1.    Wife's letter to deploying husband strikes a chord with others.   Jennifer Chaloux, newly wed and deeply in love, didn’t know what to do.  Her husband, Spc. Matthew Chaloux, a Georgia National Guardsman, was deploying to Afghanistan for a year.  Should she try not to cry? Give him a hug, get in the car and just drive off?  It was last spring …

2.    U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs touts Technology Acquisition Center in Eatontown.  Asbury Park Press undefined As far as Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki is concerned, it was serendipity. The US Department of Veterans Affairs was looking to develop a center for its information-technology acquisitions just as the ...

3.    VA extends Call Center to Berkshire, Franklin and Hampden counties.  MassLive.com The US Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center is expanding is telephone Call Center for local veterans into Hampden, Franklin and Berkshire counties. The Western Massachusetts Call Center provides ...

4.    Navy secretary says flaws in sailor retention system led to new selection  board.  The decision to create a selection board that will cut about 3,000 sailors from the ranks later this year was made at least partly because of problems with the Navy’s Perform-to-Serve program, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus told servicemembers Wednesday at Yokosuka Naval Base.

5.    Vet turns entrepreneur after cancer takes his eye and his military career. Gunnery Sgt. Edward Schrank had his left eye surgically removed in a bid to beat a rare form of cancer. He endured two intense rounds of proton therapy, a highly unusual treatment that left him convinced he now holds the unofficial record for most medical radiation.

6.    Giffords’ office urges Obama to close treatment gap for brain injuries.  Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' path to recovery has been helped by a comprehensive brain injury treatment. Federal worker's compensation covers the treatment, but Tricare does not, making it out of reach for injured troops. Now her chief of staff has asked the administration to remedy the inequity.

7.    Life after war not easy for Iraq, Afghanistan veterans.  SHSU Houstonian Online  Of the 30000 suicides committed in this country each year, fully 20 percent of them are veterans. This means that on average about 18 veterans commit suicide each day, according to new statistics released by the US Department of Veterans Affairs. ...

8.    Vets want clinic named.  Brunswick News  When the US Department of Veterans Affairs opened an outpatient clinic in Brunswick last year, Mike Browning was among many Glynn County residents who wanted the facility named after the late Charles Wood. Wood, a US Army veteran and ...

9.    TAMU-CT's new center helps veterans adjust to student life .  Killeen Daily Herald  Judging by the veterans affairs center's newest program, VetSuccess on Campus, TAMU-CT seems to be on its way to fulfilling Nigliazzo's vision. The program is a collaboration between the US Department of Veterans Affairs and TAMU-CT and is one of only ...

10.                       Local veterans talk about need for nursing home .  WQOW TV News 18  Some board members were concerned there wasn'ta need for that facility, citing empty beds at local nursing homes right now. State veterans affairs officials took a look at the number of retirement-aged veterans in our area. Local veterans say those ...

11.                       Veterans deserve better .  Wis Opinion  Newly proposed legislation introduced by state Rep. Kevin Petersen (AB 96) would change the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs secretary to a governor-appointed cabinet position. This is not only a good idea but one that deserves swift enactment. ...

12.                       Vets Protest VA Cuts. WIBW-TV  A "group of Vietnam Veterans aren't happy with cuts to clinical therapy programs," including occupational therapy classes, "that have been made at the Veteran's Hospital in Topeka." On Wednesday, the group protested "outside of the VA on southwest Gage." The "vets told WIBW they're worried their benefits could be cut next, and that they plan to protest until they're recognized by state leaders."

13.                       Vet ID Bill Passes House. Sarasota (FL) Herald Tribune By a vote of 114-0 vote on Wednesday, the Florida House "passed legislation that would allow veterans to have a letter 'V' placed on their drivers licenses to make it easier to prove their status. The idea was proposed by State Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice," who "has said that many stores offer discounts to veterans, but proving it can be tricky for veterans." The herald Tribune adds, "Having passed the House, the bill now must pass the Senate before it can go to the governor for his approval."

14.                       Feeding May Help Brain Injuries. Wall Street Journal An Institute of Medicine (IOM) report released on Wednesday found adequate and immediate feeding of military personnel who suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) lessens the severity of their trauma and improves their chance of survival. The report was commissioned by the US Defense Department.

15.                       Research Finds Army Helmets Offer More Protection Than Those Used In Pro Football.   NextGov  The US Army's Advanced Combat Helmet is a key component "of a high-tech system that the Army says still needs some tweaking to help prevent" TBIs. Last year, the "Army and the Joint IED Defeat Organization, which is concerned with improvised explosive devices, commissioned Lawrence Livermore Laboratory to compare the effectiveness of various military pads and pads used in football helmets to mitigate the severity of impacts. The Army released an unclassified version of that report Tuesday, and Lawrence Livermore researcher William Moss told a press briefing that the helmet pads currently used by the Army outperformed pads used by the National Football League in computer simulations with software used by the auto industry to measure crash impact and the aerospace industry to simulate bird strikes."  

16.                       Inhaled Meds May Save COPD/Pneumonia Patients' Lives. HealthDay  "Inhaled corticosteroids can actually reduce the risk of death in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, who are hospitalized with pneumonia, a new study has found."

17.                       VA, Defense Launch PTSD App. Modern Healthcare  The US Veterans Affairs Department and the US Defense Department "have released a smartphone application created to help veterans manage" post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The app is called "PTSD Coach, the free application," developed by DOD's National Center for Telehealth & Technology and VA's National Center for PTSD, "provides screening and symptom-tracking tools, tips on coping with stress, local support contacts and updated information on treatment options."

18.                       Baker Questions Staying Power Of VA Accountability System. FierceGovernmentIT  Information technology "projects at the Veterans Affairs Department are reviewed under" the Program Management Accountability System (PMAS), the resiliency of which was recently questioned by VA Chief Information Officer Roger Baker, who said VA needs to make PMAS "so ingrained in the organization that in two years--if we're not voted back in--nobody at VA says 'Oh, he's gone, so screw that PMAS stuff.'"

19.                       Hampton Doctor New VA Pittsburgh Chief Of Staff.  Pittsburgh Tribune-Review  A chief of staff has been chosen for the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System. Dr. Ali Sonel, 43, has been the interim chief of staff for a year since Dr. Rajiv Jain took a job with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington. Terry Gerigk Wolf, director of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, formally appointed Sonel to the full-time position on March 13,

20.                       Your Records Follow You. Newport News (VA) Daily Press The Veterans Affairs hospital in Hampton and the Bon Secours Virginia Health System are "part of a pilot program that allows authorized users access to shared patients' electronic medical records." The program is "called the Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record, or VLER for short. The Hampton VA and MedVirginia, a Richmond-based health-care information technology firm that's working with Bon Secours, demonstrated the system Wednesday before about 100 people, including representatives of several veterans' organizations."

21.                       Two New Buildings Planned For The VA Campus In Walla Walla. KEPR-TV  On Tuesday, a "groundbreaking... unveiled plans to add two new buildings" to the Veterans Affairs hospital in Walla Walla. One building will have "36 beds for vets wanting to get off drugs or alcohol," while the other "will offer primary care, expanded medical care for women," and post-traumatic stress disorder treatment for everyone.

22.                       Veterans Connect Event On April 29 In Bartow. Lakeland (FL) Ledger  Local "armed forces veterans and their families are invited to participate in a Veterans Connect event," to be held "from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the Stuart Center...in Bartow." James A. Haley Veterans Hospital's Mobile Outreach Clinic "will be on-site offering a variety of medical services."

23.                       Veterans Facility Draws Opposition, But Passes County Board. Chippewa (WI) Herald   A resolution supporting the placement of a veterans nursing home in Chippewa Falls has been passed by the Chippewa County Board. Area nursing home owners, however, are "opposed to the Veterans home." One such owner told the board the "Veterans Administration has refused to grant contracts to nursing homes," choosing instead to build a new home.

24.                       Injured Long Valley Marine: I'm One Of The Lucky Ones. Long Valley (NJ) Patch Tim Fallon, a Marine whose vision was badly damaged when he served in Afghanistan, now "spends six hours a day rehabilitating, learning how to adjust to his new life, and figuring out the road ahead of him." Currently located at the Hines Veterans Affairs Hospital's Blind Center "just outside of Chicago, Illinois, Fallon's stay is only temporary." Fallon, who says he is grateful to be alive, "plans on heading to the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland in May as a member of the Wounded Warrior campaign."

25.                       Studies Show Misuse Of Expensive Blood-Clotting Drug. Stanford University Daily "Two studies from the School of Medicine, published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine, revealed" that recombinant factor 7a (RF7a), an "expensive blood-clotting drug intended only for hemophilia patients," has "been mainly prescribed for patients without this disorder. This practice, however, may pose certain health risks." Kathryn McDonald, a "senior investigator at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System," co-authored one of the studies.

26.                       VA Administrator Asks Navy To Use Old Facility. KUAM-TV  "While island veterans wait on the official grand opening of the new veterans clinic in Agana Heights," there is concern "that the new facility is too small. The 6,000- square foot facility has already opened, but Guam Veterans Affairs Office administrator John Unpingco says with the number of veterans on the island the space may not be adequate. Unpingco has written letters to three US senators hoping that a portion of the current Naval Hospital" can be "used as a veterans hospital and a home for homeless veterans."

27.                       Grafton National Cemetery A Place To Remember The Civil War. West Virginia Public Broadcasting

28.                       Bill Aims To Honor Jewish Chaplains At Arlington. AP Organizers are "working to get a monument at Arlington National Cemetery to honor Jewish military chaplains killed in service since World War II." For this to happen, a "congressional joint resolution must be passed. Organizers say they already have enough private donations to build" the monument. 

29.                       Cremains To Be Interred In Sierra Vista. Sierra Vista (AZ) Herald  On Monday, "18 sets of cremains, of veterans who served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, along with service in what is considered the Cold War, will be interred at the Southern Arizona Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Sierra Vista, along with the wife of one of the former servicemen." The Herald adds, The Missing in America Project, supported by the American Legion since 2007, is designed to have a full accounting of veterans who have died but have yet to have a ceremony for their remains with appropriate military honors, Bob Day said. The interring of the cremains will bring soldiers, sailors, airmen and a Marine to an area where other servicemen and women are located, said Day, the Arizona MIAP state coordinator, noting it will be the first in southern Arizona."

30.                       Warrior Pose Part Of Rehab For Army Veterans. NPR audio Many US "soldiers who have been wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, push-ups, pull-ups and platoon runs have become impossible, so the Army has been developing what it calls 'enhanced' physical training." For example, a yoga class can be taken at Fort Campbell's "Warrior Transition Unit - which serves war-wounded soldiers." The Pentagon financially "supports these so-called adaptive sports, even for soldiers leaving the Army."

31.                       Film About Camp Lejeune Water Premieres At Tribeca. AP A "documentary about a Marine veteran's fight to reveal the truth about contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune will premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City." Producers of the film "say 'Semper Fi: Always Faithful' will have its first official showing at the festival," which opened on Wednesday. The "film follows retired Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger's search for answers after his 9-year-old daughter Janey died in 1985 while the family was living at Camp Lejeune."

32.                       UMHB Student Wins NASA Contest For Mars Probe Plan. Temple (TX) Daily Telegram  "disabled military veteran and local college student" Eric Sanford "led the winning Community College Aerospace Scholar team in a competition sponsored by NASA" to "build a model robot that could collect soil samples on Mars."

33.                       Missing World War II Flier From Metro Atlanta To Be Buried Friday. Atlanta Journal-Constitution  "Sixty-six years after his plane went down...in the Philippines, a World War II serviceman from metro Atlanta will be buried on Friday. The remains of Army Air Forces Tech. Sgt. James G. Maynard of Ellenwood have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors, the Department of Defense announced on Wednesday." He will be "buried Friday at Arlington National Cemetery."

34.                       Attorney Providing Free Legal Services To Vets June 4th, Weekend After Memorial Day. Groton (CT) Patch