Tag Archives: Wounded Warrior

Transitionnews 12/3/13

Posted by Mike Grice on

Transitionnews for Tuesday, December 3 2013:

Good news story of the day

Bill Zell dedicates 92nd birthday to veterans  (NWFDailyNews.com)  In an act that surprised no one who knows him, WWII Veteran Bill Zell dedicated his 92nd birthday party to veterans past, present and future.

Transition

Paths from military to workplace expand, but challenges remain  (Providence Journal)  Jerry Jones spent 16 years maintaining multimillion-dollar equipment at U.S. Air Force bases around the world.

Transitioning? Create Your Plan    (Military.com)  The Transition Center now features a personalized Transition Action Plan for those leaving the military, those retiring from a career in the military and National Guard and Reserve personnel.

Veterans

Veterans Inc. working for a more secure future  (Worcester Telegram & Gazette)  At 9 a.m. Monday, about 35 of the 85 men living at Veterans Inc. on Grove Street reported for roll call.

Effort to place wreaths on veterans’ graves reaches $20K mark  (WBIR.com)  A major push by Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett has now helped raise enough money for 2,000 wreaths to be added to the graves of veterans.

Veterans court program helps warriors battle addiction, mental health crises  (The Washington Post)  Former Marine Cpl. Eric Gonzales doesn’t remember much about the night last year he led police in Orange County, Calif., on a high-speed, 26-minute chase that ended when he threw his truck into reverse and crashed into the patrol car behind him.

U.S. Sen. Scott hears from veterans during Rock Hill visit  (HeraldOnline.com)  U.S. Sen. Tim Scott got an earful from frustrated veterans and others on Monday afternoon during a campaign trail stop in Rock Hill.

Tidewell Hospice works to give veterans a voice  (Bradenton Herald)  Military culture reinforces stoicism and decades after they leave the service, former soldiers still can feel that stories of their wartime experiences are best left unsaid.

Veterans Administration

Affordable Care Act Q&A: Most veterans don’t need exchange  (The Tampa Tribune)  There’s a reason the national health insurance debate doesn’t include much about the men and women who served in the military. The new exchange doesn’t apply to them.

Shinseki Calls ‘Vet Courts’ a Success  (Military.com)  Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki on Monday praised judges, prosecutors, defenders, veterans, and an army of counselors and mentors across the country for their efforts on behalf of veterans who end up in the criminal justice system.

US Department of Veterans Affairs selects MetLife as provider for VADIP  (TMC.net)  US Department of Veterans Affairs has selected MetLife Inc., a provider of insurance, annuities and employee benefit programs, as an official provider for the US Department of Veterans Affairs Dental Insurance Program, or VADIP.

Battelle to Assist VA in Surveys on Traumatic Brain Injuries  (Boston.com)  Battelle recently won a five-year contract to assist the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to survey veterans from recent wars who have been evaluated for traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

Benefits

Army extends benefits, but La. Guard among holdouts refusing to process benefits to same-sex spouses  (TheAdvertiser,com)  Army Secretary John McHugh has approved several policy changes that support extending military benefits to the same-sex spouses of soldiers. But the Louisiana National Guard, which is part of the Army Reserve, still is refusing to process applications for benefits for same-sex spouses.

Leaders warn troops may leave military if benefits cut  (WVEC.com)  Local military leaders are warning about potentially dire consequences if cuts are made to Military retirement benefits.

Udall Wants More Vet Benefits In DOD Legislation  (Public News Service)  Helping veterans avoid homelessness and have better access to education is the focus of amendments that U.S. Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico is pursuing in a massive Defense bill moving through Congress.

Employment

Minneapolis Ranked High for Veteran Employment  (KTSP.com)  “USAA Magazine” ranks Minneapolis third in its top ten best cities where veterans can find jobs. The magazine sites the city’s low unemployment rate, low crime rate, and high quality of life as factors in its rankings.

DRS Technologies Wins Additional Military/Veteran Friendly Employment Honors  (PR Newswire)  DRS Technologies, a Finmeccanica Company, announced today that it has earned a 2014 Military Friendly Employer title by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse, and is recognized as one of 185 companies favored among military veterans, according to survey results.

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Have a great day!

Transitionnews 12/2/13

Posted by Mike Grice on

Transitionnews for Monday, December 2 2013:

Good news story of the day

Military Veterans Are Leading The Way In Delivering Aid To The Philippines  (Business Insider)  The plastic crate sitting outside a sweltering makeshift military terminal serves as both a seat for Peter Meijer and a container for 150-plus pounds of nails, hammers, and military-style quick-prep meals.

Transition

Anne Arundel readies for job hunting veterans  (SFGate.com)  Marine veteran Bernard Jenifer was one of hundreds of vets at Fort George G. Meade last month for a job fair. He trained in engineering, but has been unemployed for months.

Connect-a-Vet program helps veterans get work skills, jobs  (WacoTrib.com)  A new program aims to help local veterans learn new work skills through community service projects to increase their chances of finding jobs.

Veterans

Veterans Running For Congress Campaign As Can-Do Candidates  (Huffington Post)  When he meets voters in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District, former Army Ranger Kevin Strouse recounts how he helped clear a city block in Iraq during the rescue of prisoner of war Jessica Lynch in 2003.

Female veterans do battle for benefits at home   (Chicago Tribune)  When Xatavia Hughes, the granddaughter of a military man, went to serve in Iraq, she was prepared to prove herself to the male soldiers.

Veterans’ Corner: New license plate design benefits vets’ fund   (Indiana Gazette)    Gov. Tom Corbett recently announced a number of new initiatives to help and support Pennsylvania’s more than 950,000 veterans.

Affordable Care Act Q&A: Most veterans don’t need exchange  (The Tampa Tribune)  There’s a reason the national health insurance debate doesn’t include much about the men and women who served in the military. The new exchange doesn’t apply to them.

Veterans Affairs

Report: VA prescribes opiates to patients not seen  (SFGate.com)  Doctors at the San Francisco VA Medical Center regularly renewed prescriptions for highly addictive narcotic painkillers for veterans they had never seen, according to a new report by the Department of Veterans Affairs‘ inspector general.

Tom Hayden: Merchant Marine vets deserve benefits for service  (News-press.com)  Recently, I was privileged to speak before a group of people, who struggle to hear, struggle to see and struggle to take their next steps. For me, none of that mattered.

Georgia veterans face disability claim delay  (The Augusta Chronicle)  Georgia veterans filing disability claims often face longer delays than their counterparts in other states.

Benefits

GI sex-assault victims face battle for disability benefits  (San Antonio Express News)  Months have passed since sexual-assault victim Virginia Messick left the Air Force and sought disability compensation for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Army extends new benefits to soldiers’ same-sex spouses  (Army Times)  Army Secretary John McHugh has approved several policy changes that support extending military benefits to the same-sex spouses of soldiers.

CNO: You may have to pay for tuition benefit  (Navy Times)  The Navy plans to fully fund its tuition assistance coffers in fiscal 2014 at the same $84 million level it paid out in 2013. But after that, all bets are off.

Putting Military Pay on the Table  (The New York Times)  Big-ticket weapons like aircraft carriers and the F-35 fighter jet have to be part of any conversation about cutting Pentagon spending to satisfy the mandatory budget reductions known as the sequester. But compensation for military personnel has to be on the table, too — even though no other defense issue is more politically volatile or emotionally fraught.

Employment

Defense Executives: Shortage of Engineers Is Not a Myth  (National Defense)  U.S. defense executives are pushing back on suggestions that a shortage of science, math and engineering graduates is a fake crisis.

Hiring underway as expansion of VA Clinic nears completion  (Billings Gazette)  Contractors anticipate finishing the newly expanded 70,000-square-foot Veterans Affairs Clinic in Billings by Feb. 1.

Have a great day!

Transitionnews 11/29/13

Posted by Mike Grice on

Transitionnews for Friday, November 29 2013:

Good news story of the day

Navy Wounded Warrior Anchor Program Supports a Grateful Family  (Navy.mil)  A retired Navy command master chief who serves as a Navy Wounded Warrior (NWW) – Safe Harbor Anchor Program mentor – spent valuable time with a Coast Guard wounded warrior and his family in Carlisle, Pa., during November.

Transition

Workshop advises service members in transition  (The Redstone Rocket)  Whether a service member retires after 20 years or gets out after just one tour, the Army’s Transition Assistance Program helps service members and their families transition into civilian life by offering job-search assistance, financial readiness planning and related services.

Veterans in Private Sector: Making the Transition  (Federal News Radio) Why should you hire a veteran?  Here are a few reasons: They possess great leadership skills. They take initiative. They assume responsibility. They’re creative.

New IT career training program helps veterans find jobs  (Observer & Eccentric)  A new public-private partnership has been formed to provide information and technology training and certification to Michigan veterans.

‘Warriors 4 Wireless’ Program Helps Vets Find Tech Industry Jobs  (LiveScience)   A new nonprofit program aims to help veterans and returning service members find jobs in wireless telecommunications, as part of a broader goal to have 5,000 vets employed in the expanding industry by the year 2015, according to officials from the Department of Defense.

Veterans

Wounded Warrior Group suing Indiana veteran it says defamed it  (UPI)  A national veterans assistance group is suing an Indiana veteran it says defamed it, court documents show.

Veterans Pitch In to Help Serve, Overseas and at Home  (ABC News)  To celebrate Thanksgiving, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama – along with daughters Sasha and Malia – went to the Capital Area Food Bank to serve nutritious meals for hungry families alongside post-9/11 veterans who were reporting for duty in their community.

Veterans see glitches in getting new licenses  (Channel 3000)  Some Wisconsin veterans trying to get their hands on special new driver’s licenses have been confused by a state website but unable to get through to a toll-free hotline for assistance.

Orlando gives veterans a boost in competing for contracts  (Orlando Sentinal)   Every year, Orlando issues millions of dollars worth of contracts and purchase orders for everything from staples to giant construction projects.

Veterans form organization to help peers  (Newburyport News)  Two local veterans are extending a helping hand to keep the hands of their struggling peers warm.

Easter Seals groups ramp up help to veterans  (Philly.com)  Like many people, Gary Staten typically thought of the nonprofit group Easter Seals as mainly helping children and adults with disabilities and special needs.

Veterans Affairs

Plans progressing on state vets home  (The Rapid City Journal)  The South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs has announced that contractors began mobilizing equipment and resources to the Michael J. Fitzmaurice State Veterans Home campus last week.

Veterans’ homelessness drops by 24 percent  (DCMilitary.com)  The Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development announced Nov. 21 that a new national report shows a 24 percent drop in homelessness among veterans since 2010.

Ga. veterans face backlog of claims  (Atlanta Journal Constitution)  Georgia veterans filing disability claims often face longer delays than their counterparts in other states.

Benefits

DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable: Resources and Benefits for Veterans  (DOD Live) The Real Warriors Campaign is a multimedia public awareness initiative sponsored by the Department of Defense.

Air Force cancels retraining in 35 career fields  (Marine Corps Times)  The Air Force announced Tuesday that it has dropped at least 35 career fields from the list of jobs that airmen can retrain into, affecting as many as 1,000 airmen.

Army begins correcting medical records for some former Madigan patients  (The Bellingham Herald)  The Army has begun correcting medical records for former Madigan Army Medical Center patients who left the military with conflicting diagnoses for behavioral health conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Media

Stars and Stripes faces closure if it loses the Battle of Budget Cuts (The Washington Times) Stars and Stripes — long may it wave? Maybe not. The venerable newspaper that has reported independent news about the American military since the Civil War finds itself on the budget-cutting front lines.

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Have a great day!

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