DAV Magazine articles from March 2007

DAV Magazine archives from March 2007

A matter of choice.(from the NATIONAL COMMANDER)
March 1, 2007... The debate over legislation allowing lawyers to charge veterans a fee for helping with their disability compensation claims isn't over, even though it was passed in the last Congress. In fact, some lawmakers are vowing to have the provision...

Veteran's priorities.(from the NATIONAL ADJUTANT)
March 1, 2007... In the months ahead, we should have a clearer picture of what to expect from the 110th Congress in addressing the issues important to disabled veterans and their families. But there are hopeful signs--from the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs...

Rules stifle retirees.(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2007... I was very interested in the recent DAV Magazine article on "Lump Sum: Buy-Out or Sell-out?" Also, I was intrigued by the letter from Mary. J. Curtis of Tacoma, Washington, on the benefits of Social Security and federal retirement. I have felt...

Thank you, DAV.(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2007... As a disabled Marine Corps veteran, I want to thank the DAV for all it has done for me. I was medically discharged in 1975, due to a back injury. I was awarded 10 percent disability at the time. Over the years, as my back condition worsened, I...

DAV volunteers earn praise.(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2007... I am 88 years old and have been active in veterans' clubs since 1946. In that time, I have not been active in the DAV, although I do have a life membership. I have been a patient in the Oncology Clinic at the VA Medical Center in Louisville,...

Keep up the fight.(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2007... I would like to commend National Legislative Director Joe Violante for his article, "Working with Congress," published in the January/February DAV Magazine. In the article, he said that some of the major objectives our organization will pursue...

Taking care of their own: marines support wounded warriors.
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Marines pride themselves on never leaving a comrade behind. But when one is seriously injured in Iraq or Afghanistan, chances are that Marine will be separated from his or her squad and platoon and be sent out of the...

Honoring the brave: Navy corpsman Louis E. Fonseca.
March 1, 2007... The ground war in Iraq had just begun. And miles away, Army Pfc. Jessica Dawn Lynch had been taken captive by the enemy. While the "heroic" circumstances surrounding Private Lynch's capture and subsequent rescue would later prove...

Funding shortages hamper VA health care.(Legislative Update)
March 1, 2007... It's almost like watching a glass fall to the floor in slow motion," National Legislative Director Joseph A. Violante said about problems with the VA's budget. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Chronic under-funding and delays in completing the...

Akaka, Filner chair veterans' panels.(Daniel K. Akaka, Larry Craig, Committee on Veterans' Affairs)
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) has assumed the chairmanship on the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs in the 110th Congress. He succeeds Republican Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho. Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.) has been...

VA programs help veterans fight obesity and improve health.(Move!)(Veterans Affairs)
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A nationwide effort is underway to encourage veterans to adapt and maintain healthy diets and to exercise regularly. The VA says more than 30,000 veterans are taking part in its Healthier US Veterans program...

Showcasing veterans' histories.("Show Me" State)
March 1, 2007... A seed of an idea planted during the 2003 DAV National Convention has blossomed into a $1 million program in Missouri to honor the service and sacrifice of our nation's veterans, especially the World War II generation. With the support of...

Service needed, service delivered.(DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY)
March 1, 2007... Thanks to the generosity of a $1 million pledge from the Harley-Davidson Foundation announced last August, our Mobile Service Offices (MSOs) will be visiting Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealerships across America to offer our services to the...

One student's view: the Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship.(Philip Nodhturft)(Viewpoint essay)
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I have a special spot in my heart for veterans who have diligently served our country. They are our true heroes. For that reason, I chose the Tampa VA nursing home to do my volunteer work." Those were the words of...

Membership: recognizing the sacrifices of our veterans, recognizing the sacrifices of our entire families.(From the DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS AUXILIARY)
March 1, 2007... Kentucky National Guard Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester's heroic deeds during an enemy ambush in Iraq on March 20, 2005, would later earn her the Silver Star. Army Reserve Maj. Tammy Duckworth lost both of her legs when the Black Hawk helicopter she...

Brighten everyone's day, be a volunteer.(from the AUXILIARY NATIONAL COMMANDER)
March 1, 2007... I recently had the opportunity to visit several Marines with different types of injuries at Bethesda Naval Medical Center. All, except one new arrival, had their mothers with them. One young man took lily hand and pulled me close to him...

Wheelin' sportsmen: DAV takes disabled veterans outdoors.(Department of Veterans Affairs)
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When Past National Commander Dennis Joyner returned from Vietnam in 1989, he still wanted to enjoy all the sports he'd loved before he enlisted in the Army. An avid athlete and hunter, the desire to compete and be in...

VA improves services for blinded, low-vision veterans.(Department of Veterans Affairs)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] More than a million visually impaired veterans will receive enhanced health care under a reorganization of the VA's vision rehabilitation services. Some $40 million will be available during the next three years...

Don't leave home without your delegate credentials.
March 1, 2007... You'll need delegate credentials to represent your Department, Chapter or Auxiliary Unit during the 86th National Convention in New Orleans, La., Aug. 11-14, so don't leave home without yours. "It's important for all DAV and Auxiliary...

Colorado trusts keeps transportation network rolling.
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Each day Transportation Network weave their way through the bustling traffic of our nation's cities and towns or glide down the open roads of rural America. Their scheduled routes are set by 181 Hospital Service...

National commander, national adjutant help dedicate new rehab center.(Bradley S. Barton, Arthur H. Wilson, Center for the Intrepid)
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] National Commander Bradley S. Barton and National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson were among the dignitaries at the Jan. 29 dedication of the $50 million Center for the Intrepid and two new Fisher Houses at Brooke Army...

The wounded warriors: Pfc. Adam Turner.(PROFILES)
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Private First Class Adam Turner carefully embraced his mother, Jo, and stepfather, Brian Larsen. Their reunion came sooner than expected. Scant weeks before, Turner was manning a gun on the turret of a Humvee in...

Lance Cpl. Matthew Fitzpatrick.(PROFILES)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Lance Cpl. Matthew Fitzpatrick's arms are covered with tattoos. The Portland, Maine, native has a permanent dip of smokeless tobacco in his lip and a ready joke or jibe for his fellow Marines. He enlisted in the Marine Corps as an infantryman...

Lance Cpl. Chris Borland.(PROFILES)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Like many Marines at the barracks, Lance Cpl. Chris Borland has a tattoo on his arm. It says "Chase Edwards, Not Forgotten, 4/6/06." It's the name of his best friend. "It was just me and my driver in the vehicle. We were doing a raid and...

Adapted housing grants expanded, more flexible.
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Disabled veterans who have not exceeded the limit of their Specially Adapted Housing grant can now use it on multiple residences, thanks to changes to the law enacted last summer. The new law established a...

VA health care outscores private sector for 7th year.(Department of Veterans Affairs)
March 1, 2007... For the seventh straight year, the Department of Veterans Affairs has earned higher marks for medical services than the private health care industry in a nationwide survey of customer satisfaction. "The VA provides world-class care for our...

PTSD linked to heart disease, other illnesses.(post-traumatic stress disorder)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... A new study of veterans from World War U and Korea suggests that vets with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder are at greater risk of heart attacks as they get older. The new study funded by the National Institutes of Health and the...

Better access to military records speeds claims.(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... A Government Accountability Office report concludes that veterans' disability benefits claims could be processed faster if the Department of Veterans Affairs had better access to military records. The report cites as an example the...

Gulf War illness benefits extended.(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War who have disabilities from undiagnosed illnesses will continue to qualify for VA benefits and health care until Dec. 31, 2011, according to a notice in the Federal Register. Initially, undiagnosed...

Calling muster for Pearl Harbor stories.
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Charles Baggarley can still remember the USS Nevada steaming away from Battleship Row, its guns blazing as bombs and torpedoes rained down on the battleship. Elmer W. Smith vividly recalls seeing the USS Oklahoma...

Veterans Day in Birmingham ...(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Auxiliary National Commander Donna M. Tanner chats with retired Army Lt. General Hal Moore. The two were guests at the 59th Annual National Veterans Day in Birmingham, Ala. General Moore was also in attendance to receive the National Veterans...

Winning driver displays DAV logo.(Mark Dobmeier, Disabled American Veterans)
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In high school, Mark Dobmeier was a "C" student. His dad was certain Mark could do better. The younger Dobmeier already had a lot going for him. He had inherited good looks from his mother and a competitive spirit...

Pass it on.(Chaplain's Corner)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... March is a wonderful month. There is still time in these New Hampshire hills for winter fun, yet spring is just around the corner and the cold will soon turn to warm, comfortable days. There is a special sense of hope and renewal that hits us...

DAV Auxiliary Past National Commander Pauline Wright dies.(Chaplain's Corner)(Disabled American Veterans)(Obituary)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Pauline Wright, 93, the oldest surviving Auxiliary Past National Commander, died Dec. 20, 2006, in Wheat Ridge, Colo. Wright was born in Holliday, Mo., on April 5, 1913. She was elected Auxiliary National Commander for the 1970-71...

Reunions.
March 1, 2007... Because of increasing number of requests and the space limitations of our magazine, we must limit publications of unit reunions to one time only. Send such notices at least six months in advance to: Reunions, DAV Magazine, P.O. Box 14301,...

Inquiries.
March 1, 2007... This Column is for inquiries submitted to DAV members and other interested persons attempting to locate persons to substantiate a claim for service-connected injuries. Your request will be processed through various means in an effort to find...

Distinguished veteran ...(Able Abraham)(Brief article)(Photograph)
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Unit 53, Arnold, Pa., recently hosted an event featuring retired Army Master Sgt. Able Abraham as a speaker. Abraham, left, with Unit Commander Wanda Buhl, is an accomplished author who has written about the Bataan...

Panchito visits navy test pilot school.
March 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What can a 60-year-old World War II bomber teach modern Navy test pilots? The answer is a lot--especially when the B-25 in question is the DAV-sponsored Panchito. Recently, Panchito visited the U.S. Naval Test Pilot...

2007 DAV Air Show Outreach Program event schedule.(Table)(Calendar)
March 1, 2007... 2007 DAV Air Show Outreach Program Event Schedule EVENT NAME EVENT LOCATION DATES B-25 AirPower Over Hampton Roads Lanyley AFB, VA April 27-29 PAN MCAS Cherry Point Diamond MCAS Cherry...