Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today’s News – November 04, 2013

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.   Memorial for feisty Madigan nurse salutes her bravery in Afghanistan.  The death of Army nurse Capt. Jennifer Moreno in Afghanistan last month devastated her teammates. Friends and fellow servicemembers gave a tribute to Moreno Friday at a Joint Base Lewis-McChord memorial.
 
2.   Are the Marines faking the reliability record of their $79 million superplane?  While the military continues to add new missions for the Osprey abroad and has interest in selling it to allies, the program remains dogged by its deadly history and bad news — much of it self-inflicted.
 
3.   Navy christens new attack submarine North Dakota .  The U.S. Navy on Saturday christened its newest attack submarine, a $2.6 billion vessel named North Dakota that can launch cruise missiles, deliver special forces commandos and carry out surveillance over land and sea.
 
4.   Japan, Russia agree to expand defense ties.  Japan and Russia held their first high-level defense and diplomatic talks Saturday and agreed to step up cooperation between their militaries amid regional security concerns such as North Korea and China.
5.   American Legion to Explore Pittsburgh VA Hospital.  Hyperlink to Article WESA-FM:  The local media, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and members of congress have all tried to dig into the outbreak of Legionella at the Pittsburgh VA hospital and now the American Legion is getting involved.
6.   Drivers Sought to Take Veterans to the Doc.  Hyperlink to Article U-T San Diego:  A free service that transports veterans between medical appointments and their homes is appealing for more volunteer drivers to help provide a “better service.” …The DAV Transportation Network was created in 1984 when the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs cut back on travel benefits. The network aimed to provide free transportation to veterans and their spouses to their scheduled medical appointments.
7.   Five VA officials left amid conference fallout.  Hyperlink to Article Federal Times:  An investigation by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s Republican staff reveals that five Veterans Affairs Department officials who were recommended for disciplinary action last year over a high-profile conference scandal have all since left the department.
8.   Army tackling backlog of disability evals, says service surgeon general.  Hyperlink to Article Army Times:  Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, the Army surgeon general, is touting signs of progress in the sluggish Integrated Disability Evaluation System, saying more soldiers are exiting the process now than entering it.
9.   For veterans considering college, remember these 8 questions.  Hyperlink to Article Bangor Daily News:  The Federal Trade Commission advises those consumers to ask eight questions of those representing institutions of higher learning. The goal is to cull the responsible ones from the diploma mills that are most interested in getting their hands on veterans’ tuition money. Visit www.consumer.ftc.gov and search “choosing a college.”
10. Suicide in the Armed Forces: Not a Disgrace.  Hyperlink to Article The American Thinker:  This past September was Suicide Awareness Month for those serving, past and present… The major problem is that suicides were not tracked efficiently, so it is hard to get a grip on the why, the how, and the needed treatment.  American Thinker interviewed those who have studied this issue as well as some who have attempted suicide.
 

Have You Heard?

On Nov. 1, 1945, in response to both Congress and Veterans, VA created the Prosthetic Appliance Service. In 2008, VHA established the first National Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) Day, which evolved into National PSAS Week in 2012. Today, we are pleased to celebrate the 2nd Annual PSAS Week, November 4-8. This year’s theme is “Touching Lives and Improving Outcomes.” In 1945, the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids program was created to address concerns expressed by returning WW II Veterans and Congress, to provide quality artificial limbs to wounded Veterans. The purpose? To develop a system through which artificial limbs of the highest quality, as well as other prosthetic appliances, would be provided to disabled Veterans. Today, our mission to provide comprehensive provision to optimize health and independence of Veterans still supports that purpose. In FY 2013, VHA’s PSAS provided 15.9 million medical items and services to 2.9 million Veterans (about 48% of all Veterans who accessed care in the VA healthcare system). PSAS works closely with VA clinical staffs at medical centers and Community-Based Outpatient Clinics nationally to ensure Veterans have access to the latest, technologically advanced artificial limbs, medical devices, and services needed to meet medical and rehabilitative needs.