Thursday, March 28, 2013

AMVETS Career Center in Hawaii




Great news!

We will be opening our first AMVETS Career Center on Oahu, Hawaii:

 
The goal of AMVETS Career Centers is to help veterans and service members succeed in their chosen careers. We provide access to a full range of career, training, and employment services.

 
Help us spread the word!
 
AMVETS Career Center Grand Opening in on Saturday, 20 April 2013 from 0900 – 1300 hours. [Days/Hours of operations thereafter: Mondays - Saturdays (0900 - 1300 hours)].
Location:  Oahu Veterans Center, 1298 Kukila Steet, Honolulu, HI 96818
 
The goal of AMVETS Career Centers is to help veterans and service members succeed in their chosen careers. We provide access to a full range of career, training, and employment services.
For more information, email us at career@amvets-hawaii.org and/or email Commander Donovan Lazarus at donovan@amvets-hawaii.org.
ALSO, learn more about Oahu Veterans Center by visiting their website at: www.oahuveteranscenter.com
Mahalo and Aloha!

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Veteran Benefits Threatened by Proposed Measure

Take Action
Alert #13-2: Veteran Benefits Threatened by Proposed Measure
22 March 2013

Dear AMVETS,

Some veterans and those receiving social security are in danger of
having their benefits cut thanks to a proposal for a new inflation
index – the chained CPI. The chained CPI would be used in setting
the annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) for those receiving
veteran’s and/or social security benefits. There is much contention
in Washington, D.C. over this measure’s attempt to reduce the deficit
on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens.

 
Fortunately Sen. Bernie Sanders has introduced Senate Amendment
(SA) 0198 to stop the implementation of the chained CPI in
determining future COLAs.

 
To do your part, simply click on the ‘Take Action’ button below. You’ll
be directed to our advocacy site where you’ll find a fully-editable,
pre-written that you can mail or email to your senators asking for their
support.

 
Cheers,
Diane M. Zumatto
National Legislative Director

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Veterans Hotline

IF YOU ARE A VETERAN IN EMOTIONAL CRISIS, CALL THIS TOLL-FREE NUMBER NOW

If you are a veteran in emotional crisis, call this toll-free number now 
AVAILABLE 24/7. ALL CALLS ARE CONFIDENTIAL

21st century technology paves way for Ashford University graduates

21st century technology paves way for Ashford University graduates




CLINTON, IOWA (March 15, 2013) – South Dakota’s first secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, a global Fortune 100 company's top executive, and a Colorado chief of police have something in common – all three turned to Ashford University's 21st century online education model to advance their careers and become leaders in their fields.

The online model allows students to enhance their education with accessibility and flexibility. Ashford University uses innovative technology to provide online degree programs, with the mission of developing foundational leadership values, such as self-worth, creativity, interdependence, service, integrity and effectiveness.

The mission resonated with Larry Zimmerman, a top enlisted member of the South Dakota National Guard. He became the first official secretary of the state’s new Department of Veterans Affairs on Jan. 9, 2013, just two days after completing his bachelor’s degree in business and organizational management from Ashford University and, coincidentally, on his 59th birthday.

In his new leadership role, Zimmerman oversees more than 100 employees and leads the department responsible for ensuring South Dakota’s 70,000 veterans are receiving the right benefits and opportunities.

When asked what led him to pursue higher education after 29 years in the Army National Guard, Zimmerman said he aspired to set an example for his five grandchildren. “I had to show my grandkids the importance of an education,” he said. “Considering my extensive travel with the Army National Guard, I wouldn’t have been able to get a degree without the accessibility of online education. It worked for me and my career. Recently, I utilized my education to develop a mission statement and write a strategic plan for the new department.”

An assistant vice president within the Securities and Lending Division at JP Morgan Chase, Kaveen Benedict earned his Ashford University master's degree with an information systems specialization at the age of 36. The 2012 graduate was working full-time when he took online classes and credits the university with helping him keep a “healthy work-family-study balance.”

“Online education is the way of the future,” said Benedict. “I used new tools, such as the Ashford mobile app, to post assignments and discussions at any time and from any location. My education has given me the tools for managing larger teams and to fast forward my career.”

John Dyer, a seasoned law enforcement professional with 25 years of experience, earned a bachelor's degree in organizational management from Ashford. Soon after, he was promoted to chief of police in Rifle, Colo.

Like millions of working Americans, Dyer wanted to pursue higher education but was limited by choices. "I wouldn't have been able to make the move up to chief without the degree and would never have been able to fit coursework into my schedule without online education."

As a leader and mentor to his staff of 22, Dyer continually stresses the importance of education. "I tell sergeants and everyone I come in contact with – you have to think three steps ahead to achieve your goals."

Zimmerman’s, Benedict’s and Dyer's preference for online higher learning parallels a national trend. According to a recent national consumer poll by Penn Schoen Berland on behalf of Ashford University, more than 60 percent of adults between the ages of 35 and 48 say online degree programs provide a more realistic learning environment that mimics today’s work culture than traditional campus programs.

Technology makes it possible for students of all ages and backgrounds to advance their careers and become leaders in their fields.


About Ashford University
Ashford University is defining the modern college experience by combining the heritage of a traditional campus with the flexibility and effectiveness of online learning. The University provides a vibrant learning community where high-quality programs and leading-edge technology create a dynamic, immersive and stimulating learning experience. The University offers practical and progressive associate's, bachelor's and master's degree programs online, as well as bachelor’s degree programs at its Clinton, Iowa, campus. Ashford University – where heritage meets innovation. For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu or call Shari Winet Rodriguez, vice president of Public Relations, at 858.513.9240 x2513.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

AMVETS National Commander Testified Before The US Senate

AMVETS National Commander Cleve Geer prepares to testify this morning before the Senate and House Committees on Veterans Affairs, delivering AMVETS legislative priorities directly to Congress on YOUR behalf.

Monday, March 4, 2013

Marine Commandant Sequestration Address

The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James F. Amos, released a White Letter addressing sequestration provisions that went into effect recently. Despite today's financial challenges, the Corps will remain the Nation's "911 Force," and continue to preserve the readiness of Marines and families as service members prepare for future missions.

Friday, March 1, 2013

AMVETS Blog Updates

Informational Alert #13 - 1


Newly Introduced Concurrent Receipt Legislation H.R. 303, H.R. 333, S234

This alert is related to AMVETS Resolution 13-21, which calls for enactment of legislation that would provide full and immediate concurrent receipt for all disabled military retirees.
Issue: Congress needs to fully eliminate the law that makes most disabled uniformed services retirees forfeit part or all of their military retired pay for VA disability compensation.
Background: For years, AMVETS has fought for legislation to provide relief from the antiquated law that requires a dollar-for-dollar offset of military retired pay for VA disability compensation. AMVETS wholeheartedly believes that retired pay is earned during a career of uniformed service, and VA disability compensation is recompense for pain, suffering and lost future earning power due to service-connected disabilities.
Since 2003 when Congress took the first, yet limited step towards eliminating this injustice for a small, yet significant, group of disabled retirees, steady incremental progress has continued to be made. Over the last six years, AMVETS has been involved in the battle which fully restored earned service-based retired pay for 100 percent disabled retirees with at least 20 years of service and all combat-disabled retirees without regard to length of service or percentage of combat-related disability.
Perhaps most importantly, AMVETS fought in the battle, which won a scheduled 10 year phase-out of the disability offset (to be completed by 2014) for retirees with 50 percent or higher-rated non-combat-related disabilities who have at least 20 years of service or were retired under the Temporary Early Retirement Authority of the 1990s.  
AMVETS has been and continues to be committed to ending the disability offset for all disabled retirees. AMVETS strongly believes in the precept that career military members earn their retired pay by service alone, and that those unfortunate enough to suffer a service-connected disability during their time in service should not have any VA disability compensation subtracted from their retirement pay.  AMVETS does not support any distinction between service members disabled for combat versus non-combat-related causes, since the impact on their quality of life and future earnings ability would be equivalent.
Key Bills/Status: Congressman Gus Bilirakis, R-S.C., has reintroduced H.R. 303, the Retired Pay Restoration Act, would expand concurrent receipt for all length of service retirees regardless of disability rating.
Congressman Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., has introduced H.R. 333, the Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act, which includes elements of H.R.303 and expands concurrent receipt to Chapter 61 retirees with less than 20 years of service.
Senator Harry Reid, D-Nev., recently introduced S 234which is a bill to permit certain retired members of the uniformed services who have a service-connected disability to receive both disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs for their disability and either retired pay by reason of their years of military service or Combat-Related Special Compensation, and for other purposes.
Bookmark and Share

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2013

VA Awards Grants to Improve Health Care Access for Women Veterans

Emergency Services, Provider Education and Telehealth in Rural Areas Targeted

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs recently awarded 33 grants to VA facilities for projects that will improve emergency health care services for women Veterans, expand women’s health education programs for VA staff, and offer telehealth programs to female Veterans in rural areas.

“Our goal is 100 percent accessibility for women Veterans who need our care,” said  Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “These new projects will improve access and quality of critical health care services for women.”

This is the largest number of one-year grants VA has ever awarded for enhancing women’s health services. The complete list of grant recipients is given below. VHA’s national Women’s Health Program Office, Office of Rural Health, and Office of Healthcare Transformation are jointly supporting the winning proposals.

Telehealth concepts that received grants involve tele-mental health, tele-gynecology, tele-pharmacy, and telephone maternity care coordination. The grant program is part of VA’s continuing effort to improve access and quality of care for the increasing number of women Veterans seeking care at VA.

“We are committed to providing individualized, sensitive care to women Veterans,” said VA Undersecretary for Health Robert A. Petzel. “These grant-funded projects enable VA to continue to enhance care for women Veterans and exceed patient expectations.”

Education grants will expand mini-residency training for VA providers and nurses in primary care and emergency services to include topics such as gynecology and early obstetrics emergencies, military sexual trauma, and performing breast and pelvic examinations. Grants will also be used to upgrade emergency services for women Veterans in several VA health care facilities through the purchase of new gender-specific equipment and supplies and the development of protocols to aid in the management of common conditions in women.

Women serve in every branch of the military, representing 15 percent of today’s active duty military and nearly 18 percent of National Guard and Reserve forces. By 2020, VA estimates women Veterans will constitute 10 percent of the Veteran population.

Visit www.va.gov/womenvet and www.womenshealth.va.gov to learn more about VA programs and services for women Veterans.
Grant Recipients by Topic/Location
Innovations in Emergency Services for Women

·       VA New York Harbor HCS/VISN 3
·       New Jersey HCS/VISN 3
·       Durham VAMC/VISN 6
·       Atlanta VAMC/VISN 7
·       New Mexico VAHCS/VISN 18
·       Salt Lake City VAHCS/VISN 19
·       Puget Sound VA HCS/VISN 20
·       Greater Los Angeles HCS/VISN 22


Women’s Health and Specialty Care Mini-Residencies

·       VA New England HCS/VISN 1
·       New Jersey HCS/VISN 3
·       New Jersey HCS/VISN 3
·       Pittsburgh HCS/VISN 4
·       Maryland HCS/VISN 5
·       Atlanta/VISN 7
·       Tampa/VISN 8
·       VA Great Lakes HCS/ VISN 12
·       VA Heartland/VISN 15
·       South Texas Veterans HCS/VISN 17
·       VA Southwest Health Care Network/VISN 18
·       Greater Los Angeles HCS/VISN 22
·       Minneapolis/VISN 23


Telehealth for Women Veterans

·       VA New Jersey HCS/VISN 3
·       VA Maryland HCS/VISN 5
·       VA Health Care System of Ohio/VISN 10
·       VA Illiana HCS/VISN 11
·       St. Louis VAMC/VISN 15
·       VA Eastern Kansas HCS/VISN 15
·       El Paso VA HCS/VISN 18
·       Northern Arizona VA Healthcare/VISN 18
·       Greater Los Angeles HCS/VISN 22
·       Minneapolis/VISN 23


#   #   #

Bookmark and Share

THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 2013

Operation Desert Storm: 22 Years Later



Tensions rose on Aug. 2, 1990 as members of the Iraqi Republican Guard invaded Kuwait, immediately triggering a response from the United States. This response resulted in Operation Desert Shield and was a means to prevent Iraqi forces from invading Saudi Arabia. United Nations Security Resolutions 678, an ultimatum to Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, was issued on Jan. 15, 1991 and demanded that Iraqi forces withdraw from Kuwait immediately. The United States launched air attacks on Jan. 17, 1991 and commenced Operation Desert Storm.

“As we remember the events that occurred 22 years ago, AMVETS would like to thank all of the service members who were involved in Operation Desert Storm,” said AMVETS National Commander Cleve Geer. “At times we, as Americans, must defend the rights of others, and Operation Desert Storm ensured that tyranny did not prevail in the Middle East.”

Operation Desert Storm was an immense success under the supervision of Army Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, a Vietnam veteran. While the military operation was not as lengthy as today’s conflict in Afghanistan, service members and individuals in the National Guard and Reserve came forward to ensure the concept of freedom was preserved overseas.

“When service members from the Vietnam War returned to the United States, our country did a poor job of welcoming them home,” said AMVETS National Executive Director Stewart Hickey. “Operation Desert Storm was our nation’s opportunity to celebrate what our military does for people in other countries.” Hickey served in the Marine Corps during Operation Desert Storm and was in-country from Sept. 15, 1990 to March 22, 1991. He was a company commander for D Company, 3rd Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division.

Operation Desert Storm lasted until Feb. 28, 1991 when those involved declared a cessation of hostilities. Cease-fire terms were negotiated in Safwan, Iraq on March 1, 1991, with Iraq officially accepting the terms on April 6, 1991.

Photos: Top: President George H.W. Bush speaks during a welcoming ceremony for U.S. military personnel just returned from deployment in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm at Sumter, S.C., March 24, 1991. Photo by N. Miller.

Middle: U.S. Army Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf (center), commander in chief, U.S. Central Command, walks to the reviewing stand with President George H.W. Bush (left) at the beginning of the National Victory Celebration parade in Washington, D.C., June 8, 1991.  Photo courtesy of U.S. Army.

Bottom: President George Bush (center) speaks to the crowd at an air base while making one of several Thanksgiving Day visits to U.S. troops who are in Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield, Nov. 22, 1990. U.S. Navy photo by JO3 Gerald Johnson.


Bookmark and Share

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2013

ALCOA ASSISTS VETERANS DURING HOLIDAYS AND WITH MANUFACTURING CAREERS


 
ALCOA has joined several major manufacturers and the Manufacturing Institute, a non-profit branch of the National Association of Manufacturers, to bring thousands of veterans into manufacturing careers. 


According to an article in the Nov. 19, 2012 issue of the Air Force Times, “GE, ALCOA Inc., Boeing, and Lockheed/Martin have pooled resources to help 15,000 veterans transition to manufacturing careers, and the group hopes to bring that number up to 100,00 if more companies join the effort.”


The article goes on to read, “Kris Urbauer, GE’s program manager of veteran initiatives, said ‘separating veterans looking for work are returning to a job market with a desperate need for manufacturing workers, and the timing is perfect to marry those two together.  The opportunity to grow manufacturing in the U.S., with this great talent pool kind of leading the charge is, I think, the perfect confluence.’”


Mike Haynie, executive director and founder of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, added, “Some 600,000 manufacturing jobs in the U.S. are unfilled, and the average employee in the manufacturing industry is in his or her 50’s.  The industry will need 10 million or more new skilled workers by 2020.”


Manufacturing Training sites are scheduled to open in Durham and Raleigh in 2013.  Those interested should go to www.getskillstowork.org for detail information.


This has not gone unnoticed by our Badin Generating Facility in Badin, N.C.  They recently donated $1,000 to Pfeiffer University’s North Carolina AMVETS Career Center, a non-profit veterans service organization providing volunteer general counseling and education,career and job assistance to those who are or have honorably served in our U.S. military.


North Carolina’s AMVETS Career Center 1 is located in the Stokes Student Center on main campus of Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, N.C.  Volunteers can be contacted by calling 704-463-3026 or emailingAMVET@fsmail.pfeiffer.edu.


A check was presented to Gerry Pion, the Career Center’s Deputy Commander, by ALCOA’s Hydro Operations Manager Mark Gross during a special ceremony at the company’s Badin office.  

Nicole Wright, the company’s Foundation Coordinator, summed up the proceedings by saying, “We all owe a tremendous gratitude to the veterans who served America, and ALCOA is proud to help support veterans in our community and across North Carolina.  Our contribution to the AMVETS Career Center in Stanly County will help establish scholarships for the sons and daughters of military veterans and support the center's work with veterans seeking to join the local workforce."

Photo: Left to right, ALCOA Badin Facilities Hydro Operations Manager Mark Gross presents a check to North Carolina AMVETS Career Center 1 Deputy Commander Gerry Pion.


Bookmark and Share

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013

Mission ReDefined: Encouraging veterans with physical disabilities to take on sports




Michael Johnston is a paratriathlete with hopes of competing in the sport’s Paralympic Games debut in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

But he is also part of another mission: He’s trying to encourage fellow veterans and members of the Armed Forces with physical disabilities to get involved in sports to help open doors to new activities, enrich their lives and get them moving forward.

The “Mission Redefined” campaign, a joint effort by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Paralympics, will release a 30-second public service announcement on Jan. 15 that features Johnston sprinting down a track.

Johnston says it’s a campaign he’s proud to be a part of, and believes it’s necessary to help disabled veterans see what’s possible.

“When they get out of the military, they don’t really know where to go,” he said. “They don’t know how to get reconnected with their community, with life, so sports are a great way of bridging that gap.”

* * *

Johnston knows firsthand about making the transition from being injured in the military to becoming an athlete.

In 2003, Johnston, then in the Navy, lost his left leg in a motorcycle accident. Yet he was able go through rehabilitation, learn to walk with a prosthesis and return to active duty.

His life had gone through a traumatic change, but by staying in the Navy for another seven years he was able to adjust while in a familiar environment.

“I was expected to do the same duties as everybody else and that I previously had been doing,” he said.

But it wasn’t easy.

“After I was injured, I wasn’t even 21 yet, so I had no idea who I was or what I wanted to achieve in my life and I had very little direction,” he recalled.

After going through rehabilitation and learning to use his prosthesis (his leg was amputated just below the knee), he began to challenge himself.

What were his limits? What could he do physically? He wanted to not only test himself but prove to others that assumptions of limitations were wrong.

“[It] gave me a drive and determination to break those perceptions, you know, that ‘This guy’s going to slow us down’ and whatnot, of physical limitations that people associate with a lot of amputees and disabilities in general,” he said.

Eventually, he got involved in sports through the Navy’s Operation Rebound program and also the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

In 2008, he began competing in paratriathlons, and he’s competed internationally for the U.S. Paratriathlon National Team. In 2011, he finished fourth at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championship in Beijing.

Becoming an athlete has helped Johnston redefine his own life.

Now he is trying to help others redefine theirs.

* * *

The PSA begins with Johnston at the starting line. At the sound of a starter’s pistol, Johnston bursts from the blocks.

As the camera captures him in full stride, the words “Passion,” “Power,” and then  “Strength” appear in place of his churning left leg, until “Strength” explodes and falls away, revealing Johnston’s racing prosthesis. As he sprints away, the words “Mission Redefined” appear on screen and a narrator says, “Redefine your mission. Find a sport, get involved.” The spot ends with the Mission ReDefined and U.S. Paralympics logos.

Viewers can then go to the Department of Veterans Affairs Adaptive Sports site (www.va.gov/adaptivesports) to find affiliated sports clubs around the nation in which they can get involved.

As Johnston reflects on the weeks and months after his injury in 2003, he believes the “Mission Redefined” campaign would have been inspirational.

“It would definitely move me and hopefully inspire me to get out and re-engage in sports and life again,” he said, recalling that he felt lost at the time.

The message with this campaign, he said, is that people and programs are out there to help veterans get moving, and being active — finding a sport or activity — is a terrific step. But the message, he said, is even simpler.

“The big push I have is just getting involved,” said Johnston, now living in San Diego. “Just getting off the couch and being reconnected.”

* * *
Christopher Nowak, VA’s director of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events, is in charge of the “Mission Redefined” campaign. Nowak, a Marine Corps veteran who lost his right leg while serving, started work on the campaign in 2011.

To Nowak, Mission Redefined has multiple meanings.

“One is the VA itself,” Nowak said. “We’re redefining our mission on how we deliver adaptive sports to veterans as well as sporting opportunities. And also we’re using the campaign for veterans. There’s an opportunity to redefine their mission in life. They’ve been through a traumatic injury and this is an opportunity for them to use sports to redefine their mission.”

The campaign’s name works, he said, because to men and women in the military, “everything is defined as a mission.”

“What we hope with this campaign is that veterans understand that after a traumatic injury life is not over. It may seem like it, they all go through it, as well as I did,” he said. “You go through a certain phase in your life after your injury. But something clicks in” to get them back on track, he said, and sports can be a giant part of that process.

This campaign, combined with the success and attention garnered by some of the military veterans competing at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, is providing a whole new layer of attention and information for veterans, Nowak said.

And working with the U.S. Olympic Committee as a partner, he said, has helped the VA “get out of the box” and push the message in the most effective way possible.

For Johnston, who was involved in filming the PSA— doing countless takes until 2 or 3 in the morning on a high school track north of Los Angeles — the joint VA/U.S. Paralympic campaign is worth every penny.

“Anybody that sees it will connect with it,” he said. “It breaks down all borders. It’s not just amputees, not just military. Everybody will connect with forward movement.”

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. (http://www.redlineeditorial.com/) Doug Williams is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.

Bookmark and Share

FRIDAY, JANUARY 11, 2013

OBAMA SIGNS OPEN BURN PIT LEGISLATION


Department of Veterans Affairs to develop new registry

LANHAM,Md., Jan. 11, 2013— On Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, President Obama signed legislation requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish a registry for service members who lived and worked near open burn pits in Iraq, Afghanistan and other overseas locations. This new measure will allow VA to track the number of military personnel and veterans who have been afflicted with conditions due to burn pits, as well as inform them of treatment options.

“This is a tremendous victory for veterans and AMVETS,” said AMVETS National Legislative Director Diane Zumatto. “AMVETS has continued to push for the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a burn pit registry and believes this legislation will allow service members and veterans to receive the care they deserve.”

AMVETS has focused on the problems associated with burn pits in overseas locations, and has promoted the topic as a legislative priority since 2011. At the 68th AMVETS National Convention in Daytona Beach, Fla., AMVETS leadership and members passed Resolution 13-32: Open Burn Pit Registry Act 2011. AMVETS requested that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki develop an open burn pit registry to address the members in the Armed Forces who have been exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes as a result of burn pits. In their many efforts to further progress on this issue, AMVETS’ National Legislative Department worked with Rep. W. Todd Akin, the creator of the Open Burn Pit Act, to develop legislation involving open burn pits.

“I want to thank the countless veterans and activists for veterans causes for supporting this legislation,” said Rep. Akin. “Without the support of veterans organizations, this legislation would not be moving forward.”

In addition to this measure, AMVETS continues to advocate for VA to develop a public information campaign that will inform eligible individuals about the registry, how to register and the benefits registering, as well as developments in the treatment of associated conditions.

“AMVETS is dedicated to advocating for continued improvement of VA health care benefits and services for all service members and veterans,” said AMVETS National Commander Cleve Geer. “By establishing an open burn pit registry, both President Obama and VA have taken a positive step toward assisting veterans who have been ignored, yet suffer from conditions associated with their service overseas in conjunction with open burn pits.”

To learn more about the open burn pit registry, visit:http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/burnpits/index.asp

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. To learn more visitwww.amvets.org.
###
Bookmark and Share

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2013

AMVETS NATIONAL COMMANDER APPROVES DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINATION


LANHAM, Md., Jan. 8, 2013—This afternoon, AMVETS National Commander Cleve Geer endorsed President Barack Obama’s nomination of Chuck Hagel as the next Secretary of Defense. Obama announced the nomination yesterday, Jan. 7, 2013.

“AMVETS fully supports President Obama’s nomination of Chuck Hagel for the future Secretary of Defense,” said Geer. “As a veterans service organization, AMVETS’ main mission is to serve as an advocate for veterans, their families and the community in which they live. I am confident that former Sen. Hagel will utilize his experience and understanding of America’s military to lead this nation’s troops and the Department of Defense.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Hagel will be first infantryman to serve as the Secretary of Defense. He will replace current Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, who has been in this position since 2011. Hagel’s experience ranges from serving in the Army during the Vietnam War to representing Nebraska as a senator. 

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. To learn more, visit:
www.amvets.org.
###