1.      Obama To Award Afghanistan Vet Medal Of Honor. In continuing coverage, NBC Nightly News (11/15, story 4, 2:10, Williams, 8.37M) broadcast that at the White House on Tuesday, "President Obama will award the nation's highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, to Army Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta," for what Guinta did during a "battle in the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan." While this is the "first time since the Vietnam War that a living recipient will receive the medal for his actions in a war still being fought on foreign soil," Guinta has "insisted his medal belongs to others, especially his two comrades who did not survive" the battle. The CBS Evening News (11/15, story 7, 3:25, Couric, 6.1M) aired a similar report, while the current issue of the Army Times (11/22, 104K) publishes a similar story. Meanwhile, in his "Main Street" column for the Wall Street Journal (11/16, 2.09M), William McGurn says he hopes people will not be too busy to take note of Tuesday's medal ceremony, when a US soldier will be held up as an example for all Americans to follow.
     Army: Over 867,000 Medals Have Been Awarded For Two Current Wars. A separate story in the current issue of the Army Times (11/22, Tice, 104K) reports, "Award and decoration medals for soldiers who have served, or are serving, in Iraq and Afghanistan, topped 867,000 through fiscal 2010, according to the Army's" most recent "medal count for the war on terrorism."

2.      Shinseki Speaks At Groundbreaking For Disabled Vets Memorial. In a story submitted by Norris W. Preston, a past national vice commander of The American Legion, the Moberly (MO) Monitor-Index (11/16, 5K) reports, "On November 10th, the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial broke ground at its planned site, on 2.4 acres near" the US Botanic Garden "and the Capitol. The Department of Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki was the speaker, as well as representatives of the memorial's foundation." The Monitor-Index adds, "Until now, no national memorial has focused on disabled veterans."

3.      Former VA Official Says Innovation Must Be Backed By Training, Follow-Up. In a Government Health IT (11/16) op-ed, Edward Meagher, who is currently "vice president of healthcare strategy at CSC," after having "held several leadership positions at...VA," notes that at a "recent industry conference," Jonah Czerwinski, "director of VA's internal innovation initiative (VAi2), delivered a glowing report" while VA Secretary Eric Shinseki "challenged VA's more than 300,000 employees to provide 'actionable ideas' that would increase access, lower costs, improve performance, or raise the quality of the services and benefits provided to our nation's 25 million veterans." Meagher, who says "attempts at innovation in large" organizations "hardly ever succeed," suggests several ways to help ensure that it does, including applying "change management principles early and continuously." According to Meagher, this involves "detailed preparation, exhaustive communication, appropriate training, strict management, and extensive follow-up and reinforcement."

4.      VA Investigation Prompts Corrective Actions At Minnesota Vets Home. The Coon Rapids (MN) Herald (11/16, 4K) notes that on Monday, US Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) "released a letter from a top state veterans official outlining the corrective action being taken at the Minnesota Veterans State Home in Hastings (MVH-Hastings)." According to the Herald, an investigation by the US Department of Veterans Affairs "found three problematic areas: staff retaliation against patients who lodged complaints about their care, poor access to medical care, and social workers not assisting veterans in securing living arrangements in the community." The Herald adds, "In the letter released" by Franken, the Minnesota VA "outlined its response to these findings, including...improving staff policies and training to ensure that all standards are fully met."

5.      Veterans Contract Bill Moves Forward In New Jersey. The Asbury Park (NJ) Press (11/16, Bowman) reports, "A bill that would set aside 3 percent of all state contracts for businesses owned by veterans was released Monday by a state Assembly committee" in New Jersey. Voting "4-0 with one abstention, the Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee sent the bill, A-3308, to the full Assembly for consideration. An identical bill, S-2314, awaits action by the state Senate's Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee, which is expected to take it up next month."

6.      Gold Star License Plate Bill Approved By New Jersey Assembly Committee. In continuing coverage, WNET-TV New York, NY (11/15, 6:23 p.m. ET) broadcast, "New Jersey will begin issuing Gold Star license plates to families of military personnel who have died on active duty." On Monday, the New Jersey Assembly Military and Veterans Affairs Committee "unanimously passed a bill...allowing Gold Star moms to design the plate." Legislators "say they expect the bill to be signed into law by the end of the year."

7.      VA Cardiologist: Blood Thinner Is "Potential Game-Changer." The Los Angeles Times (11/15, Adams, 681K) reported, "For the estimated 2 million Americans with atrial fibrillation who take the blood thinner warfarin to reduce their risk of stroke, there's a new drug on the shelf - the first in two decades." Last month, the "Food and Drug Administration...approved dabigatran (sold under the brand name Pradaxa) based on clinical trial data showing that it's at least as effective as the old standby." After noting that the "new drug offers practical advantages for patients, namely avoiding the frequent blood tests and dose adjustments required with warfarin," also known as Coumadin, the Times quoted "Dr. Mintu Turakhia, a cardiologist" at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Hospital, who said dabigatran is a "potential game-changer." The Chicago Tribune (11/15, 488K) ran the same story.

8.      Report: Money Being Spent On Vets In Philippines. The Philippine Daily Inquirer (11/16, Esplanada) reports, "Benefits to Filipino war veterans and their American counterparts living in the Philippines will reach $502 million (nearly P22 billion) this year, according" to a US Department of State report. The benefits are "provided by the US Department of Veterans Affairs...and the Social Security Administration." The Inquirer adds, "There's more good news for veterans: The US government is spending $125 million (about P5.47 billion) on the improvement of its facilities at the US Embassy compound in Manila, including the construction of an out-patient" vets clinic.

9.      Court Connecting Vets With VA Support Services. WBRC-TV Birmingham, AL (11/15, 5:53 p.m. CT) broadcast that a new veterans court in California's Los Angeles County is part of a "pilot program designed to connect vets who run into legal trouble with social services out in the community." Instead of jail, the court puts defendants into Veterans Affairs "support programs that are readily available but often go unused."

10.    Illinois Shelter Assisting Homeless Vets. The La Grange (IL) Patch (11/16, Bajek) notes that Vietnam vet Bob Adams and Desert Storm vet Dirk Enger co-founded the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton, Illinois. The center "provides housing and time-time for its residents to get what they need to move on with their lives. During this transition, veterans get medical care through the Veterans Administration Hospital, psychotherapy, living and social skills instruction, legal aid, education and job training, said Adams, who is now president of the shelter's board of directors."

11.    Couple Facing VA Benefit Theft Charges. The current issue of the Army Times (11/22, Gould, 104K) reports, "Joe Phillips, a Houston attorney and financial guardian for more than two dozen veterans, stands accused of stealing $2 million" in Veterans Affairs "benefits from his clients" and of receiving help from his wife to hide the theft. The couple, which has "pleaded not guilty and filed" for bankruptcy, "argue that they obeyed the law and that VA is liable for claims against them."

12.    VA Reps To Attend Open House Event At College. The Jacksonville (NC) Daily News (11/16) reports, "Veterans and active duty military looking to transition into a new career are invited to attend Miller-Motte College's Military and Family Appreciation Day Open House," scheduled to be held this Friday at 10 a.m. Attendees will be "able to touch base with Veterans Administration outreach professionals."

13.    VA Has Liaison Officer For Vets Attempting To Prove Disability Connected To Secret Ops. The current issue of the Army Times (11/22, Maze, 104K) reports, "For veterans claiming they can't prove a service connection for their disability because it resulted from a secret operation, the Veterans Affairs Department has assigned a liaison officer" to the US Special Operations Command "with direct access to classified files." According to the Times, the "liaison was established in December 2009 under an agreement between the Pentagon and VA."

14.    New VA Call Center To Create 400 Jobs. In continuing coverage, the Las Vegas Business Press (11/16, Illia, 10K) says the US Department Veterans Affairs is "opening a new call center in southeastern Las Vegas that will create 400 jobs." The department "recently signed a 20-year lease valued at $22 million to occupy the former International Game Technology building at 1085 Palms Airport Drive." The call center is "part of Veterans Affairs' growing local presence that includes a regional hospital under construction at 6900 N. Pecos Road in North Las Vegas."

15.    Investment Firm Donates $425,000 To Yellow Ribbon Fund. The lead "Local Digest" story for the Washington Post (11/16, Ruane, 605K) reports, "The Yellow Ribbon Fund, a Bethesda-based nonprofit group that assists wounded service members and their families, has received a $425,000 donation from Goldman Sachs Gives, the fund announced. The donation, which was disclosed at the fund's annual gala Saturday, is the largest the organization has received since it was founded in 2005." Goldman Sachs Gives is a "donor-advised fund of the partners of the Wall Street investment firm."

1.      Veterans Suffer From Much Higher Unemployment Rate In California. The San Gabriel Valley (CA) Tribune (11/14, Hines) reports, "Finding a job is proving especially difficult for young veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Statewide, 24.9 percent of veterans between the ages of 18 and 24 were unemployed in 2009 ... significantly higher than the 19.8 percent of non-veterans in that age group." So "with 30,000 more veterans expected to return to California this year, the state and federal government has spent millions over the past several years on programs aimed at putting vets to work." Employee Development Department spokesman Patrick Joyce said that "The reason for high joblessness among young veterans is the host of problems they face including P.T.S.D., traumatic brain injury and depression."

2.      Kansas To Help Veterans Avoid Scams. The Pittsburg (KS) Morning Sun (11/14, Clark, 10K) reports, "The state's securities commission has adopted a new rule to help Kansas veterans receive additional protection against a type of scam. The new program was announced on Wednesday and requires all investment firms to comply with US Department of Veterans Affairs rules on veterans and their families. The rules prohibit any firm from charging a fee to help veterans receive benefits unless the agent is an authorized agent and has a fee agreement on file with Veterans Affairs."

3.      Stand Down For Homeless Veterans Offers Help In Hampton, Virginia. The Newport News (VA) Daily Press (11/14, 69K) reports, "On Saturday, more than 300 homeless veterans got served hot lunches at the Y.H. Thomas Community Center in Hampton. It was all part of the Stand Down for Homeless Veterans, an event where homeless veterans could also get showers, haircuts, new coats, boots, haircuts and new toiletries." Fletcher Walker, senior vice commander for Hampton chapter of Disabled American Veterans, said that "veterans were bused over from homeless shelters and the Veterans Hospital; others who showed up had been sleeping in their cars."

4.      West Virginia Stand-Down Event A Chance To Stand Up For Homeless Vets. The Hagerstown (MD) Herald-Mail (11/13, Belisle, 31K) reports, "It's estimated that about one-third of the nation's homeless adults, about 131,000, have served their country in the military, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs. ... Those numbers and more came to light Saturday during the third annual Hero-Haven Homeless Veteran Stand Down at the VA medical center. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, homeless veterans tend to be older and more educated than the homeless who are not veterans. About 45% suffer from mental illness and about 70% abuse drugs and alcohol. ... About 50 homeless veterans from the local VA center's 23-county, four-state service area came to Saturday's stand down seeking help for health, employment and housing problems, said Michelle Cooke, chief of the center's domiciliary rehabilitation treatment program."

5.      Retreats For Vets With PTSD To Be Conducted In New Mexico.  KOAT-TV Albuquerque, NM (11/14, 10:34 p.m. MT) broadcast that "more help is on the way for veterans struggling" with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), because the "state is getting money to conduct retreats to help veterans with the disorder. They'll concentrate on combining different clinical therapies, with non-traditional methods, like yoga and acupuncture. Veterans who are diagnosed with PTSD by the Department of Veterans Affairs are eligible to participate."

6.      New Jersey Lawmakers To Consider Gold Star Family License Plates Bill. The AP (11/15) reports, "Legislation that would create special license plates for parents and close relatives of American troops killed while serving their country will go before an Assembly panel" in New Jersey on Monday. The "bill being considered by the Military and Veterans Affairs committee would authorize the so-called Gold Star Family plates." New Jersey is "one of three states that don't have some version of the Gold Star plates."

7.      VA Held Up As Model Health System. In his Green Valley (AZ) News and Sun (11/14, 13K) medical column, Charles Barta writes that in 1993, the VA "had such a low perception that Congress seriously looked at defunding it and transferring all veterans to private care using a voucher system. Fortunately, Bill Clinton chose a man [Jesse Brown] to take over the VA who had the drive to make dramatic changes. ... The result of his work from 1993-97 can be seen in every report and study of the new VA." And "after studying, as well as working in, most of the models of healthcare provision, I believe the VA model is the best for us." Barta argues that the chief advantages are the integration of information and the cooperative efforts of personnel on behalf of the patient.

8.      General Speaks Out About PTSD Battle. The Fayetteville (NC) Observer (11/14, Ramsey, 56K) reports Maj. Gen. David Blackledge "is speaking publicly about his invisible wounds to let other warriors know their reactions to combat are normal. ... An Army report released this summer said soldiers who need mental healthcare the most are the least likely to seek treatment. They worry it will hurt their career, or they will appear weak. Blackledge was unsure how speaking to a psychiatrist would affect his career. He said his first psychiatrist promised to be careful when taking notes so the sessions wouldn't come back to haunt the general. Now, five years later, he's defying the culture of military silence and openly talking about his own troubles."

9.      Athletic Trainer Focused On PTSD Treatment. The Huntington (WV) Herald-Dispatch (11/14, Walsh) reports on Mark Smaha, who has "worked as a certified athletic trainer for 32 years on the college level. His counseling skills come from his ability to connect with patients and from personal experience." Smaha missed a trip as a young trainer in which the plane crashed and everyone on board was killed. Smaha says that "PTSD symptoms fall into three categories -- repeated 'living' of the event, avoidance and arousal. Treatment is done in several ways, in both individual and collective settings." He "stresses to people he counsels that the healing process takes time. An Army veteran who's served in two wars does not get over PTSD in one or two sessions."

10.    Veterans Find Help In Battle For Mental Health. The Willoughby (OH) News-Herald (11/14, Glasier, 34K) reports, "Helping veterans of military service overcome mental-health challenges is the life's work of Dr. Edgardo Padin-Rivera, Ken Smith and Dr. Tina Brown. Padin-Rivera is chief of psychological services and coordinator of post-traumatic stress disorder programs for the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. ... Padin-Rivera brings more than impeccable professional credentials to his dealings with hundreds of area veterans at the VA Medical Center's sprawling campus in Brecksville. In 1967, at the height of the Vietnam War, Padin-Rivera was in the US Army serving as door gunner on a helicopter."

11.    Afghanistan Vet To Receive Medal Of Honor At White House.  CBS' 60 Minutes (11/14, 7:38 p.m. ET) broadcast, "At the White House on Tuesday," 25-year-old Afghanistan veteran Sal Giunta will "become the first living soldier to earn the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. It's the nation's highest military award for heroism in battle, and it's given for acts of extreme bravery in the face of almost certain death." According to CBS , Giunta earned the medal in 2007, while fighting in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, making him one of "only 86 Medal of Honor recipients alive today." CBS News (11/14) offered additional coverage of this story on its website.
     Son Of High-Ranking Military Official Killed In Afghanistan. ABC World News (11/14, story 8, 1:10, Berman, 8.2M) broadcast, "A great many senior officers have children fighting for this country overseas," including Lt. Gen. John Kelly, "who served as the top Marine commander in Iraq." Kelly's Marine son, Robert, was recently "killed...in Afghanistan." Kelly is the "highest ranking officer to lose a child in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq."
     Five NATO Force Members Also Die In Afghanistan. The CBS Evening News (11/14, story 3, 0:15, Mitchell, 6.1M) broadcast that on Sunday, "NATO forces in Afghanistan suffered their worst losses in a month," with five service members dying in "attacks in the east and south. It is not known if any were American. And a dozen tanker trucks hauling fuel for NATO forces went up in flames during an insurgent attack." The AP (11/15, Faiez) and the Los Angeles Times (11/15, King, Yaquobi, 681K) offer similar coverage of this story.
     Prince William, Queen Elizabeth Honor British War Dead. ABC World News (11/14, story 9, 0:15, Berman, 8.2M) reported, "Britain's Prince William was in Afghanistan" on Sunday, meeting with "front line troops" and laying a "wreath honoring British soldiers killed in Afghanistan and in other wars. This was Remembrance Sunday in Britain, its version of Memorial Day."

     NBC Nightly News (11/14, story 8, 0:20, Holt, 8.37M) reported, "Prince William took part in a memorial service" on Sunday "at Camp Bastion in Helman Province, where British forces have taken heavy casualties. The Prince, who is trained as a chopper pilot for the Royal Air Force, spent some time with troops and stopped by the base's medical center."
     The AP (11/15) reports, "Queen Elizabeth II led a solemn annual ceremony" in London on Sunday "to honor the country's war dead," as "her grandson Prince William flew out to Afghanistan to meet with troops and attend a memorial service there." The "tributes came as a British soldier was killed by a blast while on patrol in southern Afghanistan, becoming the 344th member of the British military to have died there since operations began in 2001. The NATO-led war has been deeply unpopular in Britain, which plans to withdraw most of its nearly 10,000 troops there from combat fighting to a support role by 2015." AFP (11/15) publishes a similar story.

12.    Davis Apologizes For Vets Day Comic. The New York Daily News (11/13, Goldwert, 527K) reported, "A controversial Garfield comic strip that ran on Veteran's Day meant no disrespect – it was just bad timing, said contrite cartoonist Jim Davis," referring to his syndicated strip, which on Thursday showed Garfield preparing to "squash a spider with a newspaper. The spider says, 'If you squish me,'" they "will hold an annual day of remembrance in my honor, you fat slob." Davis, who noted that his son has served in the armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, "said the strip was actually created a year ago and that the decision to run it on Veteran's Day was 'the worst timing ever.'"

13.    Study: Female Vets Less Likely Than Male Vets To Abuse Drugs, Alcohol. The Army Times (11/14, Kennedy, 104K) said a recent study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration "found that female veterans are much less likely to abuse drugs, cigarettes or alcohol than male veterans." The Times added, "The findings do not mean women should be left behind as the medical community combats substance abuse among veterans, officials said - especially as rates increase for those who are also dealing with combat stress, such as post-traumatic stress disorder," or PTSD.
     During a report aired by KQED-TV San Francisco, CA (11/14, 4:19 p.m. PT), San Francisco VA Medical Center psychiatrist Dr. Caitlin Hasser was shown saying that women vets "have higher rates of single parenthood than male veterans, and there are higher rates of homelessness and then also a lot of different societal roles. The average woman veteran I see is usually juggling about 50 things," not prioritizing "her own needs."
     Homeless Vet Gets Help At VA-Funded Shelter. WBRC-TV Birmingham, AL (11/14, 9:45 p.m. CT) broadcast, "When so many of our troops return from the battlefield, it's a struggle to get back to their everyday lives. Many...sometimes end up homeless," like female Desert Storm vet Shawn Nichols, who suffers from PTSD. Nichols, however, now "has a bed at MCVET," a Veterans Affairs-funded homeless shelter in Baltimore, Maryland.