Top 10 Veterans Stories in Today’s News

From The VA

President to Speak at National Cemetery on Memorial Day

President Barack Obama will deliver the Memorial Day address at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery’s 11th Annual Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, May 31, 2010. Learn more.

Top Veterans Stories in Today’s News

1. John Finn, 100, the oldest Medal of Honor recipient San Diego, California – Retired Navy Lt. John Finn, the oldest Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, died Thursday at a nursing home for veterans in Southern California. He was 100. Mr. Finn enlisted in the Navy just before his 17th birthday and went on to become the first man to receive the nation’s highest military award for heroism during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, according to a Navy statement. He was oldest of 97 Medal of Honor recipients still living.
2. Honoring our Veterans can Begin With Housing As this Memorial Day weekend approaches, it is unfathomable that so many men and women who’ve served in our nation’s military have no roof over their heads. That any veteran should be homeless is tragedy enough, but equally alarming is that data shows veterans are overrepresented in the total homeless population.
3. Senate Approves Nearly $60 Billion for Wars Washington DC – The Senate on Thursday approved a nearly $60 billion measure to pay for continuing military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as House Democrats struggled to round up votes for a major package of business tax breaks and safety-net programs for the long-term unemployed.
4. Researchers use millions of doctors’ notes on veterans’ health Salt Lake City – If Jackson Pollock had worked on whiteboards, his art might have looked something like the piece hanging on the wall of Matthew Samore’s office. The board is a jumbled mess of colors, figures and lines. But underneath the dry-erase abstract is order — or the potential for it. Samore is part of a team of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs researchers using a combination of medical expertise, computer science and social research techniques to extract information from millions of clinical notes. The goal is to identify patterns in symptoms that might help physicians treat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan whose conditions are otherwise unexplainable.
5. VA recommends Agent Orange screenings Honesdale, Pennsylvania – A representative from the Wayne County Office of Veterans Affairs addressed the Wayne County Commissioners on Thursday, urging all Vietnam Veterans to undergo screenings to prevent or detect cancerous side effects from the chemical Agent Orange. “If treated early, some cancers caused by Agent Orange exposure can be prevented,” said Tom McDonnell, a representative of the Veterans Affairs Office in Wayne County.
6. Easing the Transition for Our Veterans When I returned from Iraq in July 2006, I had no idea what kind of hurdles I still faced. I thought my deployment would be the most difficult time, but transitioning to civilian life quickly became a challenge in itself. Navigating the world of benefits, health care, education and employment as a Veteran was overwhelming, to say the least. I knew there were programs available to me because of my service to my country, but determining which I was eligible for, deciding what was the best choice for me, and learning how to apply were a few of my many questions. On top of that, as soon as I answered one question, another would appear.
7. WWII Memorial came too late for most veterans Washington, DC – It was the flight of a lifetime for a group of mid-Missouri World War II veterans. 66 men and 1 woman took to the skies Monday for a whirlwind trip from Columbia to Washington, D.C. and back again, all less than 24 hours. The veterans travel with a personal “guardian” who ensures they have a safe and comfortable trip. Central Missouri Honor Flight uses donations to provide the trip free of charge to the veterans. The organization takes the veterans to see Arlington National Cemetery, the Korean and Vietnam War memorials and the main attaction: the WWII Memorial.
8. Wounded Warriors, Caregivers Benefit From New Bill Washington, DC – Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. But what about wounded warriors? As Mary Bubala reports, a new law just signed by President Barack Obama will provide much needed support for those soldiers who survived but are injured.
9. VA home loans should be exempt from new down payment rules, officials say Recent proposals to require down payments on home loans in the wake of the mortgage crisis could seriously curtail the ability of service members and veterans to get home loans under the Veterans Affairs Department loan guaranty program, experts and officials say. Lenders, a realtor, veterans advocates and Veterans Affairs Department officials who testified before Congress on May 20 said VA loans should be exempt from down payment requirements being proposed as part of broader financial reform legislation.
10. Senate toughens penalties for vandalizing veterans’ markers With Memorial Day approaching, the Senate voted yesterday to double the penalties for vandalizing or desecrating veteran’s gravestones, memorials and markers and require vandals to complete at least 500 hours of court-approved community service.