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.    Honor Your Father.  Last week! Pay tribute to that special Dad you adore by posting a free message for Father’s Day. Messages received by the May 29 deadline will be printed in the Stars and Stripes newspaper edition of your choice. All messages will appear online. Don’t delay!
 
2.    Country musician to give 25 homes to members of military.  Country music superstar Tim McGraw is giving away 25 mortgage-free houses – one for each stop on his upcoming “Brothers of the Sun” tour with Kenny Chesney – to wounded or needy servicemembers.
 
3.    A few more lives to remember on Memorial Day.  Even as the war in Afghanistan is featured less often on evening newscasts or front pages of our newspapers, Americans still involved in the fight continue to die there, deepening the pool of Memorial Day remembrances with new heroes and fresh heartbreak.
 
4.    Vets hope visit shines light on Korean War mission, sacrifices.  As he looked out into North Korea, Richard Lee Sung acknowledged Americans are probably more familiar with the work he and his fellow actors did on the Korean War-based TV show “M*A*S*H” than with the sacrifices he and his fellow U.S. servicemen made fighting the war itself.

5.    The things you keep: ‘It reminds me that he loved me’.  Since her husband of 24 years was killed in Afghanistan last spring, Linda Ambard has felt homeless. “I spent my whole adult life following that man around the world,” she said. “I don’t have a home anymore, because home was where he was.” So she’s made a haven of his military jacket, wrapping herself up in his memory. “I come home from work, shower, put my pajamas on and put the coat on top of me,” she said. In “Things You Keep,” Ambard and other Stars and Stripes readers talk about their reminders of the fallen.

6.    New VA Form Available for Ordering Veterans’ Grave Marker.  United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Enter your search text … New VA Form Available for Ordering Veterans’ Grave Marker Medallion. May 22, 2012 …
7.    Flags for veteran graves made solely in America.  Williamsport Sun-Gazette  The flags were manufactured at a plant in Gilbertsville, Montgomery County, said George Heiges, executive director of the Lycoming County Department of Veterans Affairs. They were shipped from a company known as FlagZone, he said.

8.    Woodland Hospice joins “We Honor Veterans” program.  The Morning Sun  Woodland Hospice in Isabella County is a partner in “We Honor Veterans,” a campaign developed by National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization in collaboration with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. As a partner in We Honor Veterans …

9.    Veterans group vows more talks to save community center.  Chronicle-Telegram  Hipp also said the US Department of Veterans Affairs, which has a clinic in St. Joe’s, has a clause in its contract that would allow it to take over St. Joe’s. “We’re working hard and we’re going to figure this out in short order,” he said.

10.  New Development for Formerly Homeless Veterans Celebrates Opening.  eNews Park Forest  He recently enrolled in a US Department of Veterans Affairs’ day hospital program that has helped him turn his life around. In his month at Hope Manor, he has continued to move forward with his rehabilitation. He dreams of becoming an electrical …

Have You Heard?

 

Frequently Asked Questions About the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP)

1) Question: Who can use the VRAP? Answer: To use the program a Veteran must:

• Be at least 35 but no more than 60 years old
• Be unemployed (as determined by Department of Labor (DoL))
• Have an other than dishonorable discharge
• Not be eligible for any other VA education benefit program (e.g., the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Assistance)
• Not be in receipt of VA compensation due to un-employability
• Not be enrolled in a federal or state job training program

2) Question: What can I use the VRAP for?

Answer: Participants must be enrolled in a VA approved program of education offered by a Community College or Technical School. The program must lead to an Associate Degree, Non-College Degree, or a Certification and train you in a high demand occupation as determined by DoL.

3) Question: How much does the VRAP pay?

Answer: You may receive up to 12 months of payments at the full-time Montgomery GI Bill–Active Duty rate (currently $1,473 per month).

4) Question: Will the payments under this program be sent directly to the school like payments under the Post- 9/11 GI Bill?

Answer: No. The benefit will be paid directly to you and you are responsible for paying your expenses including tuition, fees, and books.

5) Question: When, where, and how can I apply?

Answer: The program begins July 1, 2012. Watch the GI Bill website and follow our GI Bill Facebook page for more details on when, where, and how to apply.

6) Question: What will happen when I finish my program? Answer: The DoL will provide employment assistance to every Veteran who participates, upon completion of their program.

7) Question: What do I do if I need a job now?

Answer: There are extensive employment resources available for Veterans provided by the Federal Government. Visit www.fedshirevets.gov and the Department of Labor’s www.dol.gov/vets to learn more.