Military Connection Archives

Military Connection: Article Sparks Intrigue: By Debbie Gregory

August 10, 2014/in Archived Blogs

With the confirmation of Robert McDonald as the new permanent secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, many in the military and Veteran communities are eager to see what his term will bring, and how he will affect change in the VA system. The staff at Military Connection would like to know what members of the Veteran community think about McDonald’s confirmation, and how he should approach his task of reforming the VA. Using the following editorial article from The Arizona Republic, as a guide, we ask that you formulate your own ideas on how you think Sec. McDonald should approach refurbishing the VA.

VA scandal: How to fix a broken system
By The Arizona Republic editorial board

As Seen in The Arizona Republic

Mr. Robert McDonald:

We admire your courage. In accepting this nomination, you are about to confront one of the most daunting challenges in all of federal governance: reforming the VA hospital system.

You face three great challenges.

The first is size. With 6.5 million patients, 300,000 employees and more than 150 hospitals and 850 clinics, the system is too large to adequately perform its core mission of providing lifesaving and recuperative care to veterans of war.

You must make the VA health-care system smaller. This will be your greatest challenge.

By returning to the VA”s roots and treating only war and service-related injuries, you will enhance care for all veterans. Congress is working to find private-sector alternatives. Help them find answers for those whose needs are unrelated to their service. It does no favors to vets to make this organization bigger.

The second challenge is the corrosive culture you inherit.

Imagine how daunting your job leading Procter and Gamble would have been if you could not trust your subordinates. Imagine what kind of company P and G would be if your down-line directors believed they could mislead you and get away with it. Your chances of accomplishing real reform would be next to nil.

The VA has many great, duty-minded, veteran-centric employees. It also has too many employees, in too many important positions, who have demonstrated they will lie. They must go.

The third of your challenges is time. Bureaucracies as large and dysfunctional as the VA will resist change by waiting you out. You have no more than 31 months – realistically, less – to enact reforms before President Barack Obama leaves office and the next wave of political appointees moves in. You must act quickly.

There are steps you can take that will improve your chances of ensuring quality health care for vets. None will be easy. Some are dramatic.

Click here to read the full editorial.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Article Sparks Intrigue: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Disabled Recruits? By Debbie Gregory

August 9, 2014/in Military, Military Spouse, Military Veteran

While it would seem that years of fighting a war could result in a desensitized society, in actual fact, recent conflicts have had the opposite effect. The long-standing “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy has been repealed, and the role of women in the military is ever-expanding, inching ever closer to combat. Additionally, service members who were wounded to the point of being disabled are not forced out of uniform, but instead, are given non-combat positions so that they can still serve their country. Currently, there is a push to permit disabled men and women, who were not disabled due to military service, to enlist to serve their country.

The charge is being led by popular senator and disabled Veteran Bob Dole. Dole served in the U.S. Army during WWII, and was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Dole was severely wounded by German machine gun fire, leaving him permanently disabled.

Dole heads a group of senators from both parties who are pushing for the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The agreement, already in place in 141 other countries, is modeled after the Americans with Disabilities Act, and requires countries to provide disabled citizens equality under the law.

Concerns over whether adopting the treaty would lead to extreme regulations on U.S. employers has stalled its momentum in the Senate. But the senators who support the adoption of the treaty don’t believe that its implementation would have any ill-effects on American businesses. They believe that the treaty will do much to re-establish the U.S. as a leader in providing employment opportunities and protections for its disabled citizens.

Iowa Senator Tom Harkin even included an amendment in a Senate draft of the annual defense appropriations bill that would require the military to research the prospect of permitting disabled men and women to enlist in the military in non-combat roles.

The DOD currently abides by a federal law that requires “reasonable accommodations” be made for disabled civilian employees, but no such exceptions are currently in place for enlistees into the military.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Disabled Recruits? By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: No Win for 2 Veterans: By Joe Silva

August 8, 2014/in Archived Blogs

As a Veteran, how would you react if someone falsely claimed that you said members of your former service had “deserved” to die? What would you do if the person saying this also claimed to have beaten you up for it? And suppose that the person making these claims against you made $6 million from a book that sold 1.6 million copies, in-part due to the false claims against you? What would you do?

The answers to these questions would seem to be pretty obvious. More than likely, you would sue the person making false claims against you. Well, this scenario did play out in real life, and has caused a huge controversy. The person who made this false claim was well-respected war hero, Chris Kyle. And the Veteran who was targeted was none other than actor, former professional wrestler, and former-governor of Minnesota, Jesse Ventura.

Ventura served in the Navy from 1969-1975, and was a member of the Navy’s Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) the predecessor to the Navy SEALs. Ventura, though not a SEAL, is considered part of the SEAL community, and is often invited to official functions.

Kyle, a former Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy SEALs, has been awarded two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars, along with numerous other decorations. He also holds the distinction of accumulating 160 confirmed kills as a sniper during his career, earning him the nickname “The Devil of Ramadi”. On February 3, 2013, Kyle was killed by a Marine Veteran whom he was helping.

In his book “American Sniper,” Kyle claimed that he got into a fight with a man at a bar near San Diego, and knocked him out. Kyle claimed his foe denounced the war and disrespected fallen SEALs by saying they “deserved to lose some” for their part in the war. When promoting his book, Kyle stated on a radio show that this foe was Jesse Ventura.

Ventura states that the event never happened, and that more importantly, as a Veteran from a military family where his father and brother also served, he would never say remarks to that affect.

Ventura gave Kyle the chance to apologize and retract his story before proceeding with a lawsuit. Kyle refused. Instead, the then-37 year old insinuated that he and the then-61 year old Ventura should fight. Kyle’s book was still on shelves and the claims were still on the internet. Ventura sued Kyle in 2012, before he was killed.

People still condemn the hard-nosed Ventura for proceeding with the lawsuit against Chris Kyle’s estate. And on July 29, 2014 when a Minnesota jury found in favor of Ventura, awarding him $1.845 million from Kyle’s estate, the media vilified the older Veteran.

It makes you wonder what other Veterans would do if their loyalty to their service was called into question. Perhaps Ventura will donate a large portion of his settlement to a Veteran charity, so that some good can come out of so much tragedy.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: No Win for 2 Veterans: By Joe Silva

Military Connection: Army Veteran, 108 year old, Sets Precedence for Service

August 8, 2014/in Archived Blogs

Lucy Coffey, an Army veteran who also happens to be 108 years old, recently visited Washington, D.C. on a mission to finally visit our nation’s capital, and pay a final tribute to her fellow World War II soldiers.

At the peak of World War II, Coffey answered the call to join the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. With poise and strength, the San Antonio native served her country, eventually being awarded the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with a bronze star.

On Friday, July 25th, Coffey was flown from Austin, TX by Honor Flight Network, a non-profit organization that transports our nation’s Veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit and reflect at their memorials. Top priority is given to the senior veterans – World War II survivors, along with those other veterans who may be terminally ill.

Coffey’s trip of her dreams began with her first stop at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial. She was accompanied by a small entourage, including several family members.

Also with Coffey were volunteers from the Bexar County Veterans Service Office. They helped her get around quickly and easily, as her mobility had been greatly diminished due to a stroke last year. With an oxygen tube attached at all times, speaking is difficult, but she managed to communicate just fine, with fervent nods and smiles.

Coffey toured the memorial and enjoyed time with members from the Women’s Memorial Foundation. At a small ceremony, she received much appreciation and applause for her military service.

In 1945, Lucy was honorably discharged from the Women’s Auxiliary Corps as a sergeant, keeping her post as Army accountant and statistician for the next 13 years, serving at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio.

Historically, women have had an uphill battle serving in the military. They have had to deal with gender stereotypes, prejudice and animosity. Recent changes that have given women a broader role in the military, with more responsibility and control than they previously had, create controversy.

Luckily, female Veterans such as Lucy Coffey provide strong role models for young women entering the military, offering a high standard of conduct, bravery, and perseverance.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Army Veteran, 108 year old, Sets Precedence for Service: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Military Money Pits: By Debbie Gregory

August 7, 2014/in Archived Blogs

There are individuals, groups and even legitimate companies that seek to make a profit at the expense of military service members. While there are laws to protect members of the military from bad business practices, primarily the federal Service members Civil Relief Act (SCRA), there are still service members who are duped into bad deals, often times by less than scrupulous people and businesses that find loopholes in the law.

One of the current strategies is to offer service members financing for goods, such as appliances, furniture, and electronics, and then, when the service members fall behind on their loans, sue them in courts in locations where they aren’t able to represent themselves. This sounds dirty– but it’s legal.

The SCRA is intended to give members of the military every opportunity to defend themselves against lawsuits. But there is a loophole in the law. The SCRA doesn’t address where plaintiffs can sue. This loophole has allowed companies to sue a service member from states other than where the service member is located, so long as some portion of the business was conducted in that state.

When service members don’t show up to these out of state courts, they receive a court-appointed lawyer to represent them. These lawyers have been less than effective in winning cases on service members’ behalves, and there are no clear-cut standards of what these lawyers are required to do.

Companies have been successful in 89% of their cases against service members. After they win their lawsuits, these companies have been able to garnish the service members’ wages, and freeze their credit union accounts.

In the past ten years, USA Discounters, Freedom Furniture and Electronics, and Military Credit Services have filed 35,000 actions against service members. And while these companies and others are acting within the law, their exploitation of the loophole in the SCRA isn’t going unnoticed.

Service members need to be more cautious consumers. Most of these companies are already offering financing on goods that cause the service member to pay many more times over what the original item is worth. Inexperienced service members have paid more than $2,000 for laptops that would cost less than $800 at the Base Exchange.

The best advice for any inexperience consumer, especially those in uniform, is to save your money and pay for an item outright. If you have to finance an item, only use your credit union ***or*** bank issued credit card. And even then, use it responsibly. Otherwise, you could be headed for a financial money pit that could impact your military career.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

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Military Connection: Military Money Pits: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Ohio Veterans App: By Debbie Gregory

August 7, 2014/in Archived Blogs

Across the nation, there are many communities, organizations and agencies diligently working to improve the lives of service members, Veterans and military families. As a means of thanking Veterans for their sacrifices, there is an increase in technological advances that benefit the Veteran community.

A new service from the Ohio Department of Veterans Services that is available through a mobile app provides Ohio Veterans, from all generations, with information and links to resources for employment searches, education benefits and news. The July 18, 2014 launch of the Ohio Veterans App contained upgrades from the original app. The new version, officially Version 1.3.0, expands availability to Veterans who utilize Windows devices. The original version launched in November of 2013. The app has over 6,500 users.

The latest version includes employment search functions that allow Veterans to find Ohio One Stop Centers and Small Business Development Centers by a variety of methods, and provides a map, directions and a point of contact at the centers.

Ohio Veterans who are interested in using their education benefits can access a bounty of information and resources regarding the Post-9/11 GI Bill and other service-earned education benefits. The app provides a list of Veterans Resource Centers that are located on the campuses of public colleges and universities, including contact information and directions.

The updated version of the app also includes a button for the Ohio Department of Veterans Services Advisory Committee, with contact information for the Veterans’ organizations and affiliated organizations that make up the committee. Veterans can also have easy access to current news releases issued by the Ohio Department of Veterans Services. The app also contains quick links to the department’s social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube).

One of the app’s most significant features is the “In Crisis” button. This tab is located on each page, and provides vital information to Veterans who might be facing immediate crisis. The tab provides direct access to a toll-free, 24/7 hotline, *******or******* a web site with a live chat feature, operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where Veterans can communicate directly with a trained counselor.

The app is available for download, at no cost, from the Windows, Google Play and iTunes stores, by searching the key words “Ohio veteran.” The department’s web site, www.ohiovet.gov, contains a link to the stores. The app is compatible with Windows, Android and iOS devices.

While this app is intended and designed for the exclusive use of Veterans residing in Ohio, it is encouraging to know that services of this type exist, and are gaining traction. Other states’ departments of Veteran services are providing, *******or******* are in the process of designing, similar apps of their own.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard &amp,amp,amp,amp,amp,amp,amp, Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Ohio Veterans App: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Great SUPPORT for Vets: By Debbie Gregory

August 6, 2014/in Archived Blogs

Many advances in technology and medicine achieved over the last decade have been utilized to improve the care and quality of life for wounded military Veterans. One of the newest innovations is literally helping wounded Veterans get back on their feet.

The device is called an Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeleton Orthosis (IDEO™). While it looks like a carbon-fiber brace, in actuality, the IDEO does so much more. The IDEO is designed to support and protect lower extremity limb injuries.

IDEO returns considerable functionality to patients who have undergone ankle fusion procedures, and even enables many patients with nerve and muscle loss to forgo ankle fusion *or* tendon transfer. The IDEO device is modular throughout the rehabilitation period to adapt to a patient’s changes in strength and motion. Once the patient has progressed to an adequate level of recovery, the initial modular IDEO™ is replaced with a lighter, more dynamic definitive IDEOsystem.

Several wounded Veterans who were candidates for limb amputations are actually back to running again, thanks to the support of their customizable IDEO device. Using the IDEO, many of these wounded warriors even returned to active duty.

An Army Center for the Intrepid team created the IDEO to increase mobility and decrease pain for wounded service members with lower leg injuries. The design used technology that had previously been used for making prosthetic limbs for amputees.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Great SUPPORT for Vets: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Yes! More than 100,000 Homes! By Debbie Gregory

August 6, 2014/in Archived Blogs

There is great news in the fight to end homelessness. The 100,000 Homes Campaign has met and exceeded their four year goal.

In a nutshell, the 100,000 Homes Campaign is a national call to “stop managing homelessness and start ending it.” The campaign, powered by the non-profit organization Community Solutions, functions through a network of 238 separate communities working together to find homes for homeless Veterans and civilian Americans. In 2010, the organization, led by former Army Captain Becky Kanis, vowed to find housing for 100,000 people by July, 2014.

As of July 25, 2014, the 100,000 Homes Campaign, through its network of participating communities, has assisted 101,975 individuals in finding homes. This number includes over 31,000 formerly homeless Veterans.

It is estimated that the success of the 100,000 Homes Campaign should save taxpayers $1.3 billion annually.

Several of the 238 participating communities have partnered with local VA branches and other non-profit Veteran organizations in order combat homelessness among Veterans. These groups allied and collaborated to identify previously unknown, chronically homeless Veterans on the streets who were in need of permanent housing. This coalition is helping the push to eliminate Veteran homelessness by the end of 2015. Key players in this fight have acknowledged the 100,000 Homes Campaign’s contribution to their effort.

Even with the realization of their initial goal the 100,000 Homes Campaign will not stop to bask in their success. The organization has vowed to continue its efforts. In January 2015, Community Solutions is expected to launch Zero: 2016, a national effort to build on the success of the campaign by helping communities get to zero on chronic Veteran homelessness.

Congratulations to Community Solutions and its successful 100,000 Homes Campaign. The staff at Military Connection looks forward to the launch of Zero: 2016, and are eager to report on that campaign’s success as well.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard &amp,amp, Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: Yes! More than 100,000 Homes! By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: Two Army Losses in One Week: By Debbie Gregory

August 5, 2014/in Archived Blogs

An insider attack at Camp Qargha, near Kabul, Afghanistan, killed one and wounded fourteen others on August 5th. The deceased is an Army major general, whose identity has yet to be released. The death of this 2-star general marks the highest ranking casualty the U.S. has suffered in Afghanistan.

It has been reported that an individual dressed in an Afghan soldier’s uniform shot the general at close range with a light machine gun. It is not yet clear if the shooter was an actual member of the Afghan security force who turned on his allies, **or** an insurgent in a stolen uniform. Besides killing the general, the gunman wounded a German brigadier general, as well as more than a dozen NATO personnel, half of whom have been reported to be Americans. News sources say that the German general will survive his injuries. There have been no further reports on the others wounded.

The Taliban had previously released statements stating their intent to infiltrate NATO forces and commit “insider” attacks, in order to display their ability to do so. The use of infiltration attacks has created mistrust and caused altercations between coalition forces and their Afghan allies.

This attack is the second death of the week for the U.S. Army. On Sunday, Staff Sgt. Girard Gass Jr., from Lumber Bridge, NC, was killed in a non-combat related incident. Gass was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group out of Fort Bragg.

With the deaths of Staff Sgt. Gass and the fallen general, the U.S. death toll in Afghanistan has reached 2,341.

The staff at Military Connection would like to send our deepest condolences to the families, comrades and friends of Staff Sgt. Gass and the fallen general.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.

Military Connection: 2 Army Losses in 1 Week: By Debbie Gregory

Military Connection: VA Proposes Punishments: By Debbie Gregory

August 5, 2014/in Healthcare, Military Spouse, Military Veteran, Veteran News, Veterans Benefits

In the ongoing battle to right the ship and regain the public’s confidence in the Veteran healthcare system, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposed disciplinary actions against employers who were found to have manipulated data.

On July 29, 2014, the VA recommended disciplinary actions against six VA employees from facilities in Fort Collins, CO and Cheyenne, WY. A review by the Inspector General found that select supervisors from these facilities were found to have personally manipulated data, instructed their subordinates to manipulate data, and withheld accurate information from their superiors.

The VA has proposed that two of these supervisors be removed from federal service. Possible punishments for the other supervisors include two suspensions, a demotion and admonishments.

Understandably, Acting -VA Secretary Sloan Gibson is taking a firm position with employees guilty of misconduct. These employees tarnished the VA’s reputation, integrity and effectiveness, But more importantly, these employees have impeded Veterans from receiving the care that they need. In an official VA statement regarding the proposed disciplinary actions, Acting-secretary Gibson said the following:

“Employees who have been found to have manipulated data, withheld accurate information from their supervisors, and affected the timeliness of care Veterans receive do not reflect VA’s values, and their actions will not be tolerated. VA must earn back the trust of Veterans. Part of earning back that trust is holding people accountable when there is documented evidence of willful misconduct and management negligence. We depend on the dedicated service of VA employees and leaders who live by our core values. Those who have not delivered results honestly have and will be held accountable.”

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard &amp,amp,amp, Reserve, Veterans and their Families. We are the go to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go to site.