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3/4/2010

Published: Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, March 1, 2010 at 11:58 p.m. \

The convoy of Humvees bumped along a parched Afghan river bed when the bomb exploded, throwing a cloud of dirt and rocks into the clear sky.

Former Army Green Beret Pete Perez, riding shotgun in the lead vehicle, awoke face down with a mouth full of dirt. Five years of migraines, insomnia, depression and efforts to take his own life followed as he grappled with crippling anxiety and greatly diminished sight.

But thanks to a yellow Labrador retriever named Lucy, Perez is more hopeful today than at any time since the bomb violently jarred his brain and broke his foot...

For full article: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100302/ARTICLE/3021072/-1/

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2/25/2010

Veterans’ Affairs Reminder: University of Illinois Scholarship available for Children of Combat Veterans

February 23, 2010 Veterans’ Affairs Reminder: University of Illinois Scholarship available for Children of Combat Veterans Up to six tuition waivers available per county; application deadline is March 1. CHICAGO – Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs (IDVA) Director Dan Grant is reminding children of Illinois’ combat Veterans to apply for the 2010-2011 Children of Veterans Tuition Waiver at the University of Illinois. Up to six tuition waivers are available annually in each county throughout Illinois for the child of a Veteran from the following conflicts: World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. The application deadline is March 1, 2010. For full details: http://www.illinois.gov/PressReleases/ShowPressRelease.cfm?SubjectID=57&RecNum=8264

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1/21/2010

Balad burn pit harmed troops living 1 mile away

By Kelly Kennedy - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jan 20, 2010 20:58:35 EST

As Wendy McBreairty hiked up a 20-foot bluff in her hometown of Cheyenne, Wyo., her thigh muscles felt heavy, as if she had been climbing for hours.

She breathed deeply, trying to fill her lungs but, as usual, she felt as if she could not get enough of the clear, cold air. Fatigue overwhelmed her, just as it does every other day of her life.

The 32-year-old Air National Guard staff sergeant sat on a rock, leaned toward the setting sun, and pondered her future.

For the full article....http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/01/military_burn_pit_011810w/

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Korea Vets: Soldier’s Death not Suicide

January 19, 2010

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

RACINE, Wis. --- John Kamperschroer noticed the posting on a Web site for Korean War veterans: Anyone who knew Sgt. Earl Glover please contact his granddaughter.

Kamperschroer served in the same medical unit as Glover and sent the granddaughter a black and white photo of Glover taken in August 1950 at the dock in Pusan shortly after the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, got off its transport ship. Glover died two months later.

Theresa Giometti thanked the Racine veteran for sending the photo and mentioned that her grandfather had committed suicide in Korea.

Kamperschroer knew differently.

Since that initial contact with the granddaughter of his fellow Army medic, Kamperschroer, who retired in 1996 as a nurse anesthetist from St. Luke's Hospital in Racine, has tracked down a witness to Glover's death, contacted Wisconsin's congressional delegation and filed the paperwork to right the wrong.

For the full story... http://www.military.com/news/article/korea-vets-soldiers-death-not-suicide.html?col=1186032310810&ESRC=army-a.nl

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1/19/2010

Soldiers Receiving VA Money Inappropriately

Erroneous Payments for Veterans Administration (VA)
                                                Emergency Advanced Payment for Education

The VA has approved and implemented an emergency advanced payment program for Veterans (who are NOT on active duty) who are eligible under one of VA’s education programs, currently enrolled in school, and have not yet received their monthly benefit payment.   All three conditions must apply in order to be eligible. The application is available through the VA website online.

Currently many active duty Soldiers have applied and received advanced payment. Active duty Soldiers are INELIGIBLE for this benefit, and will be required to repay the money received to VA.   As IMCOM ACES became aware of this issue, coordination was undertaken with Army G1 and Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs (ASAM&RA) to address the problem from an enterprise perspective. The Veterans Administration has also been notified.

Soldiers have been erroneously briefed about their entitlement to this benefit during unit formations. Furthermore, if active duty Soldiers apply and receive these dollars, the money will be recouped in the future, potentially causing hardship.   Recommend that Soldiers who have already received the advanced payment contact VA immediately to return the money. If active duty Soldiers knowingly apply for a benefit for which they are ineligible, they could face disciplinary action.

Commanders have been encouraged to emphasize to Soldiers that only Veterans (no longer on active duty) are eligible for this benefit, and active duty Soldiers are cautioned not to apply. Questions concerning active duty education benefits should be directed to an Army Continuing Education System Guidance Counselor.

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1/11/2010

APNewsBreak: Increase in suicide rate of vets

By KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writer Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 50 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The suicide rate among 18- to 29-year-old men who've left the military has gone up significantly, the government said Monday.

The rate for these veterans went up 26 percent from 2005 to 2007, according to preliminary data from the Veterans Affairs Department. It's assumed that most of the veterans in this age group served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

If there is a bright spot in the data, it's that in 2007 veterans in the group who used VA health care were less likely to commit suicide than those who did not. That's a change from 2005.

For the full article...http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100111/ap_on_bi_ge/us_veterans_suicide

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1/8/2010

Soldiers Fight in the Courts Over Liability in War Zones

By DIONNE SEARCEY A recent lawsuit brought by a group of Indiana National Guardsman spotlights a controversial legal doctrine that prevents soldiers on active duty from seeking compensation for injuries sustained in war zones. The guardsman allege that a mission to help clean up a water treatment plant in southern Iraq left them with what they say are potentially fatal illnesses. For the full article: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126282165502918747.html

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12/10/2009

WH Reviews No-Letter Policy for Military Suicide

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: December 9, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The White House says it is reviewing a long-standing policy that prevents President Barack Obama from sending a condolence letter to families of service members who have committed suicide.

For the full article: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/12/09/us/politics/AP-US-Obama-Military-Condolence-Letters.html?_r=1

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12/7/2009

FREE TAX RETURN PREPARATION FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL

"The Illinois CPA Society is extremely grateful for the dedicated service of the members of the U.S. Armed forces and their families. In demonstration of [its] gratitude, the Illinois CPA Society, in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service, offers the Military Tax Preparation Project. The Illinois CPA Society has gladly provided this service for the past seven years.

The Military Tax Preparation Project provides free personal income tax return filing assistance to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have recently returned or are still serving in a combat zone or qualified hazardous duty area. The service also assists family members who are filing tax returns on behalf of service men and women who are still serving on active duty or have recently returned.

Qualifying U.S. Armed Forces personnel are:

U.S. Armed Forces personnel who are serving or have served in a combat zone or qualified hazardous duty area during the current tax year
Current Illinois residents
And, as per the Military Family Tax Relief Act of 2003, U.S. Armed Forces personnel serving in a Contingency operation.

This program is structured to help those who do not have an existing relationship with a CPA. The Illinois CPA Society will match military personnel who request assistance with a volunteer CPA in their geographic area."

-Letter from Jill Wiles, Community Service Manager, Illinoic CPA Society.

For Additional Information visit www.icpas.org or call 1-800-993-0407 or 312-993-9954

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Quinn Administration Launches New Veterans’ Cash Stars & Stripes Lottery Ticket

Quinn Administration Launches New Veterans’ Cash

Stars & Stripes Lottery Ticket

Proceeds Benefit Illinois’ Veterans; More Than $7 Million Raised Since 2006

CHICAGO – October 28, 2009. Governor Pat Quinn today kicked off the statewide launch of the newest

Veterans’ Cash scratch-off lottery ticket, the Stars & Stripes ticket. The ticket’s net proceeds benefit

rehabilitative programs and services for Illinois veterans. Since Governor Quinn first championed and

launched the program in 2006, Veterans’ Cash has awarded more than $7 million to veterans’

organizations statewide.

“As the nation prepares to honor its military heroes this coming Veterans Day, we encourage the public to

honor their sacrifices by buying a Veterans’ Cash-Stars & Stripes ticket,” said Governor Quinn. “I’m proud

this program has awarded more than $7 million to programs supporting Illinois’ veterans, and we look

forward to doing even more.”

For the full article... http://www.illinoislottery.com/subsections/PR/VetCash_102809.pdf

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