Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 9-04-09

What’s Inside Today’s Local News for Veterans

1. Shinseki to Visit Meade High School.  
2. Shinseki Announces $3.2 Billion to Reduce Homelessness Among Veterans.  
3. Shinseki To Meet With Philippines Defense Secretary About Filipino WWII Veterans.  
4. Director Of DOD’s Office Of Transition Policy Promises Efforts To Care For Wounded Soldiers.  
5. Blue Star Mothers Honor Iraq Veterans At Florida Event. 
6. VFW Post Hosts Dinner For Some Veterans From Walter Reed.  
7. Veteran Of Korea And Vietnam Leads Maryland’s American Legion.  
8. Union County, New Jersey, Offers Medals To Honor Veterans.  
9. Veterans Honored With Free Trip To Washington, DC Memorials.  
10. Marine Veterans Of Vietnam To Meet After 41 Years.

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HAVE YOU HEARD?
The Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) will soon acquire several 24-foot customized mobile food trailers to support VA response teams deployed under emergency conditions. They will be strategically located around the country and available to provide food support and services to staff and patients during emergencies. VCS is turning to Veterans, VA employees and the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival for the image that will brand these vehicles. Their submissions will be considered to be the image that will be placed on the outside of the trailers. A panel of judges will review the art submissions for artistic, patriotic, promotional, and skill values. The artist with the winning entry will receive $1,000. The VA medical facility associated with the artist will also receive $1,000, to be placed in its VCS promotional account. Veterans, VA employees and VCS employees are eligible to submit entries. Submissions are completely voluntary and employees who choose to submit an entry will use only personal, non-duty time and resources to create their submissions. Criteria, rules and instructions for submission of entries:

• The media used must be one or more of these fine art categories: Acrylic painting, oil painting, watercolor, drawing, pastels or graphics
• Submissions must be an original work created by the submitting artist. Artwork could have been created at any time, but must be an original work. The winning artist will assign ownership of the artwork to VCS.
• Submissions must reflect a patriotic theme. Entries should not include any partisan political, religious, or offensive material.
• An artist is allowed to submit more than one original art creation.
• Art entries must be submitted as electronic JPEG digital images on a PC platform CD. File size must not exceed 1MB. The maximum horizontal dimension is 1024 pixels and the maximum vertical dimension is 768 pixels.
• Image file naming: Each jpeg image must be include the first 5 letters of the title of the piece, followed by a hyphen followed by the first and last name initials of the artist. Use CAPS for the image title and use small letters for initials. For example, The JPEG image of an entry titled, “Sands of Time” created by John Doe would be named SANDS-jd.jpg with no spaces.
• Submit the JPEG image (on CD-ROM), completed art entry submission form and signed Consent for Release of Picture and/or Voice form to VCS Artistic Opportunity, Veterans Canteen Service #101810, Vermont Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20420. Entries must be postmarked by midnight September 30, 2009.

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1.      Shinseki to Visit Meade High School.   Ed O’Keefe writes in the Federal Eye blog for the Washington Post (9/4, 652K), "As if coordinated appearances to celebrate 200 days of the economic stimulus weren’t enough, Cabinet secretaries are now headed back to school next week to join students watching President Obama’s scheduled nationwide address to schoolchildren." Among them are "camera-friendly events and announcements. Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki will appear alongside Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D) and Anne Arundel school officials when he visits Meade High School in Ft. Meade." 

2.      Shinseki Announces $3.2 Billion to Reduce Homelessness Among Veterans.   The St. George (UT) Spectrum (9/4, 21K) reports, "Last week, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said the VA will work to take 131,000 veterans off the streets in the next five years. The VA will spend $3.2 billion next year to prevent and reduce homelessness among veterans, 85 percent of which will be for medical care." 

3.      Shinseki To Meet With Philippines Defense Secretary About Filipino WWII Veterans.   ABS CBN News (9/4) reports, "The United States government has rejected the applications of 1,000 Filipino World War II veterans seeking benefits under the US stimulus package law, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Thursday. Teodoro said the applications were rejected because the applicants had failed to show sufficient proof that they fought with US troops in the last World War." Teodoro spoke "at the sidelines of an assembly of World War II veterans in Camp Aguinaldo." Teodoro also "revealed that the US has also approved the applications of about 4,000 veterans, both based in US and in the Philippines," who "have already received their checks," and there are "7,000 more in the pipeline." Teodoro "is scheduled to fly to the US next week to meet with US veterans affairs secretary Eric Shinseki and check on the processing of the applications."
      The Inquirer Global Nation (9/4, Evangelista, 179K) reports, "Some 5,500 Filipino World War II veterans have received their lump sum benefit from the US Department of Veteran s Affairs (USDVA) just six months after the implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or the Stimulus Bill, an official from the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) said Thursday." PVAO Undersecretary Ernesto Carolina said that "a total of 34,000 living World War II veterans applied for the $198 million lump-sum benefit for Filipino veterans who fought alongside US troops during the war." Carolina also "said that the number of applicants is nearly double than the projected 18,000 to 20,000 living war veterans eligible for the benefit and are included on the Missouri List which is a list of names of war veterans who volunteered during the war."

 4.      Director Of DOD’s Office Of Transition Policy Promises Efforts To Care For Wounded Soldiers.   The Stars And Stripes (9/4, Philpott) reports, "Vietnam War veterans will nod with understanding over many of Noel Koch’s comments contrasting support for wounded troops and veterans today, from citizenry and government, compared to how it was 40 years ago. During the Vietnam War, he said, ‘we got very good at saving people’s lives on the battlefield. But we never got good at giving them a life worth living once they got back here,’ Koch said. ‘We just warehoused them in VA hospitals and that’s part of the scandal of the times.’" Koch "is director of the Department of Defense’s Office of Transition Policy and Care Coordination (TPCC, 179K)," and is "responsible for how well DOD and the services implement very ambitious initiatives and reforms to ensure this generation of warriors gets the support it needs to stay in service or move as smoothly as possible into civilian life." Koch is also "a member of Vietnam Veterans of America." Among the efforts to care for veterans are the Disability Evaluation System (DES) pilot, Recovery Care Coordinators, and the Physical Disability Board of Review. 

5.      Blue Star Mothers Honor Iraq Veterans At Florida Event.   The Northwest Florida Daily News (9/4, Moore, 40K) reports from Shalimar, "The Blue Star Mothers will honor soldiers Tuesday night at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church here." And "scheduled to speak are two veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom: Sgt. Christopher Pierrot, who was deployed in 2005, and Staff Sgt. Hilda M. Wade, who was deployed in 2004." The event called "Operation Tribute to Freedom is not a recruiting event." Instead it is "an opportunity for the community to get a slice of life on the frontline and to celebrate two heroes. Operation Tribute to Freedom will be an annual event for the Blue Star Mothers." 

6.      VFW Post Hosts Dinner For Some Veterans From Walter Reed.   The Business Gazette (9/4, Hill) reports, "Army Sgt. Kelly Keck arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., last September, a week or two after he accidentally stepped on a land mine while serving as a medic in Afghanistan. Keck, 35, lost his right leg below the knee and his left index, ring and pinky fingers in the explosion. After nearly a year of subsequent therapy and numerous surgeries, he has remained positive." Keck "has stayed in high spirits, he said, thanks to support from family, medical staff and even complete strangers. One such group of strangers was the Phillips-Kleiner Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5627, which hosted dinner for Keck and six other wounded vets Saturday afternoon in College Park." And "Army Pfc. Renee Strine, of York, Pa., was one of the seven veterans — several of whom were accompanied by friends and family — who made the eight-mile bus trip from the nation’s capital to enjoy steak, salmon and refreshments with their military brethren in College Park." Also, "several VFW members said their goal for the day was to show the gratitude that wasn’t always afforded in the past, particularly after the Vietnam War."

 7.      Veteran Of Korea And Vietnam Leads Maryland’s American Legion.   The Hagerstown (MD) Herald-Mail (9/4, Dearth, 32K) reports, "Boonsboro resident Orlyn C. Oestereich has been drafted twice in his life. The first time was in 1945 by President Harry S Truman. The second time was by the American Legion two months ago. On July 17, Oestereich assumed the post of Maryland state commander of the American Legion during an American Legion Convention in Ocean City." Oestereich "is responsible for 149 posts and about 70,000 members," and at 82 "is the oldest person ever to hold the position." Oestereich "returned to the states when the war ended in 1953 and served as an administrator and prosthetics researcher at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C." 

8.      Union County, New Jersey, Offers Medals To Honor Veterans.   The Suburban News (NJ) (9/4) reports, "The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders reminds honorably discharged veterans who live in Union County that they may be eligible to receive military service medals awarded by the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The medals to be awarded are the Distinguished Service Medal, Vietnam Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and Korean Service Medal." And "veterans can receive their medals by mail, or receive their medals in person at a public Medal Ceremony in Union County. The ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1 p.m., at the Center Court of the Jersey Gardens Mall." 

9.      Veterans Honored With Free Trip To Washington, DC Memorials.   The Chagrin Valley Times (OH) (9/4, McSherry) reports, "World War II veterans Charles Parson and John Sedlak both admitted they were in tears when they exited a plane in Baltimore and found 200 people clapping and cheering for them and their fellow veterans. In their 80s and close friends since they were in high school and living a half-mile apart in Shaker Heights, the two were invited on a free one-day trip to Washington, D.C., to visit war memorials, along with 35 other World War II veterans hosted by the nonprofit all-volunteer Honor Flight Cleveland." But "Mr. Sedlak said nobody talked about the war while at the memorial. He said they ‘all were just happy to be there and be part of it.’" And "the group was met by former U.S. Sen. Robert Dole and his wife, former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole." 

10.    Marine Veterans Of Vietnam To Meet After 41 Years.   The Honolulu Star-Bulletin (9/4, Kakesako) reports, "Two Marine veterans of the Vietnam War who have been searching for each other for four decades will be reunited today in Hawaii. Mililani resident Lory Segawa and New Jersey resident Jaime Vazquez last saw each other briefly in 1968 at fire base C-2, less than two miles from the North Vietnamese border." Vazquez "will present Segawa, a retired postal worker, with the keys to his city of 250,000 residents. For his part, Segawa will take Vazquez on a tour of the USS Arizona Memorial and Punchbowl cemetery." The two met "when they were assigned to the same platoon in late 1967." Vazquez is "the director of Veterans Affairs in Jersey City after serving for 12 years as a councilman and one term as deputy mayor." Vazquez is also "now active in the Veterans for Peace organization."