•21.                       Gene Variant Linked With Development Of COPD In Men. Science Daily  "Researchers have linked a variant in the vitamin D receptor gene (VDR) with the onset of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Caucasian men. The study population consisted of participants in the Veterans Administration Normative Aging Study, a multidisciplinary study of aging that began in 1963." “Our results show that this gene variant is associated with development of COPD in Caucasian men, and provides support for the notion that vitamin D metabolic pathways may affect COPD risk,' said Audrey Poon, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at Meakins-Christie Laboratories, McGill University Health Centre in Montreal."

•22.                       Lawmakers Look For Updates On Arlington. Federal Times  "Lawmakers are growing impatient with the ongoing investigation into misconduct at Arlington National Cemetery. Nearly a year has passed since an Army inspector general report found problems with at least 211 gravesites at Arlington," whose director, Kathryn Condon, was "grilled recently by the House Appropriations Committee's military construction panel." Condon, who noted that Arlington is developing new systems to avoid similar problems in the future, "promised a full report to lawmakers when" investigations surrounding the matter are completed.

•23.                       Few Jobs In VA Contract: Army's Sim Agency Adds Few Jobs Early In New Deal With VA.  Orlando Sentinel  "The Army's Orlando-based training-contract command just landed a deal to become 'acquisition central' for the US Department of Veterans Affairs as that agency procures medical simulation-training systems for its 150 hospitals nationwide. But as big a deal as that is for the Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training & Instrumentation, known as PEO-STRI, the effect on local employment has been negligible." However, industry "experts insist that, given time, it will become a big jobs engine for the region."

•24.                       Sentinels Give The Gift Of Mobility. San Ramon (CA) Express  Ret. Petty Officer Ryan Sykes, a former Navy SEAL, was "given a uniquely outfitted car on Wednesday night, part of his ongoing rehabilitation as a Sentinel of Freedom. The Toyota Seneca -- purchased by a joint effort of the Sentinels, Navy SEAL Foundation, Lescher Foundation, Danville and San Ramon rotaries and the Veterans Administration --- has an electric ramp and swivel chair for easy access. Previously, Skyes' pregnant wife, Mandy, had to lift her husband and his wheelchair into their car."

•25.                       New Leash On Life: Dog Helps Vet Deal With PTSD. Salisbury (NC) Post  "Through a program called Puppies Behind Bars," Iraq veteran Jon Morris has been a dog that was "specially trained to help him deal" with his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) "and his traumatic brain injury." A Veterans Affairs "psychiatrist treating Jon for PTSD recommended that Jon apply for a dog through the program."

•26.                       Events To Celebrate Veterans. Richmond (KY) Register  "The Kentucky Veterans Welcome Home Celebration will take place Friday and Saturday at the Armed Forces Reserve Center near the entrance to the Blue Grass Army Depot. The event is free and open to the public." For a "complete list of events of for more information go to www.kentuckyveteranscelebration.org.";

•27.                       Veterans Administration. St. George (UT) Spectrum  Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense "have launched PTSD COACH, a phone application that offers tools to veterans experiencing" post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The "app encourages self assessment, while offering on-the-spot ways to cope with PTSD symptoms. Doctors say smart phones and some of their apps have become an essential part of the treatment for some veterans."

•28.                       Veterans Cast Their Stress Away. Wilkes-Barre (PA) Times-Leader Last Wednesday, 21 veterans from the Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Wilkes-Barre "participated in Project Healing Waters." Using fly fishing, the "program helps active military personnel and veterans with physical and emotional rehabilitation."

•29.                       Brecksville Veterans Administration Campus Ends 50 Years Of Care. Cleveland Plain Dealer The "time has come for the Brecksville campus of the Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center to 'just fade away,' as per Gen. Douglas MacArthur's observation regarding all old soldiers." In a move that is "expected to save" approximately $23 million per year for VA, there will be a "transfer of most of the services and 1,350 workers, plus more than 200 residents to new quarters at the Wade Park campus in Cleveland, where the results of a $526 million renovation and new construction project will be officially dedicated Monday." The Plain Dealer adds, "According to the VA, the move was needed to upgrade medical treatment in terms of facilities and programs, handle a regional patient load that has more than doubled in the past decade (from 39,000 to 100,000 annually), and eliminate duplication of services."

•30.                       Drivers Needed For Vets' Appointments. Aiken (SC) Standard

•31.                       A Reservist's Parents Pay A Price For The War. Off The Base  "Army Reservist Katie Holt wrote a heartfelt entry about her enlistment after the 9-11 attacks and what happened to her parents after she deployed. The full article is available" on VAntage Point, VA's blog. Holt adds, "My family, and many others, will forever be changed by the ongoing conflicts, and to them I say thank you."

•32.                       FBI Teams Up With Wounded Warriors. KNSD-TV A new FBI program is helping wounded warriors prepare "for life after the military" by offering internships to ones "who are considering a career in law enforcement." The FBI office in Carlsbad is the "first field office in the nation to start it up. It's a win-win,' said Agent in Charge Scott Gicking," who added, "They get the experience, they get the opportunity to see if it's something they want to do, but we get the resources we badly need."

•33.                       Veteran Forms Cooperative Of Medical Marijuana Growers. Kennebec (ME) Journal  Veteran Robert Rosso has "organized a cooperative of medical marijuana growers and patients, saying clients have dubbed him 'a pioneer' of Maine's budding new industry." Rosso "and other local growers have organized Kennebec Healing, a business that delivers hydroponic marijuana grown in three locations to 14 patients from Waterville to Windham."

•34.                       Jackson National To Decelerate VA Juggernaut. Investment News

•35.                       National Panel Starts Review Of Environmental Issues At Fort Detrick In Frederick. AP

•36.                       Veteran And Former Newark Officer Honored As Entrepreneur. Newark (NJ) Star-Ledger

•37.                       Illinois WWII Veteran Gets Bronze Star. Mt. Vernon (IL) Register-News

•38.                       NY Honoring 1st Union Officer Killed In Civil War. AP