VFW Magazine articles from February 2003

VFW Magazine archives from February 2003

`Ambassadors for VA health care': VFW volunteers have been a vital component of the VA's Voluntary Service for 57 years. (command post).(National Hospitalized Veterans Week)
February 1, 2003... There is a special week earmarked every February. The public is probably unaware of its importance, but veterans certainly should be. In case you are not or if it has slipped your mind, please let me remind you. National Hospitalized...

Time to make all overseas cold war vets eligible. (mail call).
February 1, 2003... Command Post ("Opening a New Era") in December was most interesting. Extending eligibility to veterans who received hostile fire/imminent danger pay makes me hopeful that one day soon all overseas vets of the Cold War will be welcomed into the...

Media distorts perceptions of veterans. (mail call).
February 1, 2003... Re: "Media Disparages Gulf War Veterans Without Hesitation" (Now Hear This, December 2002). I, too, am disgusted when the media refers to veteran status when describing an individual who has committed a crime. They don't use "former shoe...

Most WWII vets had smooth transition. (mail call).
February 1, 2003... While I appreciated "The Rough Road to Readjustment" (December) by Mark Van Ells, I think it applied to only a minority of returning WWII vets. For instance, myself and four brothers all served in the Army. All obtained good employment,...

More on Korea's blue water war. (mail call).
February 1, 2003... Gary Turbak's "Korea: The Carrier War" (December) was nice to read. But don't forget the battleships: Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri and Wisconsin. They served as the flagships of Task Force 77. Basil B. Carlson Osceola, Neb. Keep in...

Aviation engineers also in Korea. (mail call).
February 1, 2003... Although the November story on Korea focused on combat engineers ("Engineers in Combat"), the Air Force performed work similar to that of the Seabees. The 417th Engineer Aviation Brigade detached battalions to construct concrete runways. ...

Concurrent receipt issue refuses to die. (mail call).
February 1, 2003... Re: "No Vote on Concurrent Receipt" (December Washington Wire). One day the nation will pay its debt to disabled military retirees. Hopefully, before these veterans become a dim memory. John M. Vargo Colorado Springs, Colo.

Korea Defense Service Medal finally a reality. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... With President Bush's signature on the Defense Authorization bill on Dec. 2, 2002, a long-fought-for goal of post-war Korea vets and VFW became law. Any veteran who served on the peninsula since July 28, 1954, to a date to be deter. mined is...

Remains of early Vietnam KIA found. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(US pilot's remains, from French Indochina War, are returned)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The remains of either James B. McGovern (nicknamed "Earthquake McGoon") or his co-pilot Wallace A. Buford were returned from Laos in December. The team was flying for the CIA when their C119 Flying Boxcar was shot down by the Communist Viet...

VA program recognizes war vets. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(Department of Veterans Affairs)
February 1, 2003... In an effort to give VA workers a better understanding of veterans roles in American history, VA launched a commemorative effort starting with Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7. A satellite hookup carried the program live to 1,000 VA facilities...

Recruiter access to high schools law. (Now hear this: brief news items of interest to veterans and their families.).(military recruiters)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Under the No Child Left Behind Act, military recruiters now have access to high school campuses on par with college and corporate recruiters. While 95% of the nation's high schools have complied, there are holdouts. As The Associated Press put...

Book of interest to veterans. (Book Corner).(Brief Article)(Bibliography)
February 1, 2003... Clodfelter, Michael. Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Reference to Casualty and Other Figures, 1500-2000. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2002. A stupendous encyclopedia of immense historical knowledge about wars waged worldwide....

More compensation for hearing loss. (Legislation).(veterans compensation)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... A new law passed in December could provide a significant boost in VA compensation for veterans suffering hearing loss. A comprehensive piece of legislation, the Veterans Benefits Improvement Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-330) also improves VA...

Montgomery GI Bill benefits improved. (Legislation).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Beyond the limited form of concurrent receipt offered in the 2003 Defense Authorization Act (January 2003 Washington Wire), the law also provides two significant improvements for beneficiaries of the Montgomery GI Bill. The first, in Sec....

U.S. paratrooper KIA in Afghanistan. (Security).(Steven Checo killed by enemy fire)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... A U.S. soldier was killed in December in Afghanistan, the first American combat death since August. Sgt. Steven Checo of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, was shot during a firefight in the eastern Afghanistan...

Seven aviators killed in crashes. (Security).(two helicopter crashes)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Two December helicopter crashes killed six GIs and one civilian in Honduras and Alabama. Both incidents occurred during training exercises. On Dec. 11, five soldiers died when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed into the side of a mountain...

VA claims backlog could grow. (Service).(Department of Veterans Affairs)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... VA's progress in reducing pending claims could be in jeopardy, according to VA Secretary Anthony Principi. If his department doesn't receive an adequate budget by February, his goal of cutting the backlog to 250,000 claims with a 100-day...

Study disputes Gulf War illnesses. (Service).(studies in the UK and US)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... British researchers announced in November that they could find no link between ailments reported by British Gulf War veterans and their service in the war zone. The study results--published Nov. 26 in Neurology, the journal of the American...

Web site explains job certifications. (Employment).(Department of Labor Web site includes information about veterans)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... A Department of Labor Web site can help active-duty GIs leaving the military, as well as veterans already in the private sector, understand what licenses or certifications are needed for civilian jobs. The site, UMET--Use Your Military...

`Doing something important': with 6,000 regularly scheduled volunteers, VFW is key to VA's Voluntary Service's success. (Cover Story).(Veterans of Foreign Wars)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2003... When Harry Kelley to retire from truck driving two years ago due to back injuries, he knew he had to find something to busy himself. That's when he signed on as a VFW volunteer with the Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service (VAVS)....

Facts about the VAs Veterans Health Administration. (Health).
February 1, 2003... At the heart of VA's medical network is the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). A large entity in itself, VHA handles a vast variety of health-related functions. Provided below is a brief overview: * The VA system includes more than 170...

A beacon for wounded warriors: Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany serves as a way station for Americans wounded fighting the war on terrorism. (War On Terrorism).
February 1, 2003... As the plane from Kabul lands at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, a team of U.S. medical personnel is waiting to transport the wounded special operations soldier to an American hospital. There, his broken leg will be set before permanent...

VFW on scene at the memorial's 20th: VFW had a high-profile presence at the 20th anniversary ceremonies for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... For 65 hours over four days, 2,000 volunteers read the names of 58,229 Americans killed in the Vietnam War. Listing the names on the memorial was crucial to remembrance. "This was something that gave Americans the license to mourn publicly,"...

Vietnam vets bring their experience to the classroom: with help from the Teaching Vietnam Teachers' Network, both experienced and novice veteran-teachers are educating their students about the truth of the Vietnam War.
February 1, 2003... A 2002 study conducted by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) has indicated that some adults' perceptions of Vietnam veterans are not factually based. Of the 18- to 35-year-olds surveyed, only 11% viewed Vietnam vets as "generally...

VFW teams with major corporations: in support of America's troops abroad, VFW partnered with Wal-Mart and the NFL to raise phone-card funds.(Veterans of Foreign Wars)
February 1, 2003... Thanks to a new partnership between VFW and two major corporations, service members stationed in distant lands can call home for free. Wal-Mart. Good. Works (Wal-Mart's foundation) and the National Football League (NFL) both have made sizeable...

VFW and NRA strive for safety.(Veterans of Foreign Wars; National Rifle Association)
February 1, 2003... VFW has joined forces with five organizations as part of a national outreach effort. VFW magazine will profile each--all of which have objectives in common with VFW. First on the list is the National Rifle Association, which offers a host of...

`You are about to die a horrible death'. (Korean War).(the atrocities committed by the North Koreans during the Korean War)
February 1, 2003... (Senate Report 848, 83rd Congress, 2nd session, Jan. 11, 1954.) Sgt. Berry F. Rhoden was handed a card before being shot in the back. The legend on the card said: "You are about to die the most horrible kind of death." Rhoden barely...

Protecting your skin from cancer: all three types of skin cancers are survivable if diagnosed and treated soon enough.(basal cell, squamous cell, melanoma)
February 1, 2003... Maureen Reagan died from it. Her father, President Ronald Reagan was diagnosed with it. So were former President Bill Clinton and Arizona Senator John McCain. They survived, as did I. We are the lucky ones. "It" is skin cancer, a disease...

VFW provides helping hands to VA's Voluntary Service. (VFW in action).(Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service, established in 1946 )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Since VFW first helped create Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service (VAVS) in 1946, its support for the volunteer endeavor has grown tremendously. Today, VFW has 6,000 regularly scheduled volunteers who donate time in VA hospitals and clinics....

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal covers 30 operations. (membership).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Veterans of the military actions recognized by the prestigious Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) can take pride. They form a long line of American veterans who have served overseas in times of crisis and actual combat. Since the...

Use VFW's Credit Union when car shopping. (member benefits).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Before you shop for your next car, check with the VFW Credit Union. We can provide money to put down and information to help get the best deal. We will be happy to work with you and come up with a pre-approved loan to buy that next...

Jest a minute.
February 1, 2003... * A C-141 was preparing for departure from the U.S. Air Force base in Thule, Greenland, and the crew was waiting for the truck to arrive to pump out the aircraft's sewage holding tank. The aircraft commander was in a hurry, but the truck...

Reunions & claims.
February 1, 2003... REUNION COORDINATORS: To publicize your unit's reunion, fill out the form on page 47 of the February 2003 VFW magazine or print out a form from VFW's website: http://www.vfw.org/magazine/51.shtml. Send to VFW magazine, 406 W. 34th St., Suite...