Veterans! Here’s your Top 10 Newsstories of the day compiled from the latest sources

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1.   At Kandahar outpost, US soldiers have built trust with Afghan counterparts.  At Combat Outpost Ghundy Ghar, just a few miles west of the birthplace of the Taliban, the Americans and their Afghan partners are doing something many people back home believe is no longer possible: They are working side by side.
 
2.   Wristbands show a world of love for wounded Army Ranger.  With a few clicks on Facebook, you can see the rubber bracelet bearing Nathan Rimpf’s name photographed in front of the Bellagio Fountain in Las Vegas, in the stands at Yankee Stadium and on the wrist of Texas Gov. Rick Perry. The online campaign – “Where in the World Are Nathan’s Wristbands?” – offers a worldwide salute to the Army Ranger wounded in Afghanistan and props him up as starts a new life on prosthetic legs.
 
3.   Medal of Honor recipients are the rock stars in Hawaii.  The men decked out in matching polo shirts and tropical flower leis looked a lot like the scores of other visitors whose organizations hold conventions amid the sun and sand of Hawaii.
 
4.   West Virginia lawmakers seek input from veterans.  A special survey, available either online or via a toll-free telephone interview, is an attempt to see how West Virginia’s veterans feel about a variety of topics from health issues, military duty, government benefits — even down to their personal religious views.

5.   “Stand Down” event planned for homeless veterans.  KLKN The event at the Pershing Center will provide services, health care for homeless military veterans. Homeless Veterans and people facing the threat of homelessness will have the chance to find help Oct. 11 at the annual U.S. Department of Veterans …
 
6.   Veterans can find help through crisis line.  The Veterans Crisis Line, which is based in New York, started with 50 responders, and now there are more than 100 people responding to crises.

7.   Indiana monument rededication means Vietnam vets are ‘finally home’.  Painful lessons from the Vietnam War were remembered Saturday as 27 names found a new place of honor. The east side of the Vigo County (Ind.) Courthouse was full before 10 a.m. that morning, as more than a hundred witnesses arrived to rededicate a monument honoring veterans of the Vietnam War.
 
8.   Hunting weekend a salute to wounded Kansas veterans.  Marcus Dancy felt fear driving Kansas backroads Friday afternoon, as post dramatic stress disorder symptom had him uneasy of trying the unknown. But eventually he was eating a great meal, smiling, talking and laughing in a large lodge … and from there his weekend got much better.
 
9.   House Bill Would Speed Disability Payments To Wounded Troops.  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “A bipartisan bill promises to speed disability payments to troops wounded in Afghanistan, but it must clear a Congress so divided that 96 percent of proposed legislation dies on Capitol Hill.” The Recovering Service Members Disability Benefits Act “would exempt active-duty, Reserve and National Guard service members injured in a combat zone from the customary five-month waiting period for Social Security Disability Insurance payments.” Thompson also believes that the proposed legislation “would help the most vulnerable veterans and their families – those troops transitioning out of the military but too sick to work.”
 
10. Cape Veterans Home To Receive Grant.  “The Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau has received a $530,037 grant to construct a chapel.” According to a news release obtained by the newspaper,  Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki was urged to provide the Missouri Veterans Commission’s with funding that was made available through the State Veterans Home Construction Grant Program.”

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Smartphone App Helps Vets Manage Mental Health Symptoms

The PTSD Coach smartphone app on iTunes and Android Marketplace can help Veterans learn about and manage their symptoms. The app provides direct links to support and help.
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