DAV Magazine articles from November 2008

DAV Magazine archives from November 2008

DAV gets Xtreme.(Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation's golf outing)(Disabled American Veterans)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mixed Martial Arts star and veterans advocate Randy Couture invited DAV Past National Commander James E. Sursely and a group of disabled veterans to participate in the Xtreme Couture G.I. Foundation's golf outing at...

A season of thanks: as we enter the holiday months, I wish you and your family all the blessings of the season. As we give thanks for all our blessings, please remember the men and women who are far from home, especially those in Iraq and Afghanistan.(from the NATIONAL COMMANDER)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... It's always difficult to be serving our nation in lonely outposts throughout the world, but it is especially hard during the holidays. Letters, messages and phone calls hardly are a substitute for the joy of being with family in the warmth and...

Shameful legacy: we have been fighting a long, hard battle to finally eliminate the offset of military retirement pay and VA disability compensation. We've come a long way toward achieving that goal.(from the NATIONAL ADJUTANT)(Combat-Related Special Compensation)
November 1, 2008... When Congress passed legislation a few years ago creating the Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) program, it brought a measure of justice to many of our comrades. CRSC allows qualified military retirees with 20 or more years of service...

Types of disabilities don't matter.(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... The comments of newly elected DAV National Commander Raymond Dempsey as reported in the Sept/ Oct 2008 issue of DAV Magazine make me feel, for the first time, like an equal, full-fledged member of the organization. All disabled veterans are...

Volunteer driver ready to roll.(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... I have been very anxious to thank the DAV for an exceedingly warm welcome to me and my traveling companion, George Stanhope, upon our arrival at the DAV National Headquarters. We consider it rewarding and a privilege to drive our fellow...

DAV Magazine bias?(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... Today I received the September/October 2008 issue of DAV Magazine. I read the article entitled "Presidential Hopefuls Address Veterans Issues." I was disappointed by the article. You had a big picture of Sen. John McCain and a small picture of...

Different 'Days of Remembrance'.(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2008... This letter is in response to your excellent article, "Days of Remembrance," in the September/October issue of DAV Magazine. "Days of Remembrance" means something different for German and Italian POWs held in the States than for our POWs held...

DAV rolls in to help after hurricanes.(DAV Service)(Disabled American Veterans)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Across the Atlantic Ocean, menacing storms were lined up and headed for the U.S mainland. The storms, some quickly developing into strong hurricanes were given names--Gustav, Hanna, Ike and Josephine--and evacuations...

Health care funding reform bills introduced.
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Legislation to avoid funding delays that have hampered veterans health care for decades has been introduced in Congress with wide bipartisan support. And while a crowded legislative calendar and the distractions of...

President signs compensation increase.(President George Bush)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... President Bush has signed into law legislation providing a 5.8 percent cost-of-living increase in VA compensation benefits. The measure increases compensation paid to veterans with service-connected disabilities, as well as dependency and...

Spending package boosts veterans funding.
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Veterans programs received a much-needed funding increase for 2009 as part of a spending package lawmakers finalized just days before the new fiscal year began. The $118.9 billion measure provides a full year's...

Pentagon narrows combat-related definition.(Combat Related Special Compensation)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Department of Defense (DoD) has adopted a policy that severely limits the number of injured and disabled servicemembers who would not have to repay their military disability severance pay before they could...

Researchers seeking gulf war veterans.(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... An estimated one-fourth to one-third of veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War developed multi-symptom health problems, with new symptoms often continuing to develop after their deployment. Symptoms vary, but common symptoms include fatigue, muscle...

The Last Doughbay remembers: the great war on Veterans Day.(90th Anniversary of Armistice)
November 1, 2008... Veterans Day is a part of Frank Buckles' personal story. For the last known veteran of World War I, the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month is a reminder of the wartime service and the sacrifice of his fellow Americans. ...

21st century membership recruitment.(DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY: from the NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR)
November 1, 2008... If we want to truly understand how far we've come as members of our organization and a society, we needn't look further than the changes that have taken place since we began. When World War II veterans came home from Europe and the Pacific,...

Vets with ALS eligible for benefits.(veterans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Department of Veterans Affairs has designated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) as a service-connected disease. This change in regulations announced Sept. 23 makes veterans with 90 days or more of continuously...

Mental health care expanded.
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A major win for veterans was registered Sept. 27 when the Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008 was passed by Congress and sent to the President for his signature. The bill (S.2162) has...

VA revamps disability ratings for brain trauma.(Veterans Affairs)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Some veterans with traumatic brain injury (TBI) related to their military service could have their disability ratings increased under new regulations adopted by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The changes are...

Volunteer to make a difference.(from the AUXILIARY NATIONAL COMMANDER)
November 1, 2008... Volunteers are making a difference in the lives of disabled veterans and their families right now, and so can you. By becoming a volunteer you can start making a difference in the lives of disabled veterans and their families now and always....

Landmark court ruling victory for widows of disabled Veterans.(Veterans Law)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Disabled American Veterans hails as a major victory a recent federal court ruling that would restore an estimated $30 million in death benefits wrongly withheld from the surviving spouses of disabled military...

Special Delivery returns home.(Special)
November 1, 2008... The following is a first-hand report from Lynn May and Marvona Welsh of the DAV Fliqht Team When Special Delivery arrived at e Kansas City Aviation Expo & Airshow at Charles B. Wheeler Airport on Aug. 31, the crew was bringing the bomber...

DAV challenge brings memorial closer to reality.(Disabled American Veterans)(American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In an extraordinary show of solidarity at the recently concluded 87th National Convention, a procession of Departments, Chapters, Auxiliary Units, Trench Rat Dugouts and individual DAV members paraded across the dais...

Service dogs: making living more accessible for disabled veterans.
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's been said that dogs are man's best friend. But Tony Larson's dog is much more than that. The black Labrador named Tomme (pronounced Tow-mee) is a needed partner. On Oct. 11, 2005, Larson was driving in a...

NFL outreach program gets a big kickoff.(National Football League )(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... The DAV's National Football League outreach program is rushing downfield to score big for veterans. With 15 teams participating at the very start of the season, players are using DAV's autograph cards when they make public appearances and hand...

Marjorie J. Fleming 2008 Outstanding Auxiliary Member.
November 1, 2008... Marjorie J. Fleming, Auxiliary Unit 42, Willingboro, N.J., has been selected the Outstanding Auxiliary Member of the Year for 2008. She received the highest individual Auxiliary award at the opening session of the DAV and Auxiliary National...

The blind girl.(CHAPLAIN'S CORNER: from the NATIONAL CHAPLAIN)(Brief article)(Column)
November 1, 2008... There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, "If I could only see the world, I will marry you." One day, someone...

Retired NSO Garmon Dies in Virginia.(CHAPLAIN'S CORNER: from the NATIONAL CHAPLAIN)(National Service Officer )(Obituary)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Rickie Lee Garmon, 57, a retired DAV National Service Officer (NSO), died at his home in Haymarket, Va., Aug. 27. Garmon was a life member of DAV Chapter 15 in Manassas. "NSO Rickie Garmon worked for more than 20 "fears on behalf of...

Rich Franklin fights for disabled vets.(Rich Franklin has teamed up with Disabled American Veterans to create Real American Fighters)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As a world class mixed martial artist, Rich Franklin has seen his share of bloody battles. But after meeting wounded veterans at Walter Reed and other military hospitals, the Ultimate Fighting Championship star...

Service director Reese named to VA benefits advisory committee.(Veterans News)(Randy Reese has been selected to serve on a newly formed advisory committee for the Department of Veterans Affairs )(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... National Service Director Randy Reese has been selected to serve on a newly formed advisory committee for the Department of Veterans Affairs to help improve the compensation system, especially recommending ways to update and improve the medical...

VA awards $36 million for homeless programs.(Veterans News)(Department of Veterans Affairs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Community groups in 35 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will create 1,526 beds for homeless veterans this year with the help of $36.7 million in VA grants. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The VA Grant and Per Diem program funds...

VA suicide prevention hotline.(Veterans News)(Department of Veterans Affairs)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Veterans and other residents of metropolitan Washington, D.C., have begun seeing outreach advertisements on buses and inside subway cars about the VA's suicide prevention hotline. The red-white-and-blue displays, the centerpiece of a new...

Bringing joy to hospitalized veterans.(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Throughout the year, the DAV's Celebrity Entertainment program brings joy to veterans at VA medical centers throughout the country. Working with professional athletes, the program encourages sports teams to visit...

The USS Utah: the other hull resting at pearl harbor ...(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The enormous task of rebuilding Pearl Harbor began immediately after the attack on December 7, 1941. The USS Nevada, California, West Virginia and Oglala, all sunken, were refloted and returned to active fleet...

Past auxiliary commander Barbara Hicks dies.(Obituary)(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Auxiliary Past National Commander Barbara L. Hicks, 70, died at her home in Millington, Tenn., Aug. 19. "Barbara was a deeply committed and dedicated woman who led our Auxiliary with empathy and compassion," Auxiliary National Adjutant Judy...

Remembering Pearl Harbor ...(Brief article)
November 1, 2008... Pearl Harbor, August 1942, at left, the hull of the USS Utah lies astern of the "Baby Flattop" USS Long Island, center, and the attack carrier USS Hornet, right. The Hornet (of Doolittle fame) was sunk by Japanese aircraft at the Battle of...