•31.                       Wounded Warrior Honors Area Nurses. KXXV-TV  "This is National Nurses Week, and nurses at the Temple and Waco Veterans Affairs Hospitals heard from" Shilo Harris, a "wounded Iraq War vet who credited excellent nursing care for his recovery." Harris "said, 'In all likelihood I wouldn't be here if not for the nurses and care I received. I feel eternally honored to tell these nurses 'thank you' from the bottom of my heart.' Veterans Hospitals employ 83,000 nurses, the largest single employer of nurses."

•32.                       Families Of War Veterans Don't Get The Help They Need, Officials Say. Sioux Falls (SD) Argus Leader  "Families are the new casualties of war, service officials said Wednesday at a Sioux Falls forum." During a roundtable at Legion Post 15, "25 officials from Veterans Affairs and other agencies discussed issues that rural service members face, such as access to care and strain on families. The Rehabilitation Committee of the Minnesota American Legion came to Sioux Falls to sponsor the session because service needs of Minnesota overlap with South Dakota."

•33.                       Exposure To Agent Orange Linked To Cancer.  ABC News Radio  "Researchers at the Overton Brooks VAMC in Shreveport, Louisiana conducted a study and found that four percent of the 297 patients with kidney cancer between 1987 and 2009 claimed they were exposed to Agent Orange. The findings of the study were presented at an American Urological Association meeting. The study has found that a link exists between exposure to Agent Orange and various types of cancer." However, researchers say that they "may need to better determine if exposure to the chemicals should be considered a risk factor for kidney cancer."

•34.                       The Invisible Veteran Part 1: Fighting The Claims Battle. WSET-TV Some Vietnam vets "say the government is pushing them aside to care for younger veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Government employees stand by the healthcare they give veterans, but admit that filing a health benefit claim in the system can be a tedious, tiresome task." One Vietnam era vet dissatisfied with VA is Pat Plourde, who told WSET that he is very frustrated with VA because after submitting "everything" he "possibly could," he still does not know what VA is looking for in order to prove that his condition is service-related.

•35.                       Vietnam Vet To Get US Honors After Burial Snub.   AFP "The legendary Hmong general who led a CIA-backed 'secret army' during the Vietnam war is to be honored in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, organizers said. A US Army honor guard will join the ceremony for General Vang Pao and other military leaders at Arlington, three months after US authorities refused appeals for the veteran to be buried there, following his death in January."  "The event is being co-sponsored by the Lao Veterans of America Institute (LVAI), the Lao Veterans of America, Inc., members of the US Congress, and the US Department of Defense, according to a joint statement."

•36.                       Body Shop: Think Twice Before Using Ibuprofen For Long-term Pain Management.  Army Times  "Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker, the Army surgeon general, chartered a pain management task force in August 2009 to standardize pain care and look at pain management options. The task force includes medical specialists from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Tricare Management Activity and Veterans Health Administration." One directive of the task force "is to include treatments such as acupuncture and yoga for pain management."

•37.                       VA Spells Out Steps To Mortgage Relief For Veterans Affected By Tornadoes.   Loansafe "Veterans in storm-ravaged parts of Alabama, Arkansas and throughout the South should receive some manner of mortgage relief in the coming months." That is the "position of the Department of Veterans Affairs, which released a circular in early May urging mortgage servicers to be patient with veterans whose homes, families and livelihoods have been impacted by a swath of devastating tornadoes." Among other things, VA is "suggesting that lenders and servicers" institute a "90-day moratorium on initiating foreclosure proceedings."

•38.                       FlorenceNational Cemetery Hosts Memorial Day Program. Florence (SC) Morning News The Florence National Cemetery "will host a Memorial Day program to remember and honor all military members at 10 a.m. May 30 at the cemetery's committal shelter. State Sen. Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, will be" the program's "keynote speaker. Parking will be provided throughout cemetery upon arrival."

•39.                       Santa Monica's Homeless Efforts Hampered By Outside Forces. LookOut News "The city's fight to reduce homelessness is being hampered by regional funding guidelines and a slow-moving federal bureaucracy, homeless officials told the Santa Monica City Council Tuesday. The prognosis came during a session to bring the council up to speed on the progress of a range of efforts to put a dent in the seemingly intractable problem." During the session, Council Member Bobby Shriver was assured by Human Services Manager Julie Rusk that getting Veterans Affairs "to use their resources to get more housing for homeless people has been a priority for the City of Santa Monica." Meanwhile, Flora Gil Krisiloff, senior Field Deputy from County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's office, told those attending the session that a drive to get VA to use a housing-first approach has allowed the agency to cut down on its red tape.

•40.                       House GOP Trims Military Construction, VA Measure "For First Time In History." The Hill  "The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday announced its 2012 budget for military construction and Veterans Affairs will cut" the Obama Administration's "$73.7 billion request by $1.2 billion. The budget reductions are the latest move by House Republicans to slash federal spending. Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas), the chairman of the subcommittee on military construction and veterans affairs, said it was the 'first time in history' appropriators had cut this spending bill," while Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) said the legislation funds "critical quality of life programs" and trims "excess spending wherever possible."

•41.                       House Panel Endorses "Sensible" Tricare Hike, Cut In "Widow's Tax." Stars And Stripes The House Armed Services Committee "voted early Thursday to allow the first bump in TRICARE Prime enrollment fees in more than 15 years." Among other things, the committee's bill "would allow these fees ...to be adjusted each year to keep pace with inflation," but "would cap any increase to the percentage rise in retired pay made through by the annual cost-of-living adjustment." Committee chairman Rep. Howard McKeon (R-Calif.), called the plan a "sensible" approach to TRICARE fees.

•42.                       Streamlining Home Buying For Veterans. International Business Times

•43.                       Jackson's Braking Of VA Sales "A Whiplash," Say Advisers. Investment News

•44.                       VA Barbecue Brings Veterans Together. Stockton (CA) Record

•45.                       Sen. Rush's Office Co-hosts Briefing On "Train Vets To Treat Vets" Program. Dedham (MA) Transcript

•46.                       Shuttle Provides Rides To Veterans. South Lyon (MI) Hometown News

•47.                       Student Helps Local Veterans.  UCF Today

•48.                       Funeral Home, Groups Give Final Salute To Homeless Veteran. Tampa Tribune 

•49.                       Civil War Leads To Memorial Day And Hometown Honors For Johnny Clem. Newark (OH) Advocate

•50.                       Irish Regiment Places Headstones For Five Civil War Soldiers In Philadelphia. Philadelphia Inquireri