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VFW Legislative Update
In This Issue:
1. House VA Committee Hearings
2. NDAA Update
1. House VA Committee Hearings:
Wednesday: The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (O&I) held a hearing on VAs brachytherapy safety standards. Brachytherapy is a form of radiotherapy often used to treat prostate cancer by using radioactive seeds which are placed inside or next to a patient's malignant cells. The hearing came on the heels of reports of botched prostate cancer procedures and lack of quality and controls at Philadelphia's VA Medical Center. A panel of doctors from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine who implemented the Brachytherapy procedures under contract at the Philadelphia VA offered their explanations and apologies. The committee posed questions to the panel of doctors and the representatives from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission about the safety and security of radioactive materials used in medical procedures and how VA can identify quality controls and strict oversight. Reports show that the Brachytherapy procedure is very effective when administered and monitored properly.
Thursday: The O&I subcommittee also held a hearing examining Quality of Life and Ancillary Benefits provided by VA. VA ancillary benefits include adaptive grants for automobiles and housing, vocational rehabilitation, education, aid and attendance and insurance. Witnesses included representatives from veterans' service organizations, The Institute of Medicine, Quality of Life Foundation of Virginia, National Organization on Disability and VA benefits staff. Chairman John Hall (D-NY) asked the panels to review recent legislation and reports addressing the appropriateness of VA benefits and quality of life loss payment. Updating VAs current rating schedule and addressing quality of life payment has remained a priority for VFW and other VSOs since recommendations were made by the VDBC in October 2007.
For more on the hearings, visit the House website at http://veterans.house.gov/..hearings/
To read the final report of the Veterans' Disability Benefits Commission (VDBC) go to:
http://www.vetscommission...org/reports.asp
2. NDAA Update: Late last night, the Senate passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) by a vote of 87-7. The bill, S. 1390 included the following VFW-supported provisions:
**SBP-DIC offset - The Senate approved an amendment offered by Sen. Bill Nelson that would end the deduction of VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) from military Survivor Benefit Plan annuities.
**Concurrent Receipt - The Senate approved an amendment offered by Sen. Harry Reid to phase-in the extension of concurrent receipt to all medically retired service members, regardless of years of service.
**Military Spouses Residency Relief - The Senate approved an amendment offered by Sen. Richard Burr that would give a military spouse who moves out of state because of military orders the option to claim one state of domicile, regardless of where they move. This amendment would remove the need for military spouses to update drivers' licenses, filing tax returns for multiple states, and changing vehicle and voter registrations with each move.
The House passed its bill (HR 2647) in June. The bills now head to conference for final approval
Please help the elect a congressman that is a Constitution loving patriot and USMC Iraq veteran. We the People must get legislators that are not sold out and really will represent us!
The lobbyists, bankers and corporations choose wisely which candidates
will do their bidding for them.
The Informed Electorate must now take the lead in turning our nation
back to it's rightful owners, We the People
Adam Charles Kokesh was a Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps
and a veteran of the Iraq War.
PO Box 1062
Santa Fe, NM 87504
505.470.1917
adam@kokeshforcongress.com
http://www.kokeshforcongress.com/
http://www.myspace.com/adamkokesh
http://draftkokesh.com/
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---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Barbara Boxer < info@votevets.org> Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:48:04 GMT Subject: Support Military Families To: Sean Eagan < sean.eagan@gmail.com> Dear Sean, As Americans, we are so lucky to live in a free country,
defended by the brave men and women of our armed forces. We owe
them our gratitude, respect, and support for sacrificing so much
for us. That's why I've just introduced new legislation in the Senate
that will ease the burden on our military families -- and why
I'm asking all VoteVets.org supporters to help. My three
amendments are being considered, right now, during this week's
debate on the defense authorization bill. Please stand with me, add your voice, and help me build support
for this crucial effort to help our military families: Please
endorse my amendments now!
http://ga6.org/campaign/supportmilitaryfamilies?source=votevetsmilfam What would my amendments do? -Give families with two parents on active duty the option to
stagger their overseas combat deployments -- so one parent can
stay home as the primary caregiver for their children. In
addition, after one parent returns, provide a 90-day
re-integration period before the other parent is deployed. This
amendment is supported by the National Military Family
Association. -Reimburse military families who have to travel more than 50
miles from home in order to receive medical care -- down from
the current 100-mile requirement. This amendment is supported by
the Military Coalition. -Provide flexible spending accounts for all uniformed service
personnel -- so military families receive tax breaks for
spending on medical expenses and child care. This amendment is
supported by the VFW, National Military Family Association,
Military Officers Association of America, and other
organizations. These amendments are the right thing to do for our
servicemembers and their families. They do so much to protect us
-- now it's time for us to stand up for them. Please stand with me, add your voice, and help me build support
for this crucial effort to help our military families: Please
endorse my amendments now!
http://ga6.org/campaign/supportmilitaryfamilies?source=votevetsmilfam The Senate is slated to consider my amendments over the next few
days, so time is of the essence here. I need to show my colleagues the strong grassroots support
behind these military families amendments -- and your help can
make the difference. If you support these amendments, please let me know. It will
really help me secure the votes I need to get them passed. Please endorse these military families amendments now. -
http://ga6.org/campaign/supportmilitaryfamilies?source=votevetsmilfam In Friendship, Barbara Boxer
U.S. Senator P.S. Your support in the next 48 hours is crucial: Please sign
on to endorse these military families amendments now ? and then
forward this email to everyone you know!
http://ga6.org/campaign/supportmilitaryfamilies?source=votevetsmilfam Paid for by VoteVets PAC and authorized by Friends of Barbara
Boxer. -------------------------------------------------- Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this. http://ga3.org/join-forward.html?domain=votevets&r=n1drY45as5gG If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for
VoteVets.org at: http://ga3.org/votevets/join.html?r=n1drY45as5gGE -------------------------------------------------- This message was sent to sean.eagan@gmail.com. To modify your email
communication preferences or update your personal profile, visit
your subscription management page at: http://ga3.org/votevets/smp.tcl?nkey=x7ww3xe2fjx657dw& To stop ALL email from VoteVets.org, reply via email with
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Grave Offenses
Arlington Scandal here is the newsvine thanks brother Glen
-----------------------------------------------------------
Headline:
Well this is no surprise "Veterans that gave all" have a new scandal
Story from Huffington Post
An elegant white sign at Arlington National Cemetery informs visitors they are inside "our nation's most sacred shrine." Run under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army, Arlington is the final resting place of John and Robert Kennedy, Supreme Court justices Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. and Earl Warren, and the nation's military royalty from the Civil War to the Iraq war. More than 4 million people visit Arlington every year to tour the legendary grave sites, which include those of "Maltese Falcon" author Dashiell Hammett and big-band leader Glenn Miller, and watch a specially trained U.S. infantry soldier march silently in guard of the Tomb of the Unknowns. Arlington shelters the remains of more than 320,000 service members and holds nearly 30 new funerals a day. As visitors head out into the sacred grounds, the cemetery asks, "Please conduct yourselves with dignity and respect at all times." Behind the pristine lawns, the dignity of, and respect for, Arlington National Cemetery are tattered. An Army investigation this year found that the de facto boss of the cemetery, Deputy Superintendent Thurman Higginbotham, made false statements to Army investigators as they probed what they later classified as wire fraud at Arlington — a female employee's computer had been tapped into without authorization, and she had been impersonated online. An internal Army memo and an interview with a former Army employee also suggest that high-level Army officials knew for months about problems at Arlington but failed to act. Three former public affairs officers have recently testified under oath about a hostile work environment at Arlington. One was fired after speaking out. The other two quit in disgust. Sadly, Arlington's internal problems have materialized on the grounds themselves. Despite nearly 10 years and countless dollars spent on computerizing its operations, the cemetery still relies mostly on paper burial records that in some cases do not match the headstones. "There are numerous examples of discrepancies that exist between burial maps, the physical location of headstones, and the burial records/grave cards," the cemetery admitted in a 2008 report to Congress. And in a relatively remote area of the cemetery, where 600 service members from Iraq and Afghanistan are laid to rest, personal mementos placed on graves are left out to rot in the rain for days, ruined by workers with power washers, or thrown into a trash bin. "The aesthetics of the cemetery are deceptive," says Gina Gray, an Army veteran of eight years who served in Iraq and who was the cemetery's public affairs officer in early 2008, before she was fired over a clash with her boss. "To the naked eye, it is a place of sacred beauty and a tribute to our nation's heroes," says Gray, who has been rehired as an Army contractor at Fort Belvoir, in Virginia. "But if you scratch below the surface, you will find that it's really just window dressing. They've put these pretty curtains up to hide the ugliness on the inside." At the center of the chaos is Higginbotham, Gray's former superior and a focus of the Army investigation. While cemetery Superintendent John Metzler is the titular head at Arlington, Higginbotham runs the show, say current and former employees. A tall and imposing man, Higginbotham has worked at the cemetery since 1965. He started as a security guard and worked his way up to deputy supervisor in 1990. In his current position, he has earned a reputation for running the cemetery with an iron fist. (Higginbotham declined to talk to Salon.) One of Higginbotham's failures, say employees, has been his inability to rectify disturbing discrepancies between burial records and information on headstones. For years, Arlington has struggled to replace paper-and-pen burial records with a satellite-aided system of tracking grave locations. "My goal is to have all the gravesites available online to the public, so people can look up a grave from home and print out a map that will show exactly where the gravesite is," Higginbotham told Government Computer News in April 2006. Such systems are standard at other cemeteries, like the Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio, nearly identical to Arlington in age and size. Yet an effort begun in 2000 to set up a similar system at Arlington remains unrealized. In 2004 and 2005, Arlington conducted a pilot project to check burial records against headstone information on 300 graves. "The accuracy of interment records and maps that track reserved, obstructed, and occupied graves were proven to have errors," the project found, according to Arlington National Cemetery budget documents. "For example, gravesites that were marked as obstructed were actually available and information listed on grave cards and burial records were not consistent with the information on the actual headstone." The problems continue today. In 2008, Arlington National Cemetery issued a progress report to Congress on the computerization project. "The current way of doing business is mostly manual, complex, redundant and inefficient," cemetery officials noted, acknowledging continuing discrepancies among burial maps, headstones and burial records. Gray says her conversations with groundskeepers suggest the discrepancies and confusion might not stop at the grave's edge. "They told me they've got people buried there that they don't know who they are, and then they've got the wrong headstones over the graves." She adds: "I told several Army officials — in one instance, a two-star general — but nothing was ever followed up on." Salon heard the same claims from current and former cemetery employees, who asked to remain anonymous. Arlington officials insist that there are no cases at Arlington where headstones do not match the remains beneath. "We are not aware of any situation like that," says cemetery spokeswoman Kaitlin Horst.
VFW Washington Weekly July 20, 2009 In This Issue: 1. House VA Committee Hearings 2. Women Veteran Hearings 3. Military Voting Rights Bill 4. DOD Identifies Captured Soldier 1. House VA Committee Hearings: Tuesday: The Subcommittee on Oversight
and Investigations held a hearing on VA and DOD's implementation of a
joint electronic medical record. Mandated by the FY 2008 Defense bill,
Secretaries' Shinseki and Gates have made the interoperable record a
priority. The deadline for the creation of a joint lifetime
electronic record that will contain information from the day a
servicemember enters the military to their transition into the VA
system is Sept. 30, 2009. Committee members all stated that it is
time to make the transition easier for all those returning from
battle, and to improve upon a system that ensures the best care,
efficient benefits delivery, and seamless transition in to civilian
life. Director Rear Adm. Gregory Timberlake and Deputy Director Cliff
Freeman of the Interagency Program Office, both testified that it is
their goal to enable DOD and VA to work together to deliver a
comprehensive system that will modernize both agencies and bring them
into 21st century. Wednesday: The full committee moved several
VFW-supported bills forward for House action. HR 3155 would authorize training, support and medical care to family
caregivers of veterans. It would also create a stipend to cover
housing and expenses incurred by primary caregivers to certain
veterans. HR 1293 would increase the amount veterans receive for improvements
and structural alterations for home health services. HR 2270 combines provisions from eight other bills, to include
establishing a Director of Physician Assistant position within VA;
eliminate the deduction in accelerated death payments to
terminally–ill veterans and service members under SGLI and VGLI; allow
certain veterans to increase the amount of life insurance they carry
under VGLI; prohibit catastrophically-disabled veterans from having to
pay copayments or other fees for critical medical services; and
permanently authorize hospital care, medical services and nursing home
care for Vietnam and Persian Gulf War veterans exposed to herbicides. Thursday: VFW presented testimony before the Subcommittee on Economic
Opportunity on State Approving Agencies (SAAs) and their role in
education programs administered by VA. SAAs were established by
Congress in 1947 to ensure that veterans and eligible dependents use
the GI Bill educational benefit in an approved educational
environment. Their key function is to ensure that education and
training programs meet VA standards. VFW believes that with the
passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, SAAs need more highly trained
individuals working at the state and federal levels. We also
testified that adequate resources provided by Congress and vigilant
oversight are needed to decrease the potential for waste, fraud and
abuse.To read VFW testimony, go to:
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=caphill.leveld&did=3702.For more on
the hearings, visit the committee website at
http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/. 2. Women Veteran Hearings: The Senate and House Veterans Affairs
Committees held hearings last week on VA healthcare services for women
veterans. Both hearings looked at how VA can bridge the gaps in care
that currently face female veterans. VFW sponsored a witness who
spoke of her experiences about the care given her when she
transitioned out of the Army into VA. A panel of female warriors spoke at both hearings and told personal
stories of their struggles getting proper care and benefits at VA
facilities. According to VA, of the 1.8 million women veterans in the
U.S., about 450,000 have enrolled for care at VA. The VA's chief
consultant on women's health, Dr. Patricia Hays, addressed some of the
inconsistencies and problems, and told Senate Committee members that
VA is implementing an innovative approach to improve services to
women. Some of the current initiatives and programs include:
Comprehensive primary care providers throughout the nation. Staffing
every VA medical center with a Women Veterans Program Manager.
Enhancing mental health care at all facilities. Creating a
min-residency education program on women's health for physicians.
Improving communication and outreach about VA services for
women.Conducting a multi-faceted research program on women's health. VFW -supported legislation addressing access to care at VA that
focuses on understanding the needs of women vets and improving
services was introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Stephanie
Herseth-Sandlin (D-SD). The House passed their version. We await
Senate action. For more on both hearings, visit the respective
committee websites at http://veterans.senate.gov/ and
http://veterans.house.gov/. 3. Military Voting Rights Bill: The Senate Administration Committee
approved legislation last week to ensure the votes of U.S. troops and
other Americans living overseas are counted in upcoming elections. The bill, S. 1415, would require states to send ballots to military
and overseas voters at least 45 days before an election, and provide a
10-day grace period for ballots to be received after Election Day, as
long as they are postmarked in time. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), the
bill's sponsor, is going to offer the legislation as an amendment to
the fiscal year 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, now under
consideration by the Senate.
4. DOD Identifies Captured Soldier:
The Defense Department announced the capture of Army Pfc. Bowe R.
Bergdahl, 23, of Ketchum, ID,on July 3. Bergdahl, a member of 1st
Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team,
25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, AK, is the only missing
American serviceman in Afghanistan. Army Spc. Ahmed K. Altaie, of Ann
Arbor, MI, is the only missing American serviceman in Iraq. He was
allegedly kidnapped while on his way to visit family in Baghdad on
Oct. 23, 2006. --
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Top Websites for Veterans to Find Support and Assistance
By Guest Blogger Britney Wilkins When veterans come home after spending time in combat or stationed overseas, whether they’ve lived abroad with their family or haven’t seen them in over a year, they’re faced with all kinds of transitions and obstacles that hinder their ability to pick up where they left off. And while the general public consensus is that we’re all supposed to lend a hand to the soldiers who sacrificed so much for us, it can be overwhelming for veterans and their families and friends to really connect with the types of services and support they need to get on with their lives. If you’re looking for assistance with job searching, going back to school, rehabilitation and therapy, mental health and stress, or figuring out your finances, here are top websites for veterans who need support when they return home. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: This major government HQ for veterans has all kinds of resources for transitioning back to life as a vet, getting your benefits, keeping up with military news and Congressional legislation, finding official forms and documents, getting jobs with the VA, and more. Disabled American Vets: Find local chapters to help you get the benefits you deserve as a disabled veteran. You’ll also get help filing for disability, getting compensated, and supporting your family. Veterans of Foreign Wars: VFW.org offers members all kinds of discounts, insurance and other benefits. The VFW is also an active advocacy group for putting pressure on Washington to support military and veterans’ issues. GI Bill: The VA website has a special page for reading about the GI bill, applying to school and getting all of your deserved education benefits. VA Locations: Use this tool to find VA hospitals and vet centers around the U.S. Veterans and Military Health: Medline Plus’ website lists hazards, clinical trials, news stories, symptoms and conditions, statistics, rehab programs and other resource related to veterans and military health. SAMHSA: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has a page just for veterans. Military.com: This all-purpose website has lots of tips for veterans who need support making the transition back to everyday family life, finding a job, going back to school and more. This post was contributed by Britney Wilkins, who writes about the online universities. She welcomes your feedback at BritneyWilkins81 at yahoo.com
Secretary Shinseki Announces Next Steps in Technology Advancements to Reduce Wasteful Spending and Increase Accountability Initial 45 Projects Targeted for New Department-Wide Management System WASHINGTON (July 17, 2009) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
announced today that it will temporarily halt 45 information technology
projects which are either behind schedule or over budget. These
projects will be reviewed, and it will be determined whether these
projects should be continued. "Leveraging the power of Information Technology to accelerate and
modernize the delivery of benefits and services to our nations Veterans
is essential to transforming VA to a 21st century organization that is
people-centric, results-driven and forward thinking," Secretary of
Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said. Secretary Shinseki ordered a review of the department's 300 IT projects
and implementation of the PMAS, designed to increase the department's
accountability for IT projects. Each of the 45 projects will be temporarily halted. No further
development will occur and expenditures will be minimized. A new
project plan that meets the requirements of Program Management
Accountability System (PMAS) must be created by the project manager and
approved by VA's Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology
before resuming. "VA has a responsibility to the American people, who are investing
millions of dollars in technology projects, to deliver quality results
that adhere to a budget and are delivered on time." Shinseki said.
"They need to have confidence that the dollars they are spending are
being effectively used to improve the lives of our Veterans." PMAS is a management protocol that requires projects to establish
milestones to deliver new functionality to its customers. Failure to
meet set deadlines indicates a problem within the project. Under PMAS,
a third missed customer delivery milestone is cause for the project to
be halted and re-planned. "Our goal is to increase our success rate for our systems development
projects," Roger W. Baker, VA's Assistant Secretary for Information and
Technology, said. "We will use every tool at our disposal to bring
about greater accountability and ensure that taxpayer dollars are being
spent wisely. PMAS and the IT Dashboard will be critical indicators of
whether our IT projects are on schedule and on budget, and if they are
not, we will take swift action to cut down on waste and redundancy." PMAS, in conjunction with the analytical tools available through the IT
Dashboard, will ensure early identification and correction of
problematic IT projects. The IT Dashboard <http://www.usaspending.gov/>
, launched last month, is a one-stop clearinghouse of information,
allowing the American people to track federal information technology
initiatives and hold the government accountable for progress and
results. Over the next year, all IT projects at VA will be required to move to
PMAS. The Obama Administration has made management reform a key
government-wide priority. From IT accountability to personnel and
contracting reforms, the administration is committed to providing better
value, efficiency, and effectiveness for taxpayers' dollars. Below is a complete list of all projects temporarily halted under PMAS
at this time: o Scheduling Replacement o Laboratory System Reeingeering Project (LSRP) o Pharmacy Re-Engineering Pre .5 o Health Data Repository (HDR) II o Pharmacy Re-Engineering Pre1.0 o HeVet Middleware Services o Person Service Identity Management o Administrative Data Repository (ADR) o Document & Ancillary Imaging o Clinical Data Service o VA Learning Management o Home Telehealth (HT) Development o Occupational Health Record Keeping System (OHRS) o Enrollment System Redesign (ESR) v4 o CHDR - Chemistry & Hematology: ADC Automation o Clinical Flow Sheet - CLIO o E-Gov: E-Training o Barcode Expansion o Delivery Service o Organization Service o Enrollment System Redesign (ESR) v3.1 o Health Data Repository (HDR) Data Warehouse o Home Telehealth (HT) Infrastructure Enhancements o Radiology Outside Reporting o BCMA Inpatient Medication Request for SFG IRA o Blood Bank - VBECS v1.0 o Prosthetics Enhancements o VIC (Veterans Identification Card) Development o Spinal Cord Injury & Disorders Outcomes v3.0 o Radiology HL7 Interface Update o Ward Drug Dispensing Equipment (WDDE) Interface o Lab Data Sharing & Interoperability (LDSI) - Anatomic
Pathology/Microbiology o HBPC Medical Foster Home (MFH) o eClaims Plus o ASISTS Modification - Case Management o National Teleradiology Program o CAPRI Enhancements o Master Patient Index o RMS - Rights Management Server o National Teleradiology Program o Problem List Standardization o Radiology Standardization o LDSI Terminology Support o Clinical/Health Data Repositories (CHDR) Phase II o Fee Data and HERO --
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Dear Sean, If you blinked, you might have missed it.With the media still covering
Michael Jackson's death, and the circus surrounding reality TV stars
Jon and Kate Gosselin, you might have missed an important story that
broke this week. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of
Congress, released a stunning new report detailing significant
barriers faced by many female veterans when accessing VA care. Some of
the crucial findings include: • Privacy standards for women veterans at VA facilities aren't being met.• Comprehensive primary care is still not available for women veterans
at all hospitals and clinics.• The VA still has shortages of qualified women's health and mental
health care providers. This is unacceptable. With more women serving
than ever, the VA must work to ensure they receive the care they've
earned. Female troops have shown incredible courage in defending our country,
and are entitled to the same support and recognition as their male
peers. We want you to know IAVA is working every day to make this a reality.
We're on the front lines on Capitol Hill and in the media, fighting
for better care and benefits, and ensuring that women's issues are a
top priority. Next month, we're releasing a groundbreaking Issue Report on women in
the military, based on extensive research and the experiences of IAVA
Member Veterans. Want to be the first to read it? Sign up for mobile alerts by texting
REPORT to 69866. We'll send you a text message as soon as the report
launches. Thank you for standing with us. Sincerely,
Paul Paul Rieckhoff
Executive Director & Founder
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA)P.S. Click here to
read the full GAO report and more about women veterans. --
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A Letter to the Family of Lt. Bradshaw, Died Same Day as MJ, May They Find Comfort
A Soldier Comes Home Wednesday, July 15, 2009On July 5, The Post published a letter from Martha Gillis of Springfield [Va.], whose nephew, Lt. Brian Bradshaw, was killed in Afghanistan on June 25, the day that Michael Jackson died. The letter criticized the extensive media coverage of Jackson's death compared with the brief coverage of Lt. Bradshaw's death. Among the responses was the following letter, written July 9 by an Air National Guard pilot and a fellow member of the crew that flew Lt. Bradshaw's body from a forward base in Afghanistan to Bagram Air Base. Capt. James Adair, one of the plane's pilots, asked the editorial page staff to forward the letter to the Bradshaw family. He and Brian Bradshaw's parents then agreed to publication of these excerpts. Dear Bradshaw Family, We were crew members on the C-130 that flew in to pick up Lt. Brian Bradshaw after he was killed. We are Georgia Air National Guardsmen deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. We support the front-line troops by flying them food, water, fuel, ammunition and just about anything they need to fight. On occasion we have the privilege to begin the final journey home for our fallen troops. Below are the details to the best of our memory about what happened after Brian's death. We landed using night-vision goggles. Because of the blackout conditions, it seemed as if it was the darkest part of the night. As we turned off the runway to position our plane, we saw what appeared to be hundreds of soldiers from Brian's company standing in formation in the darkness. Once we were parked, members of his unit asked us to shut down our engines. This is not normal operating procedure for that location. We are to keep the aircraft's power on in case of maintenance or concerns about the hostile environment. The plane has an extremely loud self-contained power unit. Again, we were asked whether there was any way to turn that off for the ceremony that was going to take place. We readily complied after one of our crew members was able to find a power cart nearby. Another aircraft that landed after us was asked to do the same. We were able to shut down and keep lighting in the back of the aircraft, which was the only light in the surrounding area. We configured the back of the plane to receive Brian and hurried off to stand in the formation as he was carried aboard. Brian's whole company had marched to the site with their colors flying prior to our arrival. His platoon lined both sides of our aircraft's ramp while the rest were standing behind them. As the ambulance approached, the formation was called to attention. As Brian passed the formation, members shouted "Present arms" and everyone saluted. The salute was held until he was placed inside the aircraft and then the senior commanders, the sergeant major and the chaplain spoke a few words. Afterward, we prepared to take off and head back to our base. His death was so sudden that there was no time to complete the paperwork needed to transfer him. We were only given his name, Lt. Brian Bradshaw. With that we accepted the transfer. Members of Brian's unit approached us and thanked us for coming to get him and helping with the ceremony. They explained what happened and how much his loss was felt. Everyone we talked to spoke well of him -- his character, his accomplishments and how well they liked him. Before closing up the back of the aircraft, one of Brian's men, with tears running down his face, said, "That's my platoon leader, please take care of him." We taxied back on the runway, and, as we began rolling for takeoff, I looked to my right. Brian's platoon had not moved from where they were standing in the darkness. As we rolled past, his men saluted him one more time; their way to honor him one last time as best they could. We will never forget this. We completed the short flight back to Bagram Air Base. After landing, we began to gather our things. As they carried Brian to the waiting vehicle, the people in the area, unaware of our mission, stopped what they were doing and snapped to attention. Those of us on the aircraft did the same. Four soldiers who had flown back with us lined the ramp once again and saluted as he passed by. We went back to post-flight duties only after he was driven out of sight. Later that day, there was another ceremony. It was Bagram's way to pay tribute. Senior leadership and other personnel from all branches lined the path that Brian was to take to be placed on the airplane flying him out of Afghanistan. A detail of soldiers, with their weapons, lined either side of the ramp just as his platoon did hours before. A band played as he was carried past the formation and onto the waiting aircraft. Again, men and women stood at attention and saluted as Brian passed by. Another service was performed after he was placed on the aircraft. For one brief moment, the war stopped to honor Lt. Brian Bradshaw. This is the case for all of the fallen in Afghanistan. It is our way of recognizing the sacrifice and loss of our brothers and sisters in arms. Though there may not have been any media coverage, Brian's death did not go unnoticed. You are not alone with your grief. We mourn Brian's loss and celebrate his life with you. Brian is a true hero, and he will not be forgotten by those who served with him. We hope knowing the events that happened after Brian's death can provide you some comfort. Sincerely, Capt. James Adair Master Sgt. Paul Riley GA ANG 774 EAS Deployed http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/14/AR2009071402894.html
Band Of Brothers Hero, Darrell 'Shifty' Powers Dies
Published: June 20, 2009
BY ROGER BROWN
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER
"The world depended on them. They depended on each other." That was
the tagline for "Band of Brothers" – an award-winning 2001 HBO
mini-series drama on the World War II experiences of Easy Company, a
U.S. Army unit that fought bravely and fiercely across Europe. But for
Bristol's Margo Johnson – daughter of Darrell "Shifty" Powers, one of
the soldiers depicted in "Band of Brothers" – two more lines could be
added to describe her heroic father: "The world truly admired Darrell
Powers. I absolutely adored him." "I loved everything about my daddy,"
Johnson said. "He never bragged about what he did in the war. And for
a lot of years, he never even talked much about what he did – unless
someone asked him about it. "But he truly was a hero to me," Johnson
said. "Just like he'd been to the people who know him as a soldier in
a [mini-series]." Powers, a Dickenson County native, died earlier this week at age 86
following a battle with cancer. His funeral service will be held today
in Clintwood. "He was a brave man, even to the end of his life,"
Johnson said of her father. "He's helping me be brave now, too."
Bravery – and dignity – was a constant, running thread in the life of
"Shifty" Powers, both during and after his life as an Army
sharpshooter in the actual "Band of Brothers."
During the war, he fought brutal battles against the German army
across France and Belgium. After the war, Powers served as an eloquent
representative for the men he fought with: At one point during the
"Band of Brothers" mini-series, he appeared on camera to talk in
moving, humane fashion about his grim but necessary task during the
war – killing the enemy. And, too, Powers served as a loyal, steadfast
representative for the country he fought for: from graciously meeting
with a former enemy German soldier to eagerly accepting any chance to
speak with modern-day members of the U.S. military. Ivan Schwarz, a
producer on the "Band of Brothers" HBO series, remembers Powers as a
"kind, generous soul with a great sense of humor." "Shifty was an
incredibly humble human being," said Schwarz, now executive director
of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission in Cleveland, Ohio. "He was
like most of the other [Easy Company] soldiers we met for the series.
They were good guys who were kind of shocked that, 50 years later,
people were making a big deal over them for just doing their duty.
"That's exactly how [Powers] was, too," Schwarz said. Attempts were unsuccessful to reach Peter Youngblood
Hills – the English actor who portrayed Powers in the "Band of
Brothers" miniseries, through both HBO and his former publicity firm,
Hamilton Hodell in London, England. --
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Memorial Service: you're invited. A REAL substitute for the "Pop Icon" insanity... Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy
Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st
Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the
History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10
episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them. I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't
know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having
trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was
at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of
the 101st Airborne, on his hat. Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or
if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st.
I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how
many jumps he made. Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so,
and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart
skipped. At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training
jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know
where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped. I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what
D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into
Holland , into Arnhem ..." I was standing with a genuine war hero . .
. . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary
of D-Day. I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France , and he said
"Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are
left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart
was in my throat and I didn't know what to say. I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in
Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to
get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came
forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have
it, that I'd take his in coach. He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are
still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make
an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And
mine are brimming up now as I write this. Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer. There was no parade. No big event in Staples Center . No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage. No weeping fans on television. And that's not right. Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet
way. Please forward this email to everyone you know. Especially to the
veterans. Rest in peace, Shifty. "A nation without heroes is nothing."
(Roberto Clemente) --
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N.D.’s contribution to the Cold War
Kevin Bonham - 07/11/2009
COOPERSTOWN, N.D. — While President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev were negotiating a preliminary agreement this past week to further cut the American and Russian nuclear arsenals, Mark Sunlov was putting the final touches on a monument to North Dakota’s contribution to the Cold War. Sunlov is site manager of the Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historical Site, a remote outpost known as Oscar-Zero on the edge of the scenic Sheyenne River Valley, surrounded by miles and miles of fields of wheat, corn and soybeans. The site will open to the public for the first time at 10 a.m. Monday. Oscar-Zero and November-33, a missile silo two miles east of Cooperstown, are the last remnants of the 321st Missile Wing, a cluster of intercontinental ballistic launch sites that were spread over a 6,500-square-mile area around the Grand Forks Air Force Base that stretched from near the U.S.-Canadian border to Interstate 94. This missile launch control facility is one of 15 in eastern North Dakota that closed in 1997 as a condition of the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). Each facility controlled 10 Minuteman III missiles armed with as many as three nuclear warheads aimed at the former Soviet Union, “From a history standpoint, it’s a gem,” Sunlov said, as he straightened stacks of magazines — Time, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated and Sports Afield, all dated 1997 — in a recreation room setting of chairs, couches and a television. “It’s almost like a time capsule,” Sunlov said. “The feeling was that they just picked up their personal bags and just left. Everything is here, and most of it is usable. The only trouble is the mice moved in when the Air Force moved out.”
Nuclear deterrent
The process of preserving a nuclear missile launch facility has been in the works since before they closed, according to Al Berger, a military history professor at UND and current president of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. “It’s much the same as preserving a site like Fort Totten,” he said. Fort Totten State Historic Site is one of four preserved military posts built in the 1860s in what is now North Dakota to protect overland and river routes used by immigrants settling the West. In the Cold War period, the nuclear missiles served as fortification — modern-day forts — against the constant threat of war from the Soviet Union. Because of the missile fields, North Dakota commonly was called the world’s third largest nuclear power. “It represented a powerful deterrent against a power from attacking us with nuclear weapons,” Berger said. “Ultimately, it was mutually assured destruction — the idea that whoever started throwing missiles first might destroy the target, but they most assuredly would be destroyed in the end. If you attack us, you will die. So, why commit suicide?” The United States’ nuclear weapon system was part of a complex formula to make that work, he said. “In as sense, it’s an ironic coincidence that we’re opening it in the same month that Robert McNamara died,” Berger said. McNamara served as Secretary of Defense from 1961 to 1968, under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. Besides being considered the chief architect of the Vietnam War, he was a key player in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when Soviet nuclear missiles were discovered in Cuba and the world teetered on the threshold of nuclear war for 13 days.
“The peace workers are part of the story of that missile center, too,” Berger said. “There were critics of the nuclear weapon program, including here.” The Red River Valley Peace Workers was an organization formed after the 1982 UND Peace Conference for the purpose of informing and involving the public “in the quest for peace.” Over the years, small groups of nuclear war protesters conducted demonstrations at nuclear missile silos around the region. In 1988, Nukewatch, a peace activist group based in Wisconsin published a book called “Nuclear Heartland: A guide to the 1,000 missile silos in the United States.” The 96-page book featured roadmaps to the missile sites, which also were given nicknames such as “Peaceless”, “Friendly Facism” and “We’ll Help You Leave” missiles. Missileer’s life Sunlov knows, as much as anybody, just how fresh history is here. The U.S. Air Force Academy graduate spent five years of his military career as a missileer, from 1998 to 2003, the last four years at Minot Air Force Base, which still has 150 nuclear missiles on alert for any potential nuclear threat. Like other missileers, he spent shifts that lasted as long as four days living in a capsule 80 feet underground, just like Oscar-Zero, as a deputy commander and as a commander, the ones who might, at any time, be given the order to launch a nuclear warhead. It actually takes four people at a minimum to launch a missile, two at the missile site and two at another one. “The idea that one person could launch a nuclear missile is pretty far-fetched,” Sunlov said. “It’s even impossible for one crew to do it.” When he left the Air Force, Sunlov went to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he earned a history and museum studies degree. His first job out of school was at Fort Buford State Historic Site near Williston, N.D. Then, the Oscar-Zero job was created. “It’s kind of a strange full circle for me,” Sunlov said. Eight people normally are stationed at a launch control facility at a time — two 3-person missileer crews, a cook and a facility manager. The topside or ground-level floor consists of living quarters with several bedrooms, a large kitchen, living room and recreation room. The command post — capsule, as missileers call it — is located down a fortified elevator shaft, 60 to 90 feet below ground. The command post is a concrete building, about 50 feet long and 30 feet wide, suspended in the ground by giant shock absorbers, which measure 2 feet in diameter by 20 feet in length. It is accessible only by elevator and through a 4-foot-thick concrete blast door equipped with steel rods that seal the unit once the door is closed. One half of underground bunker contains the equipment and facility operations equipment, the other with the missile control center. Inside the missile control center, the commander and deputy commander sit at seat-belt-equipped airline pilot-like captain’s chairs in front of separate control stations filled with what look like ancient electronics boards. The station contains buttons, levers and lights labeled: “enabled,” “Lch in process” and “Missile away.” Possibilities The Cold War was thawing by the time Sunlov became a missileer. But nuclear threats still exist. Sunlov was just about at the end of a four-day shift in an underground bunker in rural Minot on Sept. 11, 2001, when he and his deputy commander watched on television as the first airplane hit the Twin Towers in New York City. “Then we watched the second plane hit,” he said. “We had some procedures to go through, but it was just readiness. You do start to prepare the capsule for war. If you get the order, you’re either ready or you’re not.” He didn’t leave the capsule until Friday – a full week in the underground bunker. “You think about nuclear war quite a bit,” he said. “Would you survive? What about your family? You don’t dwell on it, but you definitely think about it.” He and his deputy also pondered the small round door high on a wall above the commander’s station that leads to a last-chance escape hatch, a tunnel, filled with sand. If they ever were stuck in the capsule during a nuclear attack, after a certain amount of time they were supposed to dig their way through the tunnel to the outdoors above them. “We always wondered if the door would open,” he said, “And if it did, where it would lead. We always joked it was probably paved over and we’d be stuck down there, forever.” These days, Sunlov is more than happy to spend time in that bunker, giving visitors a first-hand look at what it was like not only to live near nuclear missiles in the North Dakota soil, but to eat and sleep just inches from their controls. Still, while Oscar-Zero and 14 other facilities like it in eastern North Dakota have been silenced, 150 other nuclear missiles barely 100 miles to the west remain on alert. “It seems like we’re halfway through a process that hasn’t been completed yet,” Berger said. “We’ve drawn down the tensions enough.
We feel we need far fewer warheads than we had before. “I suppose the most significance that you could contribute to the missile facility is that it’s closed,” he added, “that we don’t need it anymore — or at least that’s what the treaty says.”
Ronald reagan minuteman missile state historic site Oscar-Zero Missile Alert Facility A grand opening is planned July 31-Aug. 1, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m., July 31. The State Historical Society expects many former Air Force missileers to be on hand for the event. Location: Four miles north of Cooperstown, N.D., along N.D. Highway 45. Hours: Through Sept. 15, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily; Sept. 16-Oct. 31 and March 1-May 15, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday, Thursday and Saturday, 1-5 p.m., Sunday; Nov. 1-Feb. 28, by appointment only. Guided Tours. Cost: $10, adult; $3, child; $2 per person, groups of 20 or more; $40 for groups of 20 or less. Admission free to members of the Friends of Oscar-Zero, or members of the State Historical Society of North Dakota Foundation. November-33 Launch Facility Location: Two miles east of Cooperstown, N.D., along N.D. Highway 200. What to see: Topside view of launch facility; launch closure door that once protected a missile; security fence and electronic security system and ventilation systems that served the underground buildings. Interpretive signs will be available to tell the history.
Reach Bonham at (701) 780-1110; (800) 477-6572, ext. 110; or send e-mail to kbonham@gfherald.com.
VA Secretary Announces $1 Million to Develop New Miramar Annex WASHINGTON (July 10, 2009) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has
awarded nearly $1 million to a small business to begin expanding
burial services for Veterans in the San Diego area by developing the
new Miramar Annex.
"VA is committed to providing the best possible service to the Veterans
of southern California by developing new burial areas and building
permanent facilities at the Miramar Annex," Secretary of Veterans
Affairs Eric K. Shinseki said.
The Miramar Annex will be part of the area's Fort Rosecrans National
Cemetery. VA awarded Van Dyke Landscape Architects the
architect-engineer contract totaling $961,000 to develop additional
gravesites and infrastructure. This design project is scheduled for
completion this fall. When completed, the new designs for the project will provide 11,700
conventional gravesites, 10,300 columbaria niches and 4,900 in-ground
cremation sites. The project will also include an administration
building, a maintenance complex, two committal service shelters and a
public assembly area, as well as an irrigation system, roads,
utilities,
signage and landscaping. In the midst of the largest cemetery expansion since the Civil War, VA
operates 128 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico and 33
soldiers' lots and monument sites. More than three million Americans,
including Veterans of every war and conflict - from Revolutionary War
to the Global War on Terror - are buried in VA's national
cemeteries. --
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