we must make every effort to appreciate these heroes among us.

Finally, I ask you to keep our servicemen and women in your thoughts and prayers throughout this holiday season and beyond. With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan coming to a close, it is our duty – not as AMVETS, veterans, or veterans’ advocates – but as Americans, to ensure we provide for the needs of our newest generation of returning war fighters. We must give them every opportunity to pursue their goals and dreams: to further their education, to find meaningful and lasting civilian employment, to receive the care and treatment they need for service-connected injuries and disabilities, and to provide for their own families once they return home. This is our charge, and we will not fail them.

With our nation and her allies challenged by those who wish to do us harm and threaten our very way of life, it is our responsibility to uphold the principles upon which America was founded. We can do our part by supporting those who are being called upon to defend these principles, carrying forth the legacy of heroism demonstrated at Pearl Harbor. As Americans, we are able to choose freedom because of the bravery of those who made the ultimate sacrifice on this day 70 years ago. We are proud to honor them. May we never forget their noble sacrifices for generations of Americans who followed.

Thank you, and may God bless America.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Veterans Top News...

1. World War II veterans encouraged to share their stories at Dec. 7 event. The Saratogian Of the more than 16 million Americans who served in the Armed Forces during World War II, the US Department of Veterans Affairs estimates that only 1.7 million nationwide are still living. This event is an opportunity to honor and appreciate World War …
2. Local WWI vet’s lost remains among first ID’d by project. Dayton Daily News According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Otto Mathiasen served in the Navy from Oct. 12, 1918 to Dec. 7, 1918 — at the tail end of World War I. He went on to Oberlin College, then later to Harvard University before ending up at Antioch …
3. What will automatic budget cuts mean to vets? While most of the conversation surrounding the super committee’s deficit plan failure has focused on whether the Pentagon can handle another $600 billion in defense cuts, veterans groups worry that programs for separated military personnel could absorb a significant and unexpected hit as well.
4. Tricare beneficiaries get letters on security breach. Many of the 4.9 million Tricare beneficiaries whose personal data may have been compromised are just receiving word of the security breach now, through letters sent to their homes.
5. Tricare scrapping troubled system in Philippines to address fraud, military retiree care. Tricare acknowledges that the Philippines system is one of its most dysfunctional and troubled ‘ so much so that the agency decided in September to scrap the program and start over, according to interviews with beneficiaries, a Department of Defense investigation and Tricare’s own assessments.
6. Prosthetic Sensing Array Gives “Feeling” to Artificial Limbs. PR.com The Sensors, Energy, and Automation Laboratory of the University of Washington, in collaboration with the US Department of Veterans Affairs, has completed development of a prototype Fringing Field Sensor …
7. Veteran’s hospital promoting outreach program. Midland Daily News There’s a new program a the Aleda E. Lutz Veterans Affairs Medical Center to help veterans who are in legal trouble. The Veterans Justice Outreach Program is a newly-designed program that collaborates with the VA Homeless Program to identify and work …
8. Memorial dedicated to veterans. phillyBurbs.com The “We Honor Veterans Program” was launched a year ago by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in cooperation with the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The program provides hospice and palliative care providers with the resources …

Agent Orange Seminar Planned

Youngstown (OH) Vindicator ”Vietnam veterans are invited to an Agent Orange seminar from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Lawrence County commissioners’ meeting room at the county courthouse, Shirley Noga, director of Lawrence County Veteran Affairs, announced.” The Vindicator added that Daniel Slack, Agent Orange coordinator for the Butler Veterans Affairs Medical Center, “will provide information about symptoms of exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides, including birth defects or illnesses affecting children of exposed veterans.”

VA is implementing a telephone support program to help spouses of returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans

VA is implementing a telephone support program to help spouses of returning Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans after a pilot telephone support program showed significant reduction in stress for the spouses. “Returning to civilian life after living in constant combat readiness can be a shocking transition, and it is the immediate family, the spouses and children, who bear that brunt of that transition with those who served,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The more support we can provide to the family, the better the outcome will be for our Veterans.” The spouse telephone support program, which is part of VA’s Caregiver Support Program, builds spouses’ ability to cope with the challenges that reintegration to civilian society can bring, helps them serve as a pillar of support for returning Veterans, and eases the transition for families after deployments. Spouses in the pilot program reported decreased symptoms of depression and anxiety, with an increase in social support. Local caregiver support coordinators are available to assist Veterans and their caregivers in understanding and applying for VA’s many caregiver benefits. VA also has a Web page, www.caregiver.va.gov, with general information on spouse telephone support and other caregiver support programs available.

Making News

Department Of Military And Veterans Affairs Partnering With U Of M To Raise Awareness Of Benefits. Ann Arbor (MI) Journal The Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is “partnering with the University of Michigan to raise awareness about the many benefits and opportunities available for veterans.” The DMVA began an “intense, statewide knowledge campaign earlier this year…to improve Michigan’s current, last-place status.” Michigan is “11th in the nation in veteran population, but 53rd, even behind Guam and Puerto Rico” for veterans services. DMVA Officials believe this may be partially due to eligible veterans being unaware of available benefits.

Hagerstown Office Open Full Time To Assist Veterans. Hagerstown (MD) Herald-Mail ”The Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs has restored its veterans benefits office in downtown Hagerstown to full-time status. Veterans Benefits Specialist Jim Lichtinger said the office at 33 W. Washington St. is open Monday through Friday to help qualified veterans request benefits they might have earned while serving in the military.” In the past, the Herald-Mail adds, the “office was open on Tuesdays.”

Henderson House A Godsend. Albuquerque Journal ”It’s not yet a year old, but Henderson House, a transitional residence for homeless female veterans, is changing” the lives of veterans like Casey Smith, who lives “at the comfortable Northeast Heights house” with her eight-year-old son, Donovan. Smith said, “If not for Henderson House, we would be on the street.” The Journal added, “Clients are referred” to Henderson House “through the New Mexico VA Health Care System.”

As US Troops Leave Iraq, What Is The Legacy Of Eight Years Of War? McClatchy The war in Iraq has “taken nearly nine years and the price has been high: almost 4,500 Americans dead” and another 32,000 wounded. According to McClatchy, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a problem for some of those who served in Iraq, as well as for soldiers who have served in Afghanistan. Since 2009, Veterans Affairs’ “crisis line – 1-800-273-8255 – has received more than half a million calls.”

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Leaves Scars “On The Inside,” Iraq Veteran Says. Portland (ME) Press Herald Miguel Cyr “said it’s understandable, but still frustrating, to see friends and family members struggle to comprehend the problems he faces in dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.” Cyr “said he takes medication the VA doctors prescribed, including antidepressants and pills to help him sleep, and goes to psychiatric therapy sessions. The treatment helps, he said, especially when he feels the need to talk about an incident in Iraq that’s been bothering him.”

Colin Powell: VA “Doing A Lot” To Help Returning Vets. ABC’s This Week Christiane Amanpour said to Powell that “so many” returning veterans are “taking their own lives,” becoming homeless, or finding it hard to land jobs. Powell said, “I think we’re doing a lot with respect to what the Department of Veterans Affairs” in terms of helping such vets. Powell added, “The Pentagon is seized with this, particularly the problem of suicides.”

Mahoning Valley Doctor Chrisanne Gordon Helps Vets With Brain Injuries. Youngstown (OH) Vindicator ”Mahoning Valley native Dr. Chrisanne Gordon is on a mission to end the misery of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who are suffering” from traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). It is “estimated that 360,000 military veterans, including some 10,000 Ohioans and many from the Valley, will return from the Middle East wars with TBI, the invisible but — Dr. Gordon says — very real ‘signature injury’ of those wars.” That number in the civilian world “would be an epidemic,” said Gordon, a “rehabilitation specialist. ‘That’s why we have to share — the military’s TRICARE, the Department of Veterans Affairs and civilian healthcare systems — so that all of our heroes get the expert care that they deserve,’” she said.

Hike In Camp Lejeune Male Breast Cancer Cases Expected. St. Petersburg (FL) Times ”Federal scientists at the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry confirmed last week that 184 male Marine Corps veterans with a history of breast cancer have been identified in Department of Veterans Affairs records. More research is under way to see how many of those men have ties” to Camp Lejeune, “where drinking water was contaminated with carcinogens for 30 years ending in 1987.” The US Marine Corps “maintains that no link has been established between the base’s polluted water and any disease.”

VA Delivering 9 Out Of 10 IT Projects On Time. Federal News Radio “The Department of Veterans Affairs has been re-engineering the way it manages its information technology projects, and it seems to have paid off. For fiscal 2011, VA managed to cross the finish line on 89 percent of its project milestones on time.” That is a “number that’s far in excess of anything I’ve ever seen in a development organization before, either private sector or public sector,” said VA’s assistant secretary for information and technology Roger Baker.

“Punishment Did Not Fit The Crime”: After 60 Years, Korean War Vet With Stress Disorder Seeks Vindication, Upgrade In Discharge. Belleville (IL) News-Democrat In 1951, a “military court in Pusan, South Korea, convicted” veteran Ralph Simonton “of accidentally shooting a Korean civilian. Simonton was stripped of rank, sentenced to prison for three years and dishonorably discharged.” The News-Democrat added, “The military court, in meting out Simonton’s punishment, failed to take into account his heroism in combat or the role PTSD played in the accidental shooting…said” Leon Jenkins, a “counselor in the St. Clair County Veterans Assistance Commission, which helped prepare Simonton’s” recent “application for discharge upgrade.” Such an upgrade would allow Simonton to use the Veterans Affairs medical system.

Asheville’s Veterans Restoration Quarters Gives Homeless Vets Hope And A Home. Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times ”On any given night,” the Veterans Restoration Quarters (VRQ) “houses about 235 men,” nearly all of whom “are homeless veterans.” After saying in the middle of its report that that Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki wants to end veteran homelessness, the Citizen-Times briefly mentions that the VA “contributes about $1.5 million a year to the VRQ’s budget.”

VA Center Program To Thank Caregivers. Muskogee (OK) Phoenix ”November is National Family Caregiver Month, and to thank those who care for the veterans at the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center, the hospital is having a caregiver appreciation program from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday at 1011 Honor Heights Drive. The program, called ‘Celebrating Caregivers,’ will be presented” in the hospital’s second floor “Downing Room.” During the program, caregivers “will have the opportunity to learn about VA programs and how the VA can support them.”

Local Wreaths Across America Event Goes Forward. Silver City (NM) Sun-News A few months ago, veteran Ron Groves, who served in both Vietnam and the Gulf War, said he “would no longer be able” to organize the Wreaths Across America event at Fort Bayard National Cemetery and asked the Sun-News for contact information for “local veterans groups.” It seemed no local vets or groups were willing to assume the responsibility. Then last week, Gold Star Mother Mary Cowan said she “would be willing to help. … ‘It would be a shame to see it die,’” said Cowan who “lost her son Aaron in February 2005 when the Apache helicopter he was piloting crashed.” But a “local veteran should really be in charge,” she added.

“Wreaths Across America” To Benefit From Sale Of Clarksville Artist’s Painting. Clarksville (TN) Leaf Chronicle Local artist Lynne Griffey has donated a painting to “the ‘Wreaths Across America’ program, an effort that is backed in this area by the local Gold Star Wives Eagles chapter, together with the American Legion.” They hope the sale of Griffey’s painting will help them achieve their goal to “decorate every grave in Kentucky West Veterans Cemetery for the Christmas season.” The painting depicts “standard military tombstones rising above a blanket of fresh snow…with only the green and red of Christmas wreaths to mark the stones and keep them from fading into obscurity.” The wreath-laying ceremony is slated for Dec. 10.

Lafayette Moms Help Honor Fallen Soldiers With Christmas Wreaths At Arlington Cemetery. WISH-TV ”This Thanksgiving holiday weekend, two Indiana” Gold Star mothers are “already working hard to provide a Christmas for soldiers.” Dana Vann’s son “Senior Airman John P. Morton died after an accident at an airbase in Italy in 2002″; and Pam Mow’s son “Army Cpl. Cody Putman died while serving in Iraq.” They are helping Wreaths Across America raise money to “put wreaths on every grave” at Arlington, which is “more than 300,000 wreaths.”

J.R. Martinez Receives Letter From Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. People “Dancing with the Stars winner J.R. Martinez,” who “suffered severe burns when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb while serving in Iraq in 2003,” has “fans in high places. US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta wrote a letter to the Iraq war veteran and called him up to offer his congratulations for winning the mirror-ball trophy in last week’s finale, according to the Department of Defense.” And during a phone call made to Martinez on Friday, Secretary Panetta “invited Martinez to the Pentagon.”

Veterans’ Medical Care. New York Times Harold Ticktin of Shaker Heights, Ohio, wrote that he and three other WWII veterans have “nothing but kind words” for the Veterans Health Administration, which “works so well as a single payer.”

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Agent Orange: With more diseases tied to use during Vietnam War.

Over the next decade, the US Department of Veterans Affairsis expected to pay $50 billion for health-care compensation for ischemic heart disease alone — one of the 14 diseases the VA says is associated with Agent Orange exposure...

Read more: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/222189/group/homepage/

4. Agent Orange: With more diseases tied to use during Vietnam War

Over the next decade, the US Department of Veterans Affairs is expected to pay $50 billion for health-care compensation for ischemic heart disease alone — one of the 14 diseases the VA says is associated with Agent Orange exposure...

Read more: http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/222189/group/homepage/

Groundbreaking research looks at how blasts injure brain

LANDSTUHL, Germany — During a firefight in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province in 2002, U.S. Army Maj. Kevin Kit Parker stood atop a hill awaiting a Medevac flight for an injured soldier when a bomb exploded several miles away.

He saw the bomb’s intense light first, then felt its shock waves ripple through his body.
“It felt like it was lifting my bowels, and I was quite far away,” Parker said.
Several years later, when he was working in bioengineering research at Harvard University, a friend of Parker’s suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, and Parker was reminded of his Kandahar experience. Parker chose to shift his focus from cardiac tissue to brain research after receiving encouragement from Col. Geoffrey Ling, a neurologist and program manager at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA.
Now a professor at Harvard, Parker has published groundbreaking research describing how blasts injure the brain. Gathering data directly on the battlefield from servicemembers who’ve been in close proximity to blasts, he said, will be key to understanding the devastating yet subtle damage caused.
The military currently is fielding several new technologies in Afghanistan to do exactly that. Now:
● Soldiers are being outfitted with high-tech gauges that can detect a blast’s severity and alert medics on site that a soldier has been exposed to shock waves.
● Armored vehicles are equipped with sensors that connect to each vehicle’s “black box,” which measures and stores information on blasts.

View Gallery (3 images)

A servicemember receives a diffusion tensor imaging scan of his brain at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Diffusion tensor imaging, a variation of MRI, was used in a recent study that showed that servicemembers who were exposed to blasts and diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injuries were more likely to have abnormalities consistent with nerve damage in two or more brain regions, areas not typically associated with civilian concussions.

Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes

BySeth Robbins

Stars and Stripes

Published: November 25, 2011

Military reductions violate retirement guarantees for service people, AMVETS director says

The Chapman University Military Law Institute and its associated AMVETS Legal Clinic are working extensively – and against the clock — on a case that impacts the entire U.S. Armed Forces, says institute director Kyndra Rotunda, J.D.

“The Obama Administration has ordered massive reduction in forces, resulting in many officers who are near retirement being involuntarily separated without retirement or medical benefits,” Rotunda said. “With investigative work, lawyers working in the AMVETS Clinic have discovered legal violations by the Defense Department.”

A Department of Defense Instruction specifies that service members within six years of retirement will ordinarily be retained and allowed to retire. Lawyers at the AMVETS Legal Clinic say that Secretary of the Air Force, Michael Donley, has changed the six-year protective window to a five-year protective window, without any legal authority.

Additionally, combat airmen, with impressive records who would ordinarily be retained are being separated without retirement benefits and without any medical benefits, clinic lawyers say. “This negatively impacts hundreds of service members,” Rotunda said.

The AMVETS Clinic is representing several airmen, including Maj. Kale Mosley, a combat pilot and Air Force Academy graduate who has served for 19.5 years. Even excluding his academy time, he falls within the six-year protective window set out by DoD Instructions, clinic lawyers say. Mosley has served in 13 combat zones, including a recent deployment to Libya with only 30 hours’ notice. Upon return, he was almost immediately deployed again to Iraq. “It was on the same day of this Iraq deployment that the Air Force gave him a pink slip,” said Rotunda.

Rotunda reports that the AMVETS Legal Clinic is appealing to the Department of Defense and also to Congress. The Institute is encouraging Congress to pass a Temporary Early Retirement Program, which was last instituted during the drawdown in the 1990s. This would allow all service members, within a few years of retirement, to receive prorated retirement benefits.

“Maj. Mosley, and many others, will be terminated on Nov. 30 unless Congress steps in, or the Air Force reverses its earlier decisions,” Rotunda added.

Josh Flynn-Brown, a Post-Doctoral Clinical Fellow at the Military Institute, who is handling the Mosley case said, “The issues of military personnel are more pertinent than ever with increased combat zones worldwide, from Libya and Uganda to Afghanistan and Iraq. It is a time to honor our heroes, the men and women who drop everything to fight for our country. We honor them not by handing them a pink slip as they are shipped off to combat.”

Rotunda summed up: “America should not fire its heroes. We’ve got to do better by them.”

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

President Obama for Signing VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011

AMVETS Applauds President Obama for Signing VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011

First Jobs Bill of the Year Provides Tax Credits for Hiring Veterans and Strengthens Vets’ Benefits

Washington, D.C., Nov. 21, 2011 -- AMVETS National Commander Gary L. Fry applauded President Obama for signing into law the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 in a ceremony today at the White House. In a rare act of bipartisan cooperation, Congress came together last week by an overwhelming majority to pass the first major employment legislation of the year aimed at getting veterans back to work.

This legislation could not come at a better time, with veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom facing a staggering 12.1 percent unemployment rate, significantly higher than the national 9 percent rate of unemployment reported in October by the Department of Labor. Younger veterans fare even worse, as DoL's current population survey of veterans ages 18-24 showed an October unemployment rate of 30.4 percent.

“AMVETS is encouraged by this remarkable show of bipartisanship by Congress and the Obama Administration,” said Fry. “This demonstrates the resolve of our elected officials to join the overwhelming majority of grateful Americans who proudly stand behind our 1 percent who have shouldered 100 percent of the burden in the Global War on Terrorism. AMVETS will continue to press Congress and the Obama Administration to ensure we provide for the needs of our heroes.”

Highlights of the AMVETS-supported bill include expanding education and training programs, improving reemployment rights for Guard and Reservists, strengthening Transition Assistance Programs, and providing disabled veterans up to 1-year of additional vocational rehabilitation and employment benefits. The VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 also provides tax credits ranging from $2,400 for employers who hire veterans who have been unemployed at least 4 weeks, up to $9,600 for hiring veterans who have service-connected disabilities and have been unemployed for longer than 6 months.

“Employers who hire our veterans are getting the best America has to offer,” said Fry. Employers benefit, our veterans benefit, the economy benefits, and the nation as a whole benefits. Now, we have an additional incentive for industry to do the right thing and provide opportunities for our vetterans as they make the transition to their new civilian lives.”

For more information about the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, visit veterans.house.gov/vow.

About AMVETS:

A leader since 1944 in preserving the freedoms secured by America’s armed forces, AMVETS provides support for veterans and the active military in procuring their earned entitlements, as well as community service and legislative reform that enhances the quality of life for this nation’s citizens and veterans alike. AMVETS is one of the largest congressionally-chartered veterans’ service organizations in the United States, and includes members from each branch of the military, including the National Guard and Reserves. For more information, visit www.amvets.org.

70th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attack

December 7, 2011

7:40 AM – 9:30 AM

WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument

Pearl Harbor Visitor Center

The National Park Service and Navy Region Hawaii will host the 70th

Anniversary Pearl Harbor Day Commemoration on December 7, 2011, 7:40 a.m.

to 9:30 a.m. on the backlawn of the Pearl Harbor Visitor Center. The venue

looks directly out on the USS

Arizona Memorial situated in Pearl Harbor

,approximately half a mile away. Pearl Harbor Survivors and World War II

Veterans and their families and friends from around the nation will join more than

3,000 distinguished guests and the general public for the annual observance of

the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Highlights of the ceremony will include military band music, morning colors, a

traditional Hawaiian blessing, a rifle salute by members of the armed services,

wreath presentations, echo taps and recognition of the men and women who

survived that December 7, 1941 and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for

their country. At 7:55 a.m., the exact moment the Japanese attack began 65

years ago, a moment of silence will be observed. A U.S. Navy ship will render

honors to the USS

Arizona followed by fly over the memorial in a “missing man”

formation.

Seating and Parking

The commemoration is free of charge and seats are open to the general public

on a first come, first served basis. The Visitor Center will open early at 6:30 a.m.

Seating for the public will begin at 7:15 a.m. Ceremony parking for the public will

be limited. The public is encouraged to arrive early to allow time for parking and

going through security at the Visitor Center.

Special Seating and Parking for Pearl Harbor Survivor and World War II

Veterans

If you are a Pearl Harbor Survivor or World War II veteran who would

like to attend this ceremony, please contact the Public Affairs Office

at Navy Region Hawaii at 808-473-2926 or email

cnrh.pao@navy.mil for

special seating and parking arrangements.

News Media

News media may contact: Lisa Ontai, 808-375-9352, ontai at pixi dot com, or or

Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs at 808-473-2888 to secure media instructions

and news media passes.

Limited Public Tour Schedule for December 7, 2011

Public tours to the USS

Arizona Memorial will be operating on a special schedule

on Dec. 7, due to the morning ceremony. The first public tour will begin at 10:45

a.m. with the last tour beginning at 2:30 p.m. Tours begin every 15 minutes and

include a 23-minute movie presentation followed by a short boat ride and visit to

the Memorial. Tickets are free and distributed on a first come, first served basis.

Dress Code for Ceremony

Military dress is summer whites or service equivalent. The civilian dress code

for the commemoration is Aloha attire, long pants and collared shirts.

Information

For more information about the Pearl Harbor Day 70th Anniversary

Commemoration and Dedication Ceremony and special events, call the National

Park Service at (808) 422-3300 or visit

www.nps.gov/valr/ or

www.pacifichistoricparks.org.

Our Purpose

AMVETS has been proudly serving American veterans for more than half a century. Founded by World War II veterans, the organization has grown to where, today, its membership enrolls veterans from all areas, anyone who has honorably served in the United States Armed Forces after Sept. 15, 1940, to include those on active duty as well as in the Reserve Components. The purpose and goals of AMVETS, as spelled out in the organization's 1947 congressional charter, still ring true today.
Among these aims are:

To preserve for ourselves and our posterity the great and basic truths and enduring principles upon which this nation was founded.
To maintain a continuing interest in the welfare and rehabilitation of disabled veterans and to establish facilities for the assistance of all veterans, to represent them in their claims before VA and other organizations.
To dedicate ourselves to the service and best interests of the community, state and nation to the end that our country shall be and remain forever a strong and free nation.
To encourage universal exercise of the voting franchise to the end that there shall be elected and maintained in public office men and women who hold such office as a public trust administered in the best interests of all people.
To advocate the development and means by which all Americans may become enlightened and informed citizens and this participate fully in the functions of democracy.

Monday, November 21, 2011

5 minute survey prepared for AMVETS by the American University

Much Mahalo and Aloha Friends!

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!!! TAKE THE AMERICAN VETERAN MEMBER SURVEY

AMVETS members, please click below on the brief 5 minute survey prepared for AMVETS by the American University in Washington, D.C., and tell us about your military service and AMVETS’ membership. The purpose of this research is to assess the benefits of membership. Your participation is appreciate...d and much needed, thank you.

AMVETS MEMBERSHIP SURVEY

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My name is Cristel Antonia Russell and I am a professor at American University in Washington, DC. The aim of the research is to assess your experiences in the military and with the AMVETS. To partake in this survey requires that you are a current member of the AMVETS.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

House Veterans Legislation Passes Senate

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Thursday, one day before Veterans Day, the Senate passed the first two of 22 House-passed bills to spur job growth, including the VOW to Hire Heroes Act. Using the framework of the House-passed VOW Act, the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 is a bipartisan, bicameral bill to get America’s nearly 1 million unemployed veterans back to work. The bill is expected to be taken up by the House next week.

“Today, America’s veterans won. It was not politics as usual,” stated Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “I applaud the Senate on taking up this commonsense legislation that puts our veterans first and puts them on the path to gainful employment. As more and more of our service men and women come home, we need to ensure that they receive the homecoming they deserve, not an unemployment check. This legislation positions our veterans to be competitive in today’s tough job market. A job arms our veterans with confidence and pride as they make the transition home, and also supports their families who have also sacrificed for our nation.”

The latest Department of Labor unemployment report shows that in October 2011, the average unemployment rate among all veterans was 7.7% and 12.1% for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Veterans between the ages of 35 and 64, the group with the highest financial obligations and the fewest available VA education and training options, continue to make up nearly two-thirds of all unemployed veterans. Overall, nearly one in twelve of our nation’s heroes are out of work.

“I hope that today’s display of bipartisanship will continue, and a special thanks to Senator Murray for her leadership in working with me to craft this compromise,” said Miller. “I hope we don’t stop here. The House has passed 13 bills to support America’s veterans, 10 of which are still pending in the Senate. We must continue that work to provide programs that improve veterans’ quality of life and honor our veterans every day of the year.”

KEY PROVISIONS OF THE VOW TO HIRE HEROES ACT:

• Expands education and training opportunities for older veterans by providing nearly 100,000 unemployed veterans of past eras and wars with up to 1-year of additional Montgomery GI benefits to go towards education or training programs at community colleges or technical schools for high-demand jobs.

• Makes the Transition Assistance Program (TAP)—an interagency workshop coordinated by Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs—mandatory for most service members moving on to civilian life to help them secure jobs in the 21st Century.

• Provides disabled veterans up to 1-year of additional Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Benefits.

• Works with the states to create licensing and credentialing standards to break down the barriers to find meaningful employment in their military occupations.

• Allows service members to begin the federal employment process prior to separation in order to facilitate a truly seamless transition from the military.

• Strengthens USERRA protections for service members in the workforce to clarify what constitutes a hostile work environment.

• Provides a tax credit of up to $5,600 for hiring veterans who have been looking for a job for more than six months, as well as a $2,400 credit for veterans who are unemployed for more than 4 weeks, but less than 6 months. Also provides a tax credit of up to $9,600 for hiring veterans with service-connected disabilities who have been looking for a job for more than six months.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Veterans back bill to create registry of illnesses blamed on burn pits.

Veterans back bill to create registry of illnesses blamed on burn pits.
Veterans exposed to burn pits during their war deployments are backing legislation to create an ongoing registry of patients and illnesses believed connected to the toxic smoke, suggesting it may be the last chance to discover what long-term health problems they'll face.

Obama Calls On Nation To Honor Military Families, Caregivers.

Obama Calls On Nation To Honor Military Families, Caregivers. American Forces Press Service "Calling on the nation to celebrate military families' service and sacrifice, President Barack Obama...signed proclamations designating November as Military Family Month and National Family Caregivers Month." After noting that the signing event took place on Tuesday, AFPS adds, "Obama cited the Joining Forces campaign as a way the nation can express its gratitude to troops and their families." Obama also "noted that he signed the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act last year, which extends additional assistance to family members who care for severely wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan."