1. Shinseki To Attend Senate Budget Hearing Today. Near the end of "Today At A Glance", CQ (2/26) notes that on Friday, at 9:30 a.m. in 418 Russell, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee is scheduled to hold a "hearing on the fiscal 2011 budget for the Veterans Affairs Department, with Secretary Eric Shinseki."
2. VA Preparing To
Similar coverage appears as the lone item in "Nation And World Briefs" for the Denver Post (2/26, 282K), the second item in "Briefing" for the St. Paul (MN) Pioneer-Press (2/26), as the second item in "Nation Briefs" for the Sarasota (FL) Herald Tribune (2/26, A3, 100K), and as the third item in "Nation/World Briefs" for the Detroit News (2/26, 168K). WPTV-TV
3.
4. Baker To Congress: PMAS Saved VA $54 Million. In continuing coverage, the Federal News Radio (2/25, Miller) website reported, "The Veterans Affairs Department estimates it has avoided paying $54 million dollars on the 45 major technology projects it stopped in July." Roger Baker, VA's "assistant secretary for information and technology and chief information officer, told the House Veterans Affairs Committee Tuesday that Program Management Accountability System (PMAS) tool is part of the changes the agency is making to how it manages and uses its $3.3 billion technology budget." Committee members, however, "spent little time asking about PMAS," expressing more interest in "cybersecurity and veterans benefits management programs."
CIO's Sense Of Humor Noted. In its "Circuit" blog, Federal Computer Week (2/26, 90K) says Baker "managed to keep his sense of humor throughout" throughout a "busy schedule this week," one which involved "talking about the 2011 budget request and VA program updates at two breakfast events, in testimony on the Hill and in a conference call with reporters." By way of example, Federal Compute Week notes that when "Baker hit the phones with the news media on Feb. 24 to publicize the VA's program management approach to troubleshoot IT programs," he likened the situation to walking through an alligator-filled swamp.
5. For Soldiers, Single Motherhood Becomes Another Battlefield. In a Washington Post (2/26, 684K) op-ed, Mary Eberstadt, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, says that while official
6. Military Spouses Outraged By Suspension Of Education Grant Program. The AP (2/26, Bynum) says the response from US military spouses "was so heavy" when the "government started offering them grants last year of up to $6,000 for college or career training," it "nearly busted the fledgling program's budget, prompting the Defense Department to suspend it abruptly last week." After noting that the suspension "has triggered outrage" from military spouses, the AP reports DOD "has suggested military spouses consider alternatives to paying for college - such as the new GI Bill, a benefit service members can now transfer to their spouses and children. However, spouses said they don't like that option," in part because they do not want to take the benefit away from their husbands or wives, or because they want to save it for their children.
7.
VA Commits Housing Vouchers To Vets Found Dur ing Homeless Survey. The Charlotte (NC) Observer (2/25, Price, 199K) noted that one of the "nation's most ambitious homeless surveys has been launched this week in Charlotte -- not just to count them, but to determine who they are, where they came from, and if they're at risk of dying on the streets." The "Urban Ministry Center and the Charlotte Housing Authority are coordinating the...survey, which is patterned after similar efforts in 21 other major cities," including Denver, Colorado, where, according to Becky Kanis of Common Ground, a "New York-based organization that crafted the survey guidelines," VA "committed housing vouchers for every homeless veteran...found" during the survey. The Winston-Salem (NC) Journal (2/25) ran a shortened version of this story.
8. US-Mexico Border Providing
9. Bill Would Protect Survivors Of Soldiers Killed In
10.
11. Nation's Last WWI Vet Is Now 109 And Counting. In his Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch (2/26, 164K) column, Bill Lohmann notes, "More than 4 million Americans served in some way during" World War I, but 109-year-old West Virginia Frank Buckles, "according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, is the last still living. Last week,
12. Vet Who Misinterpreted
13. Architect Who Designed National
14. Feingold Honored By
15. VA Reps To Speak At Conference On Returning Veterans. The Whittier (CA) Daily News (2/26, Markus, 14K) reports, "Veterans from the ongoing wars in
16. White House: Stimulus Funds Targeted Upgrades At VA Hospital. In a story noting that "Delta College's public broadcasting Web site has posted video of Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the campus last week," the Saginaw (MI) News (2/26, Engel, 37K) reports, "Biden's stop was part of a coordinated pitch the Obama administration pushed throughout the nation to highlight the federal economic stimulus package." According to the News, the "White House claimed
17. Officials Enthusiastic About Potential Of New VA Clinic In
18. Program Based Out Of VA Hospital Bringing Earthquake Victims To
19. Lawmaker Encouraged By VA Evaluation Of
20. Parking Garage Under Construction At VA Hospital. In a front page story Albany (NY) Times-Union (2/26, A1,
21. VA Hospital To Distribute Gun Locks. On its website, WKBT-TV
22. VA Partnering With Charity On Apartment For Families In Medical Crisis. The Murfreesboro (TN) Daily News Journal (2/26,
23. 92-Acre Compromise For
24. Seeking The Best. The Killeen (TX) Daily Herald (2/25, Stairrett, 19K) noted that on Wednesday, The Old Guard, the US Army's "oldest active infantry regiment," was in Fort Hood, Texas, "to look for future members."
25. Arnold Hall One Step Closer To National Historic Register. The Lee's Summit (MO) Journal (2/26) notes that last week, the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation "unanimously recommended Arnold Hall be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, making it potentially eligible for state and federal historic preservation tax credits." The Journal points out that prior to the construction of Arnold Hall, the site on which it is situated contained a building that was "donated to the American Legion in 1919 as a memorial to those who lost their lives in World War I."
26. Honor Flight
27. Funding Needed For
28. WWII Vet Finally Gets Bronze Star For His Part In 1945 Arrest Of Japanese leader. The Washington Post (2/26, B2, Langer, 684K).
29. Port St. Lucie Woman Learns Details Of Dad's Heroism In WWII. The Stuart, Florida-based Treasure Coast Palm (2/26, Cranksahw).
30. Friends, Musicians Honor Victims Of 1960 Navy Band Crash. The Washington Post (2/26, Ruane, 684K).
31. James Joseph Corr, 82, Engineering Pioneer. In an obituary, the Philadelphia Inquirer (2/26, Vargas, 326K) notes the recent passing of World War II vet James Joseph Corr.
32. German Officer Who Defied Orders Dies In
33. 63-Year-Old Prepares For Cross-Country Bike Ride. In a story noting that a "63-year-old Logan Square resident" named Kathy Kirby is preparing "for a cross-country cycling tour that begins next week," the Chicago Tribune (2/26, Sheridan, 534K) says Kirby is "heartened by the support and encouragement of family and friends such as Bill Banfield, a classmate from Kirby's hometown of Ithaca, NY, who is also cross-country cycling enthusiast." Banfield is a "businessman and
34. On the Hill for February 26, 2010:
The House is expected to pass an intelligence authorization bill.
The Senate reconvenes at 9:30 a.m. and proceeds to a period of morning business. No roll call votes are expected.
House: Convenes 9 a.m.
Subject to a rule:
HR 2701 — Intelligence authorization
Postponed Suspension:
H Con Res 238 — Black veterans
Senate: Convenes 9:30 a.m.
No roll call votes expected.
Markup
House Oversight and Government Reform marks up bills on federal file-sharing security ( HR 4098 ), contractors’ tax status ( HR572 ) and simplifying government document language ( HR 946 ). 10 a.m., 2154 Rayburn
Hearing Highlights
House Financial Services and House Small Business joint hearing on lending programs for small businesses. 9 a.m., 2128 Rayburn
Senate Veterans’ Affairs hearing on the fiscal 2011 budget for the Veterans Affairs Department, with Secretary Eric Shinseki . 9:30 a.m., 418 Russell
Senate Judiciary hearing on Justice Department memos on the treatment of detainees in the George W. Bush administration. 10 a.m., 226 Dirksen
Joint Economic hearing on policies to create jobs. 10:30 a.m., 216 Hart
35. Today in History:
- 1266 – Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and Sicilian force led by King Manfred of Sicily. Manfred is killed in the battle and Pope Clement IV invests Charles as king of Sicily and Naples.
- 1658 – Treaty of Roskilde: After a devastating defeat in the Northern Wars (1655–1661), the King of Denmark-Norway is forced to give up nearly half his territory to Sweden to save the rest.
- 1794 – Christiansborg Palace, Copenhagen burns down.
- 1815 – Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from Elba.
- 1848 – The Second French Republic is proclaimed.
- 1863 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the National Currency Act into law.
- 1870 – In New York City, a demonstration of the first pneumatic subway opens to the public.
- 1885 – The Berlin Act, which resulted from the Berlin Conference regulating European colonization and trade in
- 1914 – HMHS Britannic, sister to the RMS Titanic, is launched at Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast.
- 1917 – The Original Dixieland Jass Band records the first ever jazz record for the Victor Talking Machine Company in
- 1919 – An act of the U.S. Congress establishes most of the Grand Canyon as a United States National Park (see Grand Canyon National Park).
- 1935 – The Luftwaffe is re-formed.
- 1935 – The Daventry Experiment, Robert Watson-Watt carries out a demonstration near Daventry which leads directly to the development of RADAR in the United Kingdom.
- 1936 – In the February 26 Incident, young Japanese military officers attempt to stage a coup against the government.
- 1952 – British Prime Minister Winston Churchill announces that his nation has an atomic bomb.
- 1966 – Apollo Program: Launch of AS-201, the first flight of the Saturn IB rocket
- 1970 – National Public Radio incorporates as a non-profit corporation.
- 1971 – U.N. Secretary General U Thant signs United Nations proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day.
- 1984 –
- 1986 – People Power Revolution in the Philippines.
- 1987 – Iran-Contra affair: The Tower Commission rebukes President Ronald Reagan for not controlling his national security staff.
- 1990 – The Sandinistas are defeated in Nicaraguan elections.
- 1991 – Gulf War: On Baghdad Radio Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein announces the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from Kuwait.
- 1993 – World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a truck bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center explodes, killing 6 and injuring over a thousand.
- 1995 – The United Kingdom's oldest investment banking institute, Barings Bank, collapses after a securities broker, Nick Leeson, loses $1.4 billion by speculating on the Singapore International Monetary Exchange using futures contracts.
- 2001 – The Taliban destroys two giant statues of Buddha in Bamyan, Afghanistan.
- 2003 – Generally said to be the starting date of the War in Darfur.
- 2004 – The United States lifts a ban on travel to Libya, ending travel restrictions to the nation that had lasted for 23 years.
- 2004 – Republic of Macedonia President Boris Trajkovski is killed in a plane crash near Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- 2005 – Hosni Mubarak, the president of Egypt, orders the constitution changed to allow multi-candidate presidential elections before September 2005 by asking Egyptian parliament to amend Article 76.
February 26, 2010
"There is only one acceptable standard of care for our veterans, and that is the best." ~ Congressman Randy Forbes ~ WASHINGTON REPORT Congress Must Still Act to Preserve Medicare/TRICARE Access Just three days remain before the temporary moratorium on a 21.2 percent Medicare and TRICARE reimbursement rate cut expires, but lawmakers hope to extend it for at least another 30 days. Congress was expected to address the issue early today, but it is unclear if it will finish in time to stop the March 1 cut. If not, a retroactive fix would become necessary. We cannot stress enough the harmful impact these cuts would have on accessibility to care for beneficiaries if they are allowed to occur. Doctors would be less likely to accept new Medicare or TRICARE for Life patients and some are likely to drop existing patients from these two programs altogether. For these individuals, TRICARE would become a hollow benefit, a promise unrealized. Fixing this issue, both near and long-term must be a top priority for Congress. We know many of you agree and we ask you to let your elected officials know. You can do this through our CapWiz alert system but please don’t hesitate. We need to fix this issue before it smashes earned healthcare benefits. Ban On Exports Of Night-Vision Goggles Lifted The US State Department has lifted a ban on exports of night-vision equipment imposed in 2007 on a U.S. company caught selling sensitive defense articles to China and other countries without a license. You might ask what is the significance of this? One advantage US Forces have is their almost total freedom to conduct night operations anywhere in the world due to the superior night-vision technology for military-grade goggles, monoculars and gun sights capable of seeing through darkness. “We own the night” is a common _expression_ by military leaders. A bi-partisan effort by two key U.S. Senators who wrote to Gen. James L. Jones, the White House national security adviser, warns that the Obama administration's plan to loosen controls on exports of sensitive goods and technology could undermine national security. Regarding the bipartisan letter from Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI), who generally hold opposite political views on other issues, a Senate aide said the letter is a sign of congressional concerns over plans by the White House to loosen export controls. NAUS firmly agrees with the Senators who write, " … the first priority of evaluating the export control regime must be our national security." Being in harm’s way is tough enough without handing over technology that hazards America’s advantage on the battlefield. DoD Showing Budget Strains This week DoD gave notice that two programs, the Freedom Team Salute (FTS) and Military Spouse Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) were being terminated at least temporarily. The Defense Department stopped the program February 9 and shuts it down Sunday. Since its beginnings, the program has recognized and honored the services of more than 2.3 million parents, spouses, employers, supporters and Army veterans. According to reports, the Army’s close of FTS comes due to multiple competing missions and demands on resources. The MyCAA program provides military spouses with opportunities to pursue portable careers in high-demand, high-growth occupations through training programs, job readiness counseling, and employment assistance. While originally announcing the program was ending, on Thursday they clarified what is happening. "For those of you who have currently approved financial account documents, your documents will be honored," said Tommy T. Thomas, deputy undersecretary of defense for the Pentagon's office of military community and family policy. "We encourage those spouses who were in the process of developing their career plans to continue to do so." The halt, announced February 18, came as a result of an unprecedented six-fold spike in enrollments during January. Since the program launch in March 2009, more than 136,000 military spouses have applied for the MyCAA program. Currently, 98,000 are enrolled in courses or have been approved for tuition assistance. NAUS Note: Only five months into the FY 2010 and already DoD is experiencing budgetary problems and cutting programs. How bad will things be in several more months? Defense Budget Hearings Begin This week the preliminary hearings on Defense spending began with the Service Secretaries and Chiefs making their initial presentations. As expected a major concern from all was the amount of shortfalls all services have in re-tooling their forces. An example was the Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway who said although his troops that are deployed have all the equipment they need, he would be hard pressed to deploy any more as some of his stateside units are equipped as low as a 50 percent level. NAUS will continue to monitor the Budget proceedings and let you know the developments. NAUS continues to stress that readiness is essential to our Armed Forces and if more money is needed to achieve a high readiness level it must be provided. Congress Expresses Concern Over New Walter Reed Medical Center The Chairman of House Subcommittee on Readiness Solomon Ortiz (D-TX) and Ranking Member Randy Forbes (R-VA) and Chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Military Personnel Susan Davis (D-CA) and Ranking Member Joe Wilson (R-SC) recently wrote Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn to express concern about current plans for developing a world-class facility at Bethesda. The letter questions whether the new facility will have the health care and support capabilities now available at Walter Reed. NAUS shares the concern about closing Walter Reed prematurely. In testimony over the past two years, NAUS agrees completely that the care of our wounded warriors needs to take first precedence over the timetable of the BRAC process. Since the BRAC plan to close the current Walter Reed hospital and build two new ones, NAUS has continually worked to ensure that Walter Reed remains open, fully operational and fully functional, until the planned facilities at Bethesda or Ft. Belvoir are in place and ready to give appropriate care and treatment to the men and women wounded in armed service. Our wounded warriors deserve our nation’s best, most compassionate healthcare and quality treatment system. They earned it the hard way. And with application of the proper resources, we know the nation will continue to hold the well-being of soldiers and their families as our number one priority. Alexander Haig Dies at 85 Former Secretary of State Alexander Haig, a retired four-star Army general who advised three presidents, died Saturday at age 85 of complications from an infection. Gen. Haig was a prominent figure in American politics for more than a decade, particularly as a top adviser to President Richard M. Nixon and as the first secretary of state for President Ronald Reagan. Involved in several controversies during his tenure in the White House and as Secretary of State, there was never any doubt that Gen. Haig was a true American Patriot who loved his country. NAUS offers our sincere condolences to his family and friends. HEALTH CARE NEWS inTransition Now Available for Service Members Receiving Mental Health Treatment TMA Press Release – The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Health Protection and Readiness announced February 24 the kick-off of inTransition, a new program designed to offer service members currently receiving mental health treatment a bridge of support between health care providers when they transfer to a new location or separate from active service. Service members or referring mental health providers may access the program by calling (800) 424-7877, in the United States including Alaska and Hawaii; or (800) 424-4685 outside the United States. Individuals outside the U.S. may also call collect 1 (314) 387-4700. Once contact is made, the service member is assigned a Transition Support Coach. These coaches are licensed, master’s-level behavioral health clinicians specially trained and skilled in understanding today’s military culture. They understand and respect the importance of service member privacy, and provide one-on-one coaching with the service member via telephone until the transition to the new mental health provider is complete. ACTIVE DUTY NEWS Women Sailors to Serve Aboard Submarines Last Friday, Defense Secretary Gates notified Congress of DoD intent to allow women sailors to join crews of submarines for all deployments. After the 30-day notification period required by law, the Navy can start integrating crews into the service’s more than 70 submarines. Navy officials said that women officers would probably be the first assigned to the boats as there are nuclear trained female officers serving in the surface fleet and officers have their own staterooms which would potentially answer concerns about privacy. Deploying enlisted female sailors will probably take awhile longer in order to make satisfactory sleeping arrangements and allow reconfigurations of subs as they become available. New Marine E-mail Policy In an attempt to cut down on the number of annoying emails, a new Marine Corps policy prohibits forwarding chain emails. If a Marine Corps network user receives a chain email and passes it on, he is in violation of the order. Violators will lose their network privileges and must complete a new Systems Authorization Access Request Form before they can have access restored to their network account. The user will also be required to complete the Department of Defense Information Assurance Awareness online training, the Personally Identifiable Information training class, the Phishing Awareness training and the Personal Electronic Device and Removable Media Storage training. So if you want to keep your access without the hassles of having to reapply, don’t forward those emails! VETERANS NEWS Post 9/11 GI Bill Updates – VA Press Release This week the VA announced that the Education Call Center, which had been closed on Thursdays and Fridays over the past two months, is again operating five days a week By temporarily reassigning call center employees on Thursdays and Fridays to process Post-9/11 GI Bill claims, VA was able to complete a significant number of education claims from mid-December through mid-February. As of mid-February, VA’s capacity to process Post-9/11 GI bill claims jumped from an average of 2,000 a day in August 2009 to 7,000 a day. Since inception of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, VA has issued nearly $1.9 billion in education benefit payments and opened the door to higher education for 209,490 individuals. As of February 12, VA received spring semester Post-9/11 GI Bill enrollments from approximately 180,000 student veterans and already paid nearly 90 percent of them. All Post-9/11 GI Bill participants whose spring enrollments were received by January 18 have been paid. VA to Re-examine Gulf War I Claims The VA has announced that it will re-examine the disability claims of what could be thousands of Gulf War veterans suffering from ailments they blame on their war service, the first step toward potentially compensating them after nearly two decades. Secretary Eric Shinseki said the decision is part of a "fresh, bold look" VA is taking to help veterans who have what's commonly called "Gulf War illness." The VA says it also plans to improve training for medical staff who work with Gulf War vets, to make sure they do not simply tell vets that their symptoms are imaginary—as has happened to many over the years. The changes reflect a significant shift in how the VA may ultimately care for some 700,000 veterans who served in the Gulf War. It also could change how the department handles war-related illness suffered by future veterans. The Secretary is determined to establish standards that don't leave veterans waiting decades for answers to what ails them. The decision comes four months after Shinseki opened the door for as many as 200,000 Vietnam veterans to receive service-related compensation for three illnesses stemming from exposure to the Agent Orange herbicide. A law enacted in 1994 allows the VA to pay compensation to Gulf War veterans with certain chronic disabilities from illnesses the VA could not diagnosis. More than 3,400 Gulf War have qualified for benefits under this category, according to the VA. The VA says it plans to review how regulations were written to ensure the veterans received the compensation they were entitled to under the law. The VA would then give veterans the opportunity to have a rejected claim reconsidered. The VA doesn't have an estimate of the number of veterans who may be affected, but it could be in the thousands. NAUS Note: We welcome the decision to review Gulf War cases for veterans who are still suffering from unknown causes and note the additional caseload this will add to an already high backlog of cases. Electronic Afterburner Available The latest electronic version of the Air Force retiree newsletter the e-Afterburner is now available at the e-Afterburner website. National Resource Directory The Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, and Labor re-launched a new and improved Web site for our wounded warriors this week -- the National Resource Directory (NRD). This directory provides access to thousands of services and resources at the national, State and local levels to support recovery, rehabilitation and community reintegration. The NRD is a comprehensive online tool available nationwide for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans and their families. It includes extensive information for veterans seeking resources on VA benefits, including disability benefits, pensions for veterans and their families, VA healthcare insurance and the GI Bill. Other features include a fast, accurate search engine; a “bookmark and share” capability that allows NRD users to spread the word about valuable resources on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites. Call Out for Veterans Day National Poster Nominations Do you have an idea for a national Veterans Day poster? If so, the Veterans Day National Committee wants to hear from you. The committee is seeking submissions for the 2010 national Veterans Day poster. A selection committee will convene in May 2010 to review submissions and select a finalist. The final poster must be 18x24” at 300 dots per inch, but please scale down submissions to 9x12” and submit electronic versions as jpg images or PDF files via email. Alternatively, send copies of artwork or a CD with artwork files to: Department of Veterans Affairs (002C), 810 Vermont Ave., NW, Washington, D.C., 20420. Please do not send originals. The deadline for submissions is May 1, 2010. To view Veterans Day posters from previous years, please visit VA’s Veterans Day Website and click on “Poster Gallery.” NAUS NEWS Retiree Activity Days Your NAUS staff is looking forward to the approach of Retiree Activity Day (RAD) appearances. NAUS President MG Bill Matz is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Fresno, California, Military Retiree Council RAD in Clovis, CA, on March 20. Veterans Benefits Advisor Mike Plumer will be the keynote speaker at the Ft. Wainwright, Alaska, RAD on March 27. And on April 10 Senior Legislative Assistant Morgan Brown and Chapter Director Jack Chiemelewski will be at the Dover, AFB RAD. We will pass more info on these and other upcoming RADs in future Weekly Updates. Start making plans now to attend a RAD near you.
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Comments about this edition of the NAUS
Weekly Update?
From: VA Media Relations, Kevin Secor
Sent: Friday, February 26, 2010 11:00 AM
Subj: VA Awards $41 Million for
State-of-Art “
WASHINGTON (Feb. 26, 2010) – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced the award of two contracts totaling $41.5 million to create a “polytrauma center” that cares for the most severely injured Veterans and to improve the existing wards at the Audie L. Murphy VA Medical Center.
“A top priority for VA is providing greater access to VA’s health care system and higher quality of care for the nation’s Veterans,” Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said. “
One contract announced by Secretary Shinseki provides $37.2 million to Robins and Morton of Birmingham, Ala. The contract calls for construction of a three-story, 84,000-square foot “polytrauma center.” It would include physical medicine, rehabilitation services, prosthetics service and research.
“Polytrauma” refers to health care for Veterans who have more than one severe, life-threatening medical problem. Many of VA’s polytrauma patients are recent combat Veterans injured by roadside bombs and other explosives in
A second contract, valued at $4.3 million, went to Strategic Perspectives Development of San Antonio. It provides for upgrades and expansion to ward 4-A, including electrical work, utilities, fire alarm and fire protection systems, telephone and data systems, and asbestos abatement.
Last year, VA spent more than $7.8 billion in
To: Wayne Gatewood, Jr
Subj: Alert - "challenged america" - Blind Vet
News Alert for: "challenged america" - Urban Miyares
|
Blind ambition: Disability can't stop local man from living ... Miyares is the president and co-founder of Challenged America, ... A documentary on Challenged America was featured on A&E and nominated for an Emmy. ... ------------------------------------------- Godspeed all.............Wayne Gatewood, USMC, Ret |
The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their Nation." - George Washington