Military Etc….

My Great Uncle Carl Grossman was invited by Tom Brokaw to the dedication of a new venue at the National World War 2 Museum in New Orleans.  The event was held on November 5 and 6^th.  I have attached a newspaper clip from the New Orleans Times-Picayune detailing the event and also an Associated Press clip describing the new  WW II documentary that is playing in the new theater there.  The ceremonies were held to unveil the theater and documentary, narrated by Tom Hanks.

Tom Brokaw arranged for Wal-Mart to fly down Uncle Carl and his wife on its private jet, accompanied by Wal-Mart VP Joe Venezia, a graduate of West Point.  Wal-Mart also paid for all of their expenses in New Orleans. This came about after Brokaw learned that Uncle Carl was the last of eight Grossman brothers from Pittsburgh who fought in World War II, and that Uncle Carl, who will be 90 in December, was still working, as a greeter at the Wal-Mart in Troy, Michigan, in the Detroit area, where he has lived since the 1950’s.

Right: Tom Hanks & Carl Grossman. Left: Tom Brokaw & Carl Grossman

Several family members attended and were part of a VIP group of about 250 people Thursday night, Nov. 5, who saw a red carpet preview of the new museum documentary, Beyond All Boundaries.  At a reception that followed, Brokaw  asked Uncle Carl to stand up and told of his and his brothers’ service in WW II; he  said that the only way he could get Uncle Carl – who did not want to miss a day’s work — to the reception was to ask the chairman of Wal-Mart to give him a day off and fly him down. Uncle Carl received a rousing round of applause, and afterward was approached by numerous guests who wanted to meet him.

On Friday, he was among 250 WW II vets  — men and women —  who marched into the large official outdoor ceremony dedicating the new wing of the museum.  In addition to Brokaw and Hanks, the speakers included Sen. George McGovern, who was  a bomber pilot in WW II, and Mickey Rooney.

Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, Uncle Carl was interviewed for several hours inside the museum by the Today Show, which is preparing a feature on him and the Fighting Grossmans to air sometime in December (when I know the date, I shall inform you).

The museum events and the reactions of the people who attended were memorable, emotional, and inspiring.  As the documentary and the speakers stated, the dedication of the men and women who fought in WW II literally saved our country and changed America and the world  — and we must remember and honor them ,and the lessons of WW II , before they all pass. If you want to learn a little more about the museum, go to  http://www.nationalww2museum.org/

Oh — also take a look at the attached photos of Uncle Carl with the two Toms –Hanks and Brokaw.  Uncle Carl is the young and handsome guy on the right!

My sincere thanks to Tom Brokaw and Sam Walton along with Joe Venezia of Wal-Mart for their kindness to my Amazing and Great uncle Carl Grossman.  Uncle Carl is 90 and refuses to stop working or take a day off.   He is now a Greeter at Wal-Mart in Michigan.

There were 11 children (10 boys and one girl, the youngest.   Eight of the brothers served our nation in World War II and all survived to lead productive lives.   They are truly the “Greatest  Generation”!

Happy Veterans Day To All Those Who Serve, Past & Present,

Debbie Gregory, CEO
MilitaryConnection.com
Follow Us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/thegotosite)

Sky Ball VII with Lee Greenwood, Gary Sinise, Tony Orlando, Steve Amerson, Dale Dye and others

American Airlines and the Fort Worth Airpower Foundation are coming together once again to raise money for North Texas military families. Sky Ball VII is taking place on Saturday, Oct. 24 at American’s Alliance maintenance base, and you are invited to attend the gala.

Many families struggle to meet their financial obligations when their loved ones are called to active duty, in many cases for multiple tours overseas. Proceeds from Sky Ball provide financial assistance to these military families. Support comes in many forms, including financial aid for deployed families, departure and welcome-home receptions, support for welfare and relief projects of the units assigned in North Texas, and delivering care packages and other gifts to the soldiers wounded in battle who are recuperating at military hospitals.

The Sky Ball VII gala will feature a moving program, including entertainment headlined by Tony Orlando, a special guest appearance by fellow patriot Lee Greenwood and the voice of the Medal of Honor Foundation and “America’s Tenor,” Steve Amerson. Also appearing will be television and film celebrities, including Gary Sinise, star of the “CSI: NY” and “Forrest Gump;” and Dale Dye, star of “Saving Private Ryan” and “Band of Brothers,” among others. In addition, there will be a special appearance by inventor Dean Kamen, known for the Segway and iBOT mobility devices; and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mike Durrant (ret), former POW and the pilot from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment depicted in the movie, “Blackhawk Down.”

All proceeds from Sky Ball directly benefit the families of reservists and members of the National Guard stationed at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. Last year’s event alone raised more than $500,000 for families of deployed troops.

MilitaryConnection.com has the highest respect for military healthcare professionals. They are the best! Military healthcare professionals use leading edge medicine to heal those who serve. Our CEO, Debbie Gregory, wrote an article for the National Association of Healthcare Recruiters (NAHCR) Newsletter. The title says it all: “Military Healthcare Professionals – They Walk On Water“.

MilitaryConnection.com has many resources for healthcare professionals. They include but are not limited to:

• Licensing Boards
• Nursing Associations
• Professional Conferences
• Nursing Articles
• Nursing Interview Questions
• Directory of Healthcare Employers – features thousands
• Virtual Healthcare Job Fair
• Our Job Board

If you are seeking viable candidates including physicians, nurses and all allied health, you should be checking out the options on MilitaryConnection.com. If you are a candidates looking for excellent jobs, register as a Job Seeker. When the next tour is back home, it’s on MiltiaryConnection.com – The Go To Site

Gary Sinise who stars in CSI has the heart of a patriot. He is an actor who uses his celebrity to support those who serve, past and present, in so many different and positive ways. Gary is a very good friend to the military and veteran communities.

MilitaryConnection.com commends Gary Sinise

Let’s get out and support Gary Sinise this Saturday, September 26th for an incredible event. Gary Sinise presents the best of the GI Film Festival at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA. The parking is ample and free.

The fun begins at 10:00 a.m. and lasts until 9:00 p.m. when there will be a Special VIP Reception with Gary Sinise. Come Join Us.

Purchase tickets online at www.gifilmfestival.com

THOMAS BROWN / STAFF Newman’s Own President Tom Indoe, left, with Tammy Fisher, trustee, Fisher House Foundation, right, gives the top award of $15,000 dollars and a Newman’s Own bust to Dave Mahler of USA Together during the 2009 Newman’s Own Awards at the Pentagon on Sept 10. Eleven grants were given to organizations for their plans to improve the quality of life for military families.

Eleven organizations received a total of $75,000 in grants, ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 apiece, for their efforts to improve the quality of life for the military community.

USA Together, a Web site that links wounded service members with donors, was the overall winner, receiving a $15,000 grant and a bust of Paul Newman, provided by Newman’s Own, which sponsored the competition, along with the Fisher House Foundation and the Military Times Media Group, which publishes Army Times, Air Force Times, Navy Times and Marine Corps Times.

USA Together’s founder, Dave Mahler, said he plans to use the $15,000 to create a program working with other veterans service organizations to allow more help to flow to veterans with unmet needs.

Since USA Together became fully operational in December, donors have helped about 150 families through the site. Needs vary from help with child care costs or purchasing new tires, to help making a mortgage payment or buying a mattress.

“The requests are shockingly mundane,” Mahler said.

“This is the most polite, grateful, thankful group of people I’ve ever worked with,” Mahler said. “These service members are a joy to work with. They thank you for answering the phone.”

During the ceremony, Mahler said his initial idea was “let’s just put the list on the Internet and people will step up.”

Although getting the idea up and running was harder than one would think, he said, “Americans have proved they would step up and meet these needs.”

On any given day, you won’t see a lot of requests for help on the USA Together Web site, Mahler said; there are so many donors out there ready to help injured and wounded service members, and their families and Gold Star families, that requests are fulfilled quickly.

Tomorrow is Patriot Day and a special day to commemorate September 11th, 2001.  We remember those Americans who were lost on that horrific day.  We honor all of those who serve our nation past and present.   We honor our everyday heroes, fire personnel, police, doctors, nurses and emergency medical personnel.

MilitaryConnection.com is honored to partner for the 4th year with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library to produce the 9/11 Freedom Walk.  Personally, for me, this is a day to come together as Americans.  We may have differences and different points of view.  At the end of the day, we are all Americans and we live in the greatest country in the world.

Please find below our Media Advisory for this event and remember and honor all of our nation’s Patriots and one another.

Warm regards,

Debbie Gregory, CEO
MilitaryConnection.com

———————-

* * * MEDIA ADVISORY * * *

PROGRAM ANNOUNCED FOR 4TH ANNUAL 9-11 FREEDOM WALK

What:
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library (www.reaganlibrary.com) is joining forces with MilitaryConnection.com to bring to our city the fourth annual Simi Valley Freedom Walk on Friday, September 11th.   Please join us as we remember the victims of September 11th, and honor our troops who continue to fight for freedom.

Program:

4:15PM – Pre-program patriotic music; 1st Marine Division Band, United States Marine Corps, Camp Pendleton

5:00PM – Program begins, which includes:

• Colonel Nicholas Marano, Commanding Officer, United States Marine Corps, Camp Pendleton
• J.R. Martinez, a wounded warrior who has since become a breakout star on “All My Children”
• Bonnie Carroll, founder, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors
• Flyover

5:30PM – Walk begins – The 1.8 mile route will begin in the Reagan Library’s courtyard and will conclude at
Rancho Madera Community Park off of Wood Ranch Parkway.

6:00 PM – Walk concludes.  Light refreshments will be offered and Air National Guard Band of the Southwest will provide post-program musical entertainment at the park.  Complementary shuttle service will return the
participants to their cars at the Library.

To register, go to www.reaganfoundation.org/events and click on “9-11 Freedom Walk”, or call 805-522-2977.  The first 1,000 people who register for the walk will receive a free “Freedom Walk” t-shirt and an American flag.

Also, from September 1st through September 30th the Reagan Library, in conjunction with “For The Troops” will be collecting donations for U.S. Soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan in the Library’s main lobby.  Items must be unwrapped and in original packaging, including: packets of trail mix, peanuts, gum, hard candy and beef jerky; snacks that are not heat sensitive and will not melt in hot temperatures; individual packets of lemonade or Crystal Light for water bottles; CDs and DVDs; used video games; AA batteries; stationery; and pre-paid phone cards.  Only miniature hygiene items will be accepted.

The Reagan Library and MilitaryConnection.com would like to thank the following sponsors for their generous support of this event:
Air National Guard Band of the Southwest; The American Red Cross of Ventura County; The City of Simi Valley; CocaCola Enterprises; Command Performance Catering; Custom Printing; The Flag Factory; For The Troops; The Jelly Belly Candy Company; Larry Borovay of Simi Valley; Naval Base Ventura County; All American Audio Visual; Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District; Rebecca Davey and Sequoia Middle School Choir; RoadRunner Shuttle and Limousine Service; Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise; Starbucks of Simi Valley; USMC Camp Pendleton’s First Marine Division Band.

Where: The courtyard of The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, 40 Presidential Drive, Simi Valley, CA

###

Silver Star Families of America and MilitaryConnection.com are on a quest to find the best Military and Veteran Affairs primary care physicians who serve you. We believe that those who serve and our Veterans deserve the leading edge healthcare and caring and compassionate physicians.

We want to recognize the best of the best who deliver military healthcare and veteran healthcare for the “Above & Beyond Primary Physician Awards”. The most important measure of how well a job a doctor is doing is through the patient’s feedback. The nomination and selection process for this program will totally be based on what those patients say. We encourage you to nominate deserving physicians.

Silver Star Families and MilitaryConnection.com will be profiling some of these fine physicians.

In your email, please include the following:

• Your Doctor’s full Name
• The Hospital they are affiliated with
• Why you feel this doctor should be nominated (any background you wish to include)
• Your Name
• Your Email & Phone number (for verification of the nomination)

MilitaryConnection.com works hard to provide our military and veteran communities excellent resources.  We find this list of Veteran Benefits Government Web-Sites and information on Veterans benefits and how to file/ask for them. Accordingly, there are many sites that explain how to obtain books, military/medical records, information and how to appeal a denied claim with the VA. Please pass this information on to every Veteran you know. Nearly 100% of this information is free and available for all veterans, the only catch is: you have to ask for it.

You will find all types of important and timely information on MilitaryConnection.com when you explore it. There are thousands of pages and something for everyone including jobs, Post 9/11 GI Bill information, pay charts, news and even golf courses and much more. When the next tour is back home, it’s on MilitaryConnection.com.  Please use and enjoy these resources and send us any that we you think are valuable. government web-sites

• Appeals
• Board of Veteran’s Appeals
• CARES Commission
• CARES Draft National Plan
• Center for Minority Veterans
• Centers for Veterans Enterprise
• Center for Women Veterans
• Clarification on the changes in VA healthcare for Gulf War Veterans
• Classified Records – American Gulf War Veterans Association
• Compensation for Disabilities Associated with the Gulf War Service
• Compensation Rate Tables, 12-1-03
• Department of Veterans Affairs Home Page
• Directory of Veterans Service Organizations
• Disability Examination Worksheets Index Compensation
• Due Process
• Duty to Assist
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations
• Emergency, Non-emergency and Fee Basis Care
• Environmental Agents
• Environmental Agents M10
• Establishing Combat Veteran Eligibility
• Evaluation Protocol for Gulf War and Iraqi Freedom Veterans with Potential Exposure to Depleted Uranium (DU)
• See also – Depleted Uranium Sheet
• Evaluation Protocol for Non-Gulf War Veterans with potential exposure to depleted Uranium (DU)
• Fee Basis, Priority for Outpatient Medical Services & Inpatient Hospital Care
• Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents 2005
• Forms and Records Request
• General Compensation Request
• General Compensation Provisions
• Geriatrics and Extended Care
• Guideline for Chronic Pain and Fatigue MUS-CPG
• Guide to Gulf War Veteran’s Health
• Gulf War Subject
• Gulf War Veteran’s Illness Q&A
• Hearings
• Homeless Veterans
• HSR&D
• Disability Examination Worksheets C&P exams
• Ionizing Radiation
• Iraqi Freedom/Enduring Freedom Veterans VBA
• M10 for Spouses and Children
• M10 Part III Change 1
• M21-1 Table of Contents
• Mental Disorders, Schedule of Ratings
• Mental Health Program Guidelines
• Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers
• MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Centers of Excellence
• My Health eVet
• NASVDA (National Association of State Directors)
• National Centers for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
• Neurological Conditions and Convulsive Disorders, Schedule of Ratings
• OMI (Office of Medical Inspector)
• Online VA Form 10-10EZ
• Parkinson’s Disease and Related Neurodegenerative Disorders
• Peacetime Disability Compensation
• Pension for Non-Service-Connected Disability or Death
• Gulf War Registry Program (Including Operation Iraqi Freedom)
• Persian Gulf Registry Referral Centers
• Persian Gulf Veterans’ Illnesses Research 1999, Annual Report To Congress
• Persian Gulf Veterans’ Illnesses Research 2002, Annual Report To Congress
• Phase I PGR
• Phase II PGR
• Policy Manual
• Power of Attorney
• Project 112 (Including Project SHAD)
• Prosthetics Eligibility
• Public Health and Environmental Hazards
• Public Health/SARS
• Publications Manuals
• Publications and Reports
• Records Center and Vault
• Request for/and Consent to Release of Information from Claimant’s Records
• Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses April 11, 2002
• Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans Illnesses 2004
• Research and Development
• Survivor’s and Dependents’ Educational Assistance
• Subpart Pension, Compensation, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
• Total disability ratings for compensation based on unemployability of the individual.
• U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
• VA Best Practice Manual for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• VA Fact Sheet
• VA Health Care Eligibility
• VA Instituting Global Assessment of Function (GAF)
• VA Life Insurance Handbook Chapter 3
• VA Loan Lending Limits and Jumbo Loans
• VA MS Research
• VA National Hepatitis C Program
• VA Office of Research and Development
• VA Trainee Pocket Card on Gulf War
• VA WMD EMSHG
• VA WRIISC-DC
• VAOIG Hotline Telephone Number and Address
• Vet Center Eligibility – Readjustment Counseling Service
• Veterans Benefits Administration
• Veterans Legal and Benefits Information
• VHA Forms, Publications, Manuals
• VHA Programs – Clinical Programs & Initiatives
• VHA Public Health Strategic Health Care Group
• VHI Guide to Gulf War Veterans Health
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Vocational Rehabilitation Subsistence
• VONAPP
• WARMS – 38 CFR Book C
• War-Related Illness and Injury Study Center – New Jersey
• GI Bill Web Site
• What VA Social Workers Do
• WRIISC Patient Eligibility

You can find an entire section of information on the Post 9/11 GI Bill on MilitaryConnection.com here. The Department of Veterans Affairs began accepting applications in May for the Post 9/11 GI Bill and you can apply here.

What Does the Post 9/11 GI Bill Cover?

• The Post 9/11 Gill Bill covers 36 Months of Tuition & Fees at public colleges and universities, distance education as well as some private schools that are part of the Yellow Ribbon Program. Tuition is paid directly to the school
• The Post 9/11 GI Bill covers Tax Free Housing Stipends equal to the Basic Housing Allowance for an E-5 with dependents
• The Post 9/11 GI Bill covers a book Stipend of up to $1000 per academic year
• The Post 9/11 GI Bill covers Tutoring Assistance of up to $1200
• The Post 9/11 GI Bill covers Payment for one licensure/certification test up to $2,000
• The Post 9/11 GI Bill covers a relocation allowance of up to $500 for specific circumstances
• The Post 9/11 GI Bill covers Transferability of benefits to a spouse or dependent children if servicemember has completed 6 years of service and signs up for 4 more years or has completed 10 years.
• The Post 9/11 GI Bill allows Tuition benefits to be divided between the veteran and his or her spouse or dependents

You can find the following information on the Post 9/11 GI Bill on MilitaryConnection.com including:

• Post 9/11 GI Bill Application
• State Tuition Chart for Post 9/11 GI Bill
• Housing Calculator for Post 9/11 GI Bill
• Post 9/11 GI Bill FAQS
• Scholarship Directory Featuring Thousands of Scholarships
• Education Articles
• Education Benefits
• More…

MilitaryConnection.com is pleased to offer an entire area of our web site dedicated to Education Resources.  You can go directly to our Education Directory

MilitaryConnection.com features pages and pages of valuable information on the Post 9/11 GI Bill.  Registration for this incredible benefit began only five weeks ago and over 60,000 veterans have already registered.  You can find a link to register for these valuable benefits at the top of our homepage or in the Education Directory.  You can also find more information including:

• Veteran/Military Scholarship Directory featuring thousands of scholarships
• Veteran/Military School Directory
• State Tuition Fees Chart
• GI Bill Housing Calculator
• Application to apply for the Post 9/11 GI Bill
• Yellow Ribbon Program
• Post 9/11 GI Bill FAQs
• Veteran Education Articles
• Education Benefits
• More…

Check out this area and pass the word.