Veterans News for Tuesday, April 19, 2011

1.    Europe's brigades remain a contentious issue.  Just last year, Adm. James Stavridis, commander of U.S. European Command and NATO supreme allied commander, told Congress that keeping four U.S. Army combat brigades in Europe undefined instead of two undefined was “crucial” to the mission and national security interests.

2.    The cost of combat stress: a billion dollars a year.  A stealthier killer lingers long after the fighting is done, in the psychological toll that combat exacts. More than 6,000 veterans take their own lives every year undefined about 20 percent of the 30,000 American suicides annually.

3.    93 more Vietnam veterans honored on In Memory Day.  Hundreds of friends and family members of Vietnam veterans gathered on the National Mall Monday to mark In Memory Day, an annual tribute to those who have died as a result of the Vietnam War but don't meet the Defense Department's criteria for having their names inscribed on The Wall.

4.    Growing new skin from burned layers could aid wounded troops.  Because of the severity of the injuries affecting troops today, doctors and researchers are studying regenerative techniques.

5.    Lawmakers blast Navy over Lejeune water contamination.  Five members of Congress on Friday called the Department of the Navy to task undefined again undefined for what they say is an apparent resistance to keeping veterans informed about past water contamination at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

6.    Hard-earned gains signal shift for U.S.-led forces in Afghanistan's south.  Indications of progress are abound for the American-led military campaign in southern Afghanistan and they point to a profound shift: For the first time since the war began nearly a decade ago, the Taliban are beginning a summer fighting season with less control and influence of territory than it had the previous year, according to a Washington Post story.

7.    Suspicious package leads to evacuation of building at VA.  Alexandria Town Talk  The US Department of Veterans Affairs in Alexandria closed its medical center in Pineville for about four hours today, April 18, after employees and patients were exposed to an unknown ...

8.    Federal veterans official talks with locals about needs in Greater Danbury.  Danbury News Times  Tammy Duckworth, left, US Department of Veterans Affairs Assistant Secretary, and Congressman Chris Murphy hold a meeting Monday at Danbury Public Library to discuss the needs of homeless veterans. Photo taken April 18, 2011. Photo: Carol Kaliff / The ...

9.    Forum Spotlights Homelessness Among Veterans.  Hartford Courant  It is important to prevent veterans' downward spiral toward homelessness, she said, noting that mental health issues, health issues and self-medication are the three conditions that commonly keep veterans homeless. The US Department of Veterans Affairs ...

10.           EMR Interface for VA to Facilitate Diabetes Management.  PR Newswire  Roche announced today that it has introduced a new Electronic Medical Record (EMR) interface for the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that helps VA healthcare facilities ...

11.           Illinois names April veteran of the month, 64-year-old Alsip man is honored.  WQAD  Veterans affairs director Dan Grant presented Thompson with the veteran of the month award in Springfield during a ceremony at a Disabled American Veterans meeting. The state says Thompson got the award for his work supporting homeless and disabled ...

12.           New ASU center, Arizona law improve veterans' transition.  The State Press  The new Pat Tillman Veterans' Center will consolidate ASU's current veterans services and house the new VetSuccess on-campus staff. VetSuccess is a program within the US Department of Veterans Affairs that helps veterans make the transition from ... 

13.           Director of Veterans Affairs has found his calling.  Altoona Mirror  Now that he is retired from the city, Cates said he has found a new calling as the director of Veterans Affairs for Blair County. The 61-year-old US Army veteran said service to the nation has been part of his family for generations, and after spending ...

14.           County Helps Veterans Obtain Needed Benefits.  Cape May County Herald   The Cape May County Veteran's Bureau assists veterans and their dependents with the application process for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and other federal and state agencies. They orchestrate the issuance of ...

15.           Kansas Commission On Veterans Affairs Bringing Mobile Office To Dodge City. Dodge City (KS) Daily Globe  "The Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs mobile office will be located at the Dodge City Wal-Mart parking lot from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday to assist eligible veterans and family members in obtaining benefits" from the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

16.           Construction Projects Cut; Vets' Programs To See Gain.  CQ Weekly "Programs to support veterans will see substantial increases despite the sweeping cuts across much of the federal government." While the "fiscal 2011 compromise allocated less overall for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and military construction programs," this was so because of a "large proposed cutback in spending on military construction projects." The government, however, "will spend $56.5 billion in discretionary funds for veterans' programs, a gain of about $3.4 billion, or 6 percent, over fiscal 2010."

17.           Hospitals Shouldn't Make You Sicker. New York Times A "vigorous quality-improvement program at more than 150 Veterans Affairs hospitals has achieved remarkable results controlling infections over the past several years."  VA "reduced the spread of one of the most deadly bacterial infections, known as MRSA, by 62 percent in intensive care units and 45 percent in other hospital units. If other hospitals could replicate the effort, thousands of patients might be saved from needless infections acquired after they entered the hospital."

18.           Larger Helmet Could Guard Against Brain Injury To Troops. USA Today  "The Army could reduce the risk of brain injury to soldiers simply by having them wear a size larger helmet containing slightly thicker padding, according to a study to be released".   "An eighth of an inch more in cushion could decrease the force of an impact to the skull by 24%, according to findings by researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California."  

19.           New Jersey Crisis Hotline Being Expanded To Fort Hood. Courier News  "A crisis hotline that helped the New Jersey National Guard evade an epidemic of suicide in the armed forces is expanding to serve the Army's largest stateside community at Fort Hood in Texas. Military officials and veterans service agencies are discussing how they can best use the system to reach out to troubled soldiers and veterans anywhere."  

20.           Remaining Survivors Gather To Remember Doolittle Raid. NBC Nightly News Yesterday was the "69th anniversary of the Dolittle raid, America's response to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor." This past weekend, David Thatcher, Robert Height, Edward Sailor, Thomas Griffin, and Richard Cole, the last survivors of the raid commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, "gathered to remember" three of their mission colleagues, who died in the last year.

21.           "I Know What It's Like To Lay In Bed And Want To Die." Arizona Daily Star After US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was shot earlier this year, many residents of Tucson "being treated for mental illness," including veteran George Leon, "cringed to think the public might paint them with the same brush as shooter Jared Lee Loughner, whose chilling grin and bizarre rants made headlines across the globe." Leon has "received psychotherapy at the local veterans hospital, and took part there in a trial of a new drug, olanzapine, that turned out to be life-changing." Now, when Leon "hears voices," he tells them to be quiet, a "skill he learned at the VA hospital."

22.           Remembering The Fallen. KNTV-TV  "Dozens of Veterans gathered in the South Bay this weekend for a tribute to those who served, but never returned." The tribute occurred at the sixth annual Veterans Resource Fair "put on by the San Jose Vet Center." During the event, the "exhibition hall at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in San Jose was packed with veterans and the agencies who want to help them" get benefits.

23.           Successful Fundraiser. Loma Linda (CA) Patch  "The VA Loma Linda Healthcare System is calling their first Golf Tournament on March 20, a big success." Organizers "raised $12,000" for the tournament, in which more than "70 golfers and 21 volunteers took part." The event benefits veterans attending the "2011 National Golden Age Games in Honolulu, Hawaii."

24.           Duff McKagan's Loaded Release Show And Silent Auction For Vets. Antimusic  "On April 23, Duff McKagan's Loaded will rock out at Neumos in Seattle to celebrate the release of their new CD The Taking (release date April 19 via Armoury Records) and host a silent auction benefiting the VA Puget Sound Health Care System." This "isn't the first time Loaded has done its part to give back to our nation's veterans. Proceeds from the 2010 digital release of 'Fight On,' a song inspired" by US veterans, "were also donated to the Puget Sound Health Care System."

25.           All Veterans Deserve Help From The VA. Asbury Park (NJ) Press "Generally, I am satisfied with the various veterans organizations - the New Jersey Department Of Military and Veterans Affairs, and the VA, for reaching out to assist veterans wherever they can."

26.           Help Us Highlight Heroes On Memorial Day. Oshkosh (WI) Northwestern

27.           Protect Sanctity Of Military Funerals. Auburn (NY) Citizen

28.           No One Turned Away From Van. Dunkirk (NY) Observer Today

29.           Universities Work To Ease Veterans' Transitions To College. Windsor (CO) Beacon

30.           Havasu Restores Marine's Pride. Havasu News

31.           Vet Gets Surprise $65.01 Thank-You From Total Stranger. Havasu News

32.           Family Of Fallen Vietnam Vet Finally Gets Answers After 40 Years. Belleville (IL) News-Democrat

33.           In North, Civil War Sites, Events Long "Forgotten." AP