Transitionnews for Wednesday, December 4 2013:

Good news story of the day

Six Ohio WWII veterans to be honored  (Examiner.com)  Six Ohio veterans who helped liberate France during World War II will be awarded that country’s Medal of Knight of the Legion of Honor in a ceremony scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday in Veterans Hall of the Ohio Veterans Home – Sandusky.

Transition

Program aids shift to civilian jobs  (The Tampa Tribune)  Troy Johnson stands in the front of the big conference room in the Airman and Family Readiness Center and asks the 50 or so men and women seated in front of laptops who among them is interested in pursuing a career with the federal government.

ROTC cadets, recent graduates offered release from service commitments  (Air Force Times)  The Air Force is offering future officers preparing to graduate from the ROTC program in 2014 the opportunity to walk away from their service commitments without having to repay their scholarships or monthly stipends, the service announced Tuesday.

Veterans

Edward Heffron, of WWII’s ‘Band of Brothers,’ dies  (Army Times)  Edward J. “Babe” Heffron, whose World War II service as a member of the Army’s famed Easy Company was recounted in the book and TV miniseries “Band of Brothers,” has died. He was 90.

Veterans lose battle to spare Vets Memorial from demolition  (The Columbus Dispatch)  A handful of Franklin County veterans stood before the county commissioners yesterday and begged them to wait — to give the vets time to raise the money needed for a plan to save Veterans Memorial from demolition.

Veterans Need Assistance More than Ever After Nov. 1 Budget Cuts, Says Feed Our Vets  (PR Newswire)  Veterans Day was an opportunity for all Americans to thank and honor the country’s selfless soldiers. It also was a day of increased hunger and requests for help from charities like Feed Our Vets after nearly 1 million low-income veterans had their food stamps cut by Congress.

Veterans Administration

VA AND DEFENSE CHIEFS CONFRONT REALITY OF 700,000 INCARCERATED VETERANS  (NextGov.com)  The 700,000 veterans consigned to the dustbins of society — prisons and jails — won some top level attention this week at the first national Vet Court Conference in Washington, which brings together 1,000 judges, mental health and substance abuse professionals and the leadership of the Veterans Affairs and Defense Departments.

UF’s New Partnership with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs  (WCBJ.com)  The University of Florida didn’t make the list when two recent surveys ranked the best schools in the nation for services offered to veterans…but a new partership could change that.

House lawmakers to examine VA’s handling of disability appeals  (The Washington Post)  House lawmakers plan to examine how the Department of Veterans Affairs is dealing with a growing backlog of appeals for denied disability benefits.

Benefits

Beefing up the GI Bill  (Marine Corps Times)  At least seven legislative proposals are pending in Congress to improve the new GI Bill for large swaths of beneficiaries, including active-duty and reserve troops, wounded warriors and families.

Widow wages 23-year battle with VA for survivor benefits  (Marine Corps Times)  A 68-year-old widow who has spent 23 years seeking veterans’ survivor benefits will be a key witness Wednesday at a House hearing focusing on the Veterans Affairs Department’s problems in handling complicated claims.

Employment

U.S. Security Associates Invites Veterans and Military Spouses to Explore Employment Options on December 5th  (Long Island Newsday)  On December 5th, U.S. Security Associates (USA) joins dozens of employers exhibiting at the annual RecruitMilitary career fair at Houston, Texas’ Minute Maid Park.

VETERANS JOBS: Home Base Iowa Details  (WHOTV.com)  Tuesday Gov. Terry Branstad announced some new components of an effort to get veterans back to work in Iowa.

Stats Show Post-9/11 Vets Finding, Keeping Jobs  (Military.com)  Post-9/11 military veterans are finding and keeping jobs in larger numbers, according to 2012 veteran employment data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Hiring Our Heroes: Veterans get help finding jobs  (Lebanon Daily News)  Shannon “Will” Williams, of Lancaster, stopped at the RAM Industrial Services Inc. booth to inquire about positions available at the company’s Camp Hill location.

Veteran Beer Co. mission launches in region  (NWI.com)  The mission of the Veteran Beer Co. has come to Northwest Indiana. The Chicago-based microbrewer was created by disabled veterans to provide meaningful employment opportunities to service members who face challenges in the job market.

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Have a great day!