DAV Magazine articles from March 2006

DAV Magazine archives from March 2006

The power of one.(from the NATIONAL COMMANDER)
March 1, 2006... There are those among us who say there is little they can do to correct the inequities forced upon veterans by some in Congress and the Department of Veterans Affairs. They may say, "I am only one person, what can I do?" The answer is to be...

Long-term care.(from the NATIONAL ADJUTANT)(for disabled veterans)
March 1, 2006... The cost of meeting the long-term care needs of sick and disabled veterans is skyrocketing out of sight, whether it's in a VA-operated nursing home, a state veterans' home or a community-based facility. And with nearly 10 million of America's...

Differing views on the war.(LOUD & CLEAR)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... It seems as though the politicians did not learn a thing from the Vietnam War. They stuck their noses in and got 66,000 Americans killed, and now they are trying to run the war in Iraq with the journalists' help. Let the Secretary of Defense...

Fields of honor.(LOUD & CLEAR)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... The article "Fields of Honor for American Fallen, (Jan/Feb '06 edition) reflects the nation's perpetual gratitude to those who fell during the liberation of southern France in August 1944. We at the American Battle Monuments Commission are...

Agent orange error?(LOUD & CLEAR)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... The article page 9 of the September/October 2005 issue of DAV Magazine on Agent Orange confirms that exposure to herbicides in Vietnam offered the strongest evidence to date that Agent Orange is associated with adult-onset (Type II) diabetes....

ABMC shows pride.(LOUD & CLEAR)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... Regarding your articles on American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries, I'd like to say that my wife, myself, my granddaughter and son-in-law (who serves with NATO in Germany) were extremely well received at Ardennes American Cemetery...

Controlled spending?(LOUD & CLEAR)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... Our country is at war and Congress is unable to pass a VA budget bill. Rep. Deborah Pryce (R. OH) claims Congress is "eager to stem the tide of spending." Unbelievable! This is the same Congress that added more than 6,300 pork items to an...

DAV comes through for a horse soldier.(Disabled American Veterans)
March 1, 2006... It was one of those conversations all DAV members experience from time to time. The person you are talking to knows or discovers you are a DAV member and makes a comment about being a veteran also, or about a relative or friend who is a...

New Van ...(LOUD & CLEAR)
March 1, 2006... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: A new Ford van to assist sick and disabled veterans with transportation to and from the Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis was recently made possible through a generous contribution from Fifth Third...

From being helped, to helping others: the journey of Joe Goniea.(Joseph D. Goniea)(Biography)
March 1, 2006... When he came in to see us at the courthouse that first time in 1990, I would say we probably prevented a suicide; that's my opinion," said Ronald R. Schrieber, Michigan Department Service Officer (DSO) and Hospital Service Coordinator (HSC)....

Congress grapples with veterans issues.(veterans benefits)
March 1, 2006... With the second session of the 109th Congress underway, major goals for disabled veterans and their families are full funding for VA health care and improvements in benefits delivery, as recommended in The Independent Budget. For 20 years this...

Budget reform hearing request rebuffed.
March 1, 2006... Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Larry Craig (R-Idaho) has rejected a bipartisan request for a legislative hearing to explore various funding alternatives for veterans health care, including mandatory funding. Senators Tim...

Commitment to new disabled veterans.(DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY)(employment)
March 1, 2006... Since the beginning of our organization, DAV has been dedicated to our mission of service--to build better lives for our nation's disabled veterans and their families. We have steadfastly followed this singular purpose as each successive war...

Higher limits for VA home loan program.(veterans)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Veterans and their families now have a greater chance to make their dreams of home ownership a reality, thanks to an increase in the Department of Veterans Affairs home loan guaranty limit. Effective Jan. 1, changes in the loan guaranty...

New Orleans VA regional office opens in Gretna.(veterans)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Veterans and their survivors in the New Orleans area will have easier access to the many financial benefits offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs with the opening of a temporary regional benefits office in Gretna, La. The temporary...

Traumatic injury payments begin under new VA insurance program.(Department of Veterans Affairs)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... American troops and their families now have more financial security, thanks to the VA's new Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Traumatic Injury Protection program. Prudential Financial, Inc., the insurer under the program, has begun making...

Disabled veterans memorial campaign gains momentum.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Through a major corporate donation and serious matching funds challenge, the Disabled Veterans' LIFE Memorial Foundation picked up steam on its goal to build a prominent place of honor in full view of the U.S. Capitol Building. The Fifth...

Delegate credentials and a great 2006 convention go together.
March 1, 2006... You'll need delegate credentials to represent your Department, Chapter or Auxiliary Unit during the 85th DAV and Auxiliary National Convention in Chicago, Aug. 12-15, so now's the time to start the ball rolling to get yours. "It's...

Holiday cheer ...<.
March 1, 2006... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: First Junior Vice Commander Robert T. Reynolds, second form right, joins Santa Greg Majeski, a member of Chapter 10 in Arlington-Alexandria, Va., and Miss Iowa 2001 Erin Smith, second from left, to bring...

Colorado Trust helps tame the wild West.(DAV Transportation Network)
March 1, 2006... In the days of the Old West, Montana cowboys would drive cattle for hundreds of miles, caring for them every step of the way against harsh weather and nature's dangers. Today, the DAV Transportation Network volunteers travel the state offering...

When it seems there is nowhere left to turn ...(from the AUXILIARY NATIONAL COMMANDER)
March 1, 2006... Wouldn't it be nice if we were all independently wealthy or able to win a lottery and not have to worry about a financial crisis ever threatening our lives? And while it is fun to imagine being wealthy or winning a lottery, we must not forget...

Struggle for equality--past and present.(LOUD & CLEAR)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2006... To my surprise I found on the cover of the January/February DAV Magazine a color picture of a "Red Tail" P-51C, My Buddy, the aircraft of 1st Lt. Charles P. Bailey. Then on the inside, I read the stoW of the B-25 and the Tuskegee Airmen,...

Still serving ...(LOUD & CLEAR)
March 1, 2006... Members of Chapter 6 in Marietta, Ga., prepare to load another shipment of health and comfort items for U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Chapter recently received a warm thank you for a shipment to soldiers of the 101st Airborne...

Survivor visits hospitalized veterans ...
March 1, 2006... Rupert Boneham, second from left, joins Susan Bowers, left, Director of the Rodebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis; Mike Whelihan, third from left, DAV Department of Indiana Adjutant; and Kent Morgan, DAV Chapter 3, Indianapolis, during a...

Combat artists: war through their eyes.
March 1, 2006... For as long as mankind has waged war, the courage and sacrifice of the warriors have been visually depicted by combat artists. From the first civilizations in China, Egypt and Mesopotamia, art depicted the harshness and price of war paid by...

Outreach programs win international awards.(MarCom Creative Award statuettes)
March 1, 2006... Capping off yet another successful year in 2005, the DAV was presented with three MarCom Creative Award statuettes, given to honor excellence and in recognition of the creativity that is the hallmark of our outreach programs. Two of...

Ohio recognizes congressman...(Tim Ryan gest DAV Appreciation Award)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Members of the Department of Ohio and Chapter 11, in Warren, present a DAV Appreciation Award to U.S. Representative Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) for his support of veterans, co-sponsor of H.R. 1218, mandatory funding for the VA, and for signing a pledge...

DAV and Auxiliary float wins ...(Disabled American Veterans)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... State Representative Michael A. Pitts (R-S.C.) presents the first place overall trophy for the Cross Hill, S.C., Labor Day Parade to Kenny Hershman, representing members of DAV Chapter and Auxiliary Unit 52 located in Clinton, S.C.

Veterans' jobs programs lagging.
March 1, 2006... With unemployment rates among veterans expected to climb in the near future, state and federal agencies have improved employment services for veterans but need to do more in the areas of training and accountability, according to a Government...

Fields of honor for American fallen.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Panama and Mexico Not every American interred overseas died in combat during the great World Wars. In Corozal, Republic of Panama, and Mexico City, veterans and citizens of noteworthy sacrifices are interred. Corozal For...

Going the extra mile: supporters of disabled veterans race to make a difference.
March 1, 2006... Somewhere around the 14-mile mark, Tom Ruggia's legs started to give way. He'd passed the halfway point for the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, and he wondered if he'd make it. "As any serviceman or woman knows well, you think about giving...

Gifts for hospitalized veterans ...
March 1, 2006... Students from Ms. Lori Fafard's fourth grade class at Stall Brook Elementary School in Bellingham, Mas., made Christmas brighter for hospitalized veterans at the VA medical center in Brockton. With toiletries and bags supplied by DAV Chapter 5...

Exhibition supports disabled veterans ...
March 1, 2006... Ranked number two in the Women's Professional Billiard Association, Karen Corr demonstrates the winning form and concentration that make her a vying competitor for number one slot in women's professional billiards, during exhibition play to...

Photo for a fan ...
March 1, 2006... Tyler Bushkirk, a billiards fan, gets a photo and an autograph from number two-ranked Women's Professional Billiard Association competitor Karen Corr at exhibition matches to help raise funds to assist disabled veterans in Massachusetts.

Chaplain's corner.
March 1, 2006... Recently I returned to my office in the Chapel at the Palo Alto Health Care System in California after a visit with a recently wounded Iraq spinal cord patient. Our hospital has been designated a polytrauma rehabilitation center (PRC) that...

Budweiser salutes America's heroes ...
March 1, 2006... The famous Budweiser Clydesdale horses parade past hospitalized veterans, active duty military members, hospital staff and visitors at the Jefferson Barracks Division of St. Louis VA Medical Center. The visit was part of Budweiser's "Salute to...

Auxiliary past National Commander Thelma Sites Williamson dies.(Obituary)
March 1, 2006... Thelma Sites Williamson, 90, of Ft. Belvoir, Va., died Monday Nov. 28, 2005. Ms. Williamson served as Auxiliary National Commander for the 1976-77 membership year and later as Auxiliary National Historian. She was also a U.S. Navy veteran,...

For Auxiliary generations ...
March 1, 2006... DAV Auxiliary National Musician Nancy Coulombe, right, a member of Unit 96, Hyannis Mass., enjoys a family picnic with her daughter, Elizabeth Wingert, left; granddaughter, Staphnie Dupras, second from left; and great-granddaughter Alyssa. All...

Deacon Anthony Martino, State VA Voluntary Service Chairperson and Adjutant Chapter 16, North Chicago; and Chapter 16 Commander Gordon "Lenny" Kitson, president DAV appreciation plaques to Shirley Barr, manager, "Country Thunder" music festival, Lawrence Barr, owner, "Country Thunder" music festival.
March 1, 2006... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Deacon Anthony Martino, State VA Voluntary Service Chairperson and Adjutant Chapter 16, North Chicago; and Chapter 16 Commander Gordon "Lenny" Kitson, president DAV appreciation plaques to Shirley Barr,...

For the record ...
March 1, 2006... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: At 114-plus, Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, seated, is the oldest fully authenticated man living in the world and oldest veteran, according to Guinness World Records. A Member of Chapter 21, he is visited, from...