Veterans! Here’s your Top 10 News stories of the day compiled from the latest sources

We encourage you to browse our list so that you can take what you want and keep what you need

1.   Rear admiral talks about Navy’s future in Maine.  Rear Adm. Leigher talked about the importance of maintaining a visible Navy presence in Maine in the aftermath of Brunswick Naval Air Station’s closure, making the University of Southern Maine a destination for Navy research and development, how the Navy’s contribution to the wars in the Middle East often is overlooked, and how a future shift of the military’s focus toward China could stabilize the workflow at Bath Iron Works.

2.   Budget cuts imperil final honors for veterans.  The image of the military funeral is iconic: soldiers in crisp dress blues and polished shoes smartly folding the flag, a stiff volley from M14 rifles pointed to the sky, a solemn bugler playing the final tribute — taps.
 
3.   Oklahoma WWII veteran receives France’s highest decoration.  James “Jake” McNiece, the leader of World War II’s “Dirty Dozen,” humbly accepted France’s most prestigious decoration Wednesday, nearly 70 years after he led a squad of paratroopers behind enemy lines in that country to support the D-Day invasion.
 
4.   DOD to study impact of troops’ death on family members.  The Defense Department is looking for participants to take part in a study of how a servicemember’s death impacts surviving family members.

5.   NC Division of Veterans Affairs warns veterans of payment scams.  Salisbury Post  District service officers are available in all 100 counties to assist veterans with necessary paperwork. To find a local office, visit http://www.doa.nc.gov/vets/locations/. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs also has a website for those seeking …

6.   Veteran’s PTSD battle ends in success.  The Baylor Lariat  Dr. Eric Meyer, a licensed psychologist at the Central Texas Veterans Health System, conducts specialized research in the Veteran Affairs VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, part of the Central Texas Veterans Affairs …

7.   Veterans may review VA benefit information on foundation website.  Hometownlife.com  Believe it or not, Michigan ranks last among the states in its dollar receipt of Veterans Affairs benefits. Yet Michigan is home to more than 704,000 veterans, making it the 11th largest veteran population in the United States. Clearly, there’s a …

8.   $960,000 Grant For Milpitas Group Housing Veterans. San Jose Mercury News “Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced last week the award of $960,000 in grant money to Emergency Housing Consortium” in Milpitas, California. It is “one of 38 projects around the country” VA is funding in order to “provide temporary housing to formerly homeless veterans with the goal that they will retain the residence as their own.” In a news release, Shinseki said, “As we drive toward our goal to end homelessness among veterans in 2015, VA continues to find innovative ways to permanently house veterans who were formerly homeless.” The Mercury News also quotes Dr. Susan Angell, executive director for VA’s Veterans Homeless Initiative, who said, “Securing permanent housing is a vital step in the journey of our homeless veterans.”
 
9.   VA Stresses Mental Heath Services This Month. Willoughby (OH) News-Leader “In recognition of September as Suicide Prevention Month, the Department of Veterans Affairs is calling on individuals and communities across the country to show their support for veterans in crisis and help raise awareness of the VA mental health services veterans have earned. The theme for the outreach campaign, ‘Stand by Them,’ is part of a joint VA and Department of Defense effort focused on veteran and service member support networks, especially their friends and family members, who may be the first to realize a veteran or service member is in crisis.” Seman quotes VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, who says the “mental health and well-being of our brave men and women who have served the Nation is the highest priority” for VA.
 
10. Women Vets Stand Down Held In Sturgis. KEVN-TV “The Department of Veterans Affairs Black Hills Health Care System says the percentage of women veterans has increased 25 percent in five years.” That is “why…VA hosted its first Women Veterans Stand Down Thursday in Sturgis.” The event was “intended to serve homeless and needy women veterans from the Black Hills area.” Dianna Monahan, the Women Veterans Program Manager for VA Black Hills, said women veterans “need to know that they are eligible for healthcare and that we are really upping our game at the VA.”

Have You Heard?

VA Raises Awareness for Heart Disease in Women

On September 27, VA staff exercised to help raise awareness of heart disease in women at VA headquarters “VA Goes Red” Health Expo. View photos of the event.