2.      Shinseki Hails Wreaths Across America Commemorative Events.  In a Business Wire release (12/11), the Department of Veterans Affais announces that "Thousands of red-bowed wreaths will decorate Veterans' graves and memorials across the country on Saturday, Dec. 11, when volunteers place them at 131 Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemeteries, state Veterans cemeteries, and at Arlington National Cemetery and memorial sites." A statement from VA Secretary Shinseki called the series of tributes "one of the most beautiful events repeated across the country as thousands of volunteers honor our Nation's heroes." He added, " "It is inspiring to see the volunteers show their respect and gratitude for the Veterans who served our Nation." Last year, the fifth annual Wreaths Across America events drew over 100,000 participants contributing about 161,000 wreaths, most of which were donated by individuals, groups and businesses. The program was created by the Worcester Wreath Company of Maine, which is donating at elast seven wreaths to every VA national cememtery.
     Fallen Troops Honored At Arlington Wreath Ceremony. CNN (12/11, Liptak) reports, "Solemn rows of headstones in Arlington National Cemetery were adorned with holiday decorations Saturday morning, as hundreds of volunteers laid wreaths on the gravesites of America's fallen troops. The event coincided with 550 similar wreath-laying ceremonies across the country. The effort was organized by Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit group that 19 years ago began laying wreaths at Arlington, located in northern Virginia just across the Potomac River from Washington. Three tractor-trailer trucks carried 24,000 wreaths, which were made from branches of Maine balsam trees and adorned with red velour bows."
     Wreaths Across America Decorates Florence National Cemetery. South Carolina Now (12/11, Drucker) reports, "Cold temperatures and steady rain couldn't stop more than 200 people from all over South Carolina from honoring veterans at the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony at the Florence National Cemetery. The annual event honors those who have served and are serving in the military by placing holiday wreaths on veterans' graves at 131 National Cemeteries across the country."
     Auburn Wreath-Laying Honors Those Who Served. The Auburn (NY) Citizen (12/11, Baker, 10K) reports, "A crowd of veterans, families and patriots gathered in the Auburn Veterans Memorial Park Saturday for a wreath laying ceremony to commemorate the US armed service personnel who died in the line of duty or are listed as missing in action. The ceremony began at precisely noon to coincide with ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery and thousands of other sites across the country. ... At the peak of the ceremony, seven wreaths were placed in the park to commemorate the men and women who served in each of the branches of the US military -- the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines -- and those listed as prisoners of war or missing in action." WSYR-TV Syracuse, NY) (12/11) also reports the story,
     Wreaths Across America Honors Those Who Served Their Country. The Palm Beach (FL) Post (12/11, Graulich, 127K) reports, "Wreaths Across America began 19 years ago when Maine based-Worcester Wreath Company started a tradition. Members of the company placed wreaths on headstones of veterans laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. By 2007, the idea had become so big around the country that the Worcesters formed the nonprofit group Wreaths Across America. In 2008, Congress declared the second Saturday in December National Wreaths Across America Day. In Florida, 23 cemeteries celebrated Wreaths Across America Saturday including three in Palm Beach County."
     Wreath Ceremony Memorializes Service Members. The Somerset County (PA) Daily American (12/12, Wojcik) reports, "Flight 93 National Memorial, the American Legion and the Civil Air Patrol collaborated with Wreaths Across America to recognize the courage and sacrifice of the 40 passengers and crew aboard Flight 93 who gave their lives Sept. 11, 2001 and the 25 million men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. The ceremony took place at the temporary memorial site."
     Wreaths Across America Honor Soldiers In Biloxi National Cemetery. WLOX-TV Biloxi (12/11, Vowell) reports, "On the hallowed grounds of the Biloxi National Cemetery, more than 18,000 soldiers are laid to rest. Though they are gone, they are far from forgotten. Each year, the simple act of laying a wreath on a grave is practiced throughout the county to honor fallen soldiers as a part of Wreaths Across America. While the practice began in Arlington National Cemetery, Wreaths Across America has grown into a national day of remembrance, and extends right here to Biloxi."
     Wreaths Across America Remembers Veterans At Holidays. The Monroe (MI) Evening News (12/11, Kisonas) reports, "James and Becky Hario stood arm-in-arm in front of the wreath that was placed before the War on Terror Memorial at Veterans Park and thought of their son. Pfc. Eric Hario, an Army Ranger, was only 19 years old when he was shot and killed in action during a mission in Afghanistan last year. His and 10 other names are etched on the memorial. 'It's been a rough week,' Mrs. Hario said. 'It was Eric's birthday Thursday. He would have been 21.'"
     Wreaths Across America Reaches Bloomington. MSNBC.com (12/11) reports, "'We don't have a national cemetery here, but we do have this lovely memorial, so we thought this would be an appropriate place to do it,' said Terry Edmunds, a Vietnam Veteran. The Statefarm Military Affinity Group has sponsored and hosted the service at Bloomington's Miller Park for the past five years. Retired Army Sgt Edmunds says Saturday morning's bad weather only helps him emphasize the importance of being here."

     Volunteers Denver's Fort Logan National Cemetery. Associated Press (12/11) reports, "Volunteers are placing about 500 holiday wreaths on veterans' graves at Fort Logan National Cemetery as part of the national Wreaths Across America program. About 150 volunteers will place the wreaths at Fort Logan on Saturday. Nationwide, the wreaths will be set up at more than 130 state and national cemeteries and memorial sites."
     1,100 Wreaths Laid At Veterans Cemetery. The website of KREX-TV Grand Junction, CO (12/11, Dzenitis) reports, "In Grand Junction, more than a thousand wreaths were laid at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado. More than 400 national and state veterans cemeteries participated, including Arlington National Ceremony. Organizers in Grand Junction say they raised $17,000 dollars through donations, made by individuals and businesses, to make the event happen."
     Departed Veterans Remembered In Wreath Ceremony. The Contra Costa (CA) Times (12/11, Modesti, 175K) reports, "A white-haired man escorted by Civil Air Patrol cadets carried a wreath to one of seven easels arrayed before silent onlookers, then removed his Merchant Marines cap and dropped his chin onto his stars-and-stripes tie, pausing in contemplation. ... The occasion was the fifth annual Wreaths Across America Day event at the Veterans Administration Cemetery in Los Angeles, one of more than 500 such ceremonies held simultaneously Saturday in the United States and abroad."
     Volunteers Honor Asheville-Area's Fallen Soldiers During Wreaths Across America Program. The Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times (12/12, Rodriguez) reports, "The only sound Saturday was the snapping of the flags as a small group of people bowed their heads and observed a minute of silence in honor of the community's fallen heroes. More than 50 volunteers, families and military representatives participated in a short but heartfelt service to honor veterans and fallen soldiers at the Western Carolina State Veterans Cemetery. The event was part of the national Wreaths Across America program, where sponsors buy wreaths to lay on the graves of fallen service members."
     Idahoans Gather to Remember Fallen Veterans, Lay Wreaths on Their Graves. The website of KIVI-TV Boise, ID (12/11) reports, "Max Becker met some of his best friends in the US Army. A lot of those best friends were killed fighting by his side in Korea, where Becker served from 1951-1952. Nearly 60 years later, Becker spent Saturday at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery to honor the memory of throes fallen comrades. A memory, he says, that's always with him."
     Woodlawn, Bath Cemeteries Observe National Event Honoring Service Members. The Ithaca (NY) Journal (12/11, Murray, 14K) reports, "People gathered at Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira and the Bath National Cemetery on Saturday for ceremonies that were part of the national Wreaths Across America event. The two Southern Tier sites were among 450 locations across the United States where wreaths were placed to honor those who have served and those who continue to serve in the armed forces."
     Volunteers Place Wreaths On Graves Saturday At Bath National Cemetery. The Corning (NY) Leader (12/12, Clark) reports, "The brief ceremony at the National Cemetery Saturday in Bath had one simple message. 'We thank those who gave their lives to keep us free and we shall not forget you,' Steuben County American Legion Commander Padraic O'Hare said after dozens of veterans and citizens lay 300 wreaths on tombstones near the cemetery's monument."
     Volunteers Bring Holiday Green To Veterans' Cemetery. The Glen Falls (NY) Post Star (12/11, Toscano, 28K) reports, "The long gray gardens of stone at the Gerald B.H. Solomon National Cemetery were dotted with color Saturday morning as several hundred volunteers placed green wreaths with red ribbons at veterans' graves as part of the Wreaths Across America project. Now in its fifth year locally, the event was pioneered by Civil Air Patrol Lt. Col. Anita Martin."
     Fort Bliss Wreaths: Vets Get Holiday Tributes. The El Paso Times (12/11, Ybarra, 72K) reports, "Those buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery will not be forgotten this holiday season. Their service and sacrifice will be honored today during a ceremony in partnership with Wreaths Across America, an organization that places holiday wreaths on the graves of service members across the country."
     Remembering The Fallen. The Lebanon (PA) Daily News (12/11, Long, 19K) reports, "Hundreds of people gathered at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery on Saturday for a pair of ceremonies designed to honor the fallen -- one employing wreaths and the other, quiet candlelight." Participants "laid more than 1,900 wreaths, 800 more than they did last year."
     Wreaths Placed At East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery. The Knoxville News (TN) Sentinel (12/12, Armstrong, 105K) reports, "Veterans were among the group gathered Saturday morning at the East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery on Lyons View Pike to place 350 Christmas wreaths on grave markers as a part of Wreaths Across America. The national program is an effort to decorate 131 Department of Veterans Affairs national cemeteries, state Veteran cemeteries, Arlington National Cemetery and other memorial sites."
     Remembering The Sacrifices Of Veterans. The Asbury Park Press (12/11, Vosseller, 122K) reports, "The sacrifice made by area veterans was honored at noon Saturday during wreath-laying ceremonies, part of the national annual Wreaths Across America program, held at several locations in Ocean and Monmouth counties."
     Volunteers Lay Wreaths At Ky. Veterans Cemetery. The Clarksville (TN) Leaf Chronicle (12/11, Lowary, 19K) reports that the "national Wreaths Across America event came to Clarksville and Western Kentucky today, and thousands of veterans' headstones were decorated with Christmas wreaths by hundreds of volunteers. Last year only 300 wreaths were purchased to lay at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West where some 1,200 veterans and their spouses are buried. Thanks to the help of Hazel Morrison and the E.A.G.L.E.S. chapter of the Gold Star Wives, the project reached new heights this year."

3.      Kasich Taps Former POW Moe As Veterans Chief. The Bucyrus (OH) Telegraph Forum (12/10, Giessler) reports that a Lancaster native and former prisoner of war "will be responsible for ensuring veterans throughout the state get the help they need. Retired Air Force Col. Thomas Moe was appointed director of the Ohio Department of Veterans Services on Tuesday.  Gov.-elect John Kasich made the announcement at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1380 in Lancaster." There, Kasich "read Moe's accomplishments and accolades to the crowd, which include two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal for valor, two Purple Hearts, seven air medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross." He also "read a portion of an essay, 'Pure Torture,' published in Notre Dame Magazine, in which Moe writes about his experiences as a POW." A Vietnam fighter pilot, Moe was held in a POW camp known as the "Hanoi Hilton." He retired as director of the Fairfield County Emergency Management Agency in 2006.

4.      State Legislator Seeks To Name Bridge After War Hero.  The Wayne (PA) Independent (12/11, Zwick) reports that the chairwoman of Pennsylvania's tate Veterans Affairs committee "plans to name an area bridge after a local war hero who fought in three major wars of the 20th century. Pending approval of the state senate, a sign will be placed on the Church Street Bridge in honor of Brigadier General Richard J. Tallman, who lost his life in Vietnam in 1972. State Sen. Lisa Baker (R) said honoring a local hero by naming a bridge for him or her is common."

5.      Senator Seeks To Move Juvenile Detention Facility To Walter Reed Site.  The Gaithersburg (MD) Gazette (12/10, Hill, 42K) reports that MD Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin "has proposed moving a troubled youth detention facility in Laurel to Washington, D.C., where its overseeing agency is based. Cardin (D) of Pikesville is considering submitting an amendment to the proposed National Defense Authorization Act, S. 3454, that would relocate the New Beginnings Youth Development Center from Laurel to the current location of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the District, Cardin spokeswoman Sue Walitsky said Friday. Walter Reed is scheduled to close next year, and 62 acres of the 113-acre campus would come into District control for possible development."

6.      VA To Pilot Digital Record Transfer System.  According to the lead "News In Brief" item for American Medical News (12/13), the Department of Veterans Affairs is "starting a pilot program aimed at reducing the time it takes to receive medical records from private physicians to speed disability claims decisions." The agency has "contracted a third party that will collect the medical records from private physicians, then scan them into a digital format," after which time the records will "be sent to the VA doctor through a secure network."

7.      Access To Care Eliminates Racial Outcome Disparities In Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.  MedPage Today (12/11, Neale) reports, "When barriers to care are removed, previously observed racial disparities in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) outcomes are not seen, researchers found. In fact, in a study of Veterans Affairs medical centers, black patients had a significantly lower risk of dying during follow-up than their white counterparts,"  according to new report presented to the Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology. A retrospective examination of patients in the VA Central Cancer Registry sought to identiy whether previously seen racial disparities in outcome with the disease were result of the care received or of tumor biology.

8.      Cemetery Work Is Ahead Of Schedule.  The Charleston, West Virginia-based MetroNews (12/13) reports, "Work on the new $14 million Donel Kinnard Memorial State Veterans Cemetery in Southern West Virginia is already several months ahead of schedule." Support for the project comes in part from the US Department of Veterans Affairs, which provided "$14 million," the "largest sum ever awarded for a state cemetery."

9.      Advocates Push Cause Of Camp Lejeune Water Contamination In Congress.  The Lakeland (FL) Ledger (12/12, White, 57K) reported, "Legal options are limited for those who suspect they have been harmed by tainted water at Camp Lejeune," because a "Supreme Court ruling restricts the ability of military members to pursue damage claims against the federal government." After noting that some members of Congress, including US Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC), "have taken up the issue," the Ledger pointed out that while Hagan "co-sponsored a bill last year that would have extended Veterans Administration health benefits to veterans and family members who lived at Camp Lejeune between 1950 and 1985," the "bill remains stuck in the Veteran Affairs committee." The Ledger went to say Hagan "inserted a provision into last year's National Defense Authorization Act that prohibits the Department of the Navy from dismissing claims related to Camp Lejeune before a scientific report comes out next year."
     A separate Ledger (12/12, White) story noted, "Six current or former Polk County residents have been drawn together by their shared connection to Camp Lejeune." Five are "coping with frightening illnesses," while "sixth lost her mother to gastric cancer. Mike Partain, a...leading advocate on Camp Lejeune, got in touch with the others after they posted their stories on an activist website, 'The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten.'"

10.    Veteran Runs Afoul Of Michigan's Medical Marijuana Law.  MLive.com /Jackson (M) Citizzen Patriot (12/11, Salisbury) reports, "First, it was post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by his service in the Vietnam War. Then came two bouts with throat cancer, which left him without a voice box. Now, 61-year-old Gary Muntz has a new ailment -- lymphoma, a slow-moving cancer of the lymph nodes. He speaks only with the aid of a mechanical device pressed tightly to his neck. Long periods outside his home require a wheelchair, and he often cannot sleep. Marijuana helps." But after finding that Muntz had 13 marijuana plants in his home, and was authorized under Michigan's medical marijuana law to use but not grow the substance, the local prosecutor charged Muntz with a felony drug crime.

11.    New Non-Profit Group Aims To Ease Wounded Warriors' Re-Integrtaion Into Society.  Philadelphia Inquirer (12/12, Boccella) reports on Team Red, White & Blue, a nonprofit begun by a 30-year-old West Point graduate and psychology doctorate student who aims to "transform the way wounded veterans are reintegrated into society when they return from combat and leave the service." To help integrate the return to society of wounded veterans, the group advocates "pairing those with post traumatic stress and brain injuries with advocates who will simply be their friends. He compares it to Big Brother/Big Sister." It held a tailgate fundraiser party at the Army-Navy football game.

12.    Troops Booted For Pre-Existing Mental Issues.  The Army Times (12/13, Kennedy, 104K) reports, "From 2003 to 2008, more people were separated from the military within their first year of service for 'pre-existing' psychiatric conditions than for any other reason, according" to the "2010 Accession Medical Standards Analysis & Research Activity Report." After noting that such "discharges do not qualify a service member for medical benefits or medical retirement pay," the Times points out that "discharges for pre-existing mental health conditions far exceed recruitment waivers for those conditions." Two years ago, Congress "refined the rules for discharging people for 'personality disorder' as a pre-existing condition after it became clear that many of troops really" had post-traumatic stress disorder or "symptoms of that disorder that was caused by their combat experience," although veterans advocate Mike Parker "noted that discharges for other mental conditions have jumped since" then.

13.    Helping To Heal Those With PTSD.  The Omaha (NE) World-Herald (12/13, Hansen) describes the "Bellevue-based program, At Ease," as a "tiny nonprofit treatment center" that is "finding outsize success in treating military-related" post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), "which increasingly is being recognized in troops and in family members who never stepped into a war zone." At Ease, "funded by local donors and run by Lutheran Family Services, is fighting PTSD by doing what veterans hospitals cannot: quickly accepting almost everyone who calls."

14.    Bringing A Veteran Presence To Campus.  The Boston Globe (12/12, Schworm, 253K) reported, "Waves of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are enrolling in Massachusetts colleges and universities, using generous government benefits to reinvent themselves...and take on important" campus roles. The Globe added, "Though some of the 7,400 veterans enrolled in Massachusetts schools this year through the GI Bill are struggling with the transition from war, veterans advocates say, a striking number are using their experience to guide others." One such veteran is college tutor Edwige Elysee, who is "paying his tuition with GI Bill benefits and school contributions through the national Yellow Ribbon Program, a Veterans Administration effort to defray tuition costs for service members."

     NYTimes Says Vets Deserve Protection From "Predatory" For-Profit Schools. In an editorial, the New York Times (12/13, A24, 1.01M) says that while the "for-profit education industry has been pushing back hard against new Education Department rules that will make it easier to rein in predatory schools that strip students of financial aid, saddle them with crushing debt and give them nothing in return," the "evidence is mounting that the new rules might not be enough to prevent some of the worst abuses." The Times concludes, "Congress needs to ensure that predatory schools with weak offerings and high dropout rates are booted" from the Post-9/11 GI Bill "program and that only legitimate schools remain."

15.    Families Of Wounded Veterans Shoulder Burden.  The Tampa (FL) Tribune (12/12, Altman) reported, "A recently released study by the National Alliance of Caregivers shows that 'Family caregivers of US veterans sacrifice their own health and jobs to care for their loved ones.'" The Tribune, which focused on one family providing intensive care to wounded Iraq Vet, added, "Since the war in Afghanistan began in 2001, nearly 170,000 service personnel have suffered traumatic brain injuries. About 4,000 are considered severe or penetrating, according to the Department of Defense."

16.    Wounded Vet Reunites With Soldier Who Helped Save Him.  In a story run by at least 14 publications, the AP (12/12, Curran) noted that on Saturday in Vermont, 33-year-old disabled veteran Edward Matayka "got to say thank you" to Specialist David Schwerer, who helped saved Matayka's life when Matayka was injured in Afghanistan. After noting that Matayka welcomed "Schwerer home from a yearlong deployment in an emotional reunion at a ceremony for returning troops," the AP said Matayka, who is being treated at McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia, was "flown north for Saturday's reunion by Air Compassion for Veterans, a Virginia Beach, Va., group that provides free medically-related flights for servicemembers."

17.    VA Seeks Space For Outreach Clinic In Brunswick County, North Carolina.  In continuing coverage, the Wilmington (NC) Star News (12/11, Little, 40K) reports, "The federal government is advertising for office space in Brunswick County to be used by the US Department of Veterans Affairs for a veterans medical clinic, aiming to open the new service by May." The head of the county veterans service office says that VA efforts to make arrangements with a private doctor who met all agency requirements proved unsuccessful, and has set a Thursday deadline for landlords to submit offers on space an outreach clinic. A VA spokesman says that the Brunswick clinic should open in May 2011.
The website of WECT-TV Wilmington, NC (12/10) reprints the VA's advertisement for clinic space.

18.    Park Service Opens New Pearl Harbor Vistors Center.  The Lancaster (PA) New Era (12/10, 40K) editorializes that the National Park Service's dedication this week of a new $56 million visitors center at Pearl Harbor on the 69th anniversary of the Japanese attacks on the United States, is a "reminder that the people of this nation have not forgotten what occurred there. The real memorial, however, lies just beneath the surface. The USS Arizona holds the remains of 1,177 US sailors and Marines who died that day."

19.    Spirit Of Liberty Santa Will Visit Military Hospitals, Iraq.  WTOP-TV Washington, DC (12/11) reports, "On Monday morning, 'America's Santa' ll take off from San Diego, en route to San Antonio before landing in Frederick that evening. Santa is slated to travel through Frederick as part of the fifth annual 'peration Christmas Spirit: Believe in Santa Tour.' Organized by the Spirit of Liberty Foundation, the tour flies America's Santa to military hospitals throughout the country. This year, for the first time the tour will visit troops in Iraq."

20.    New Outpatient VA Clinic To Open In Dryden.  The Ithaca (NY) Journal (12/13, Stern) says a new Veterans Affairs "outpatient clinic for disabled veterans is scheduled to open Feb. 1 in the Town of Dryden." The facility will "serve both Tompkins and Cortland counties."