News and Events

• 04/14/2013 - Returning to Vietnam for Rebuilding and Healing (Video)
  A group of American veterans has been making the trip back to Vietnam, to help build homes there with Habitat for Humanity. Veteran John Harris was a part of last years contingent, and now he shares his experience with KTLA viewers, and describes the critical needs for this years mission.
• 04/13/2013 - Veterans gather in Whittier
  Family, friends and supporters of all veterans gathered Saturday to salute those who have fought for this country, especially in the Vietnam War. This year's Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day celebration at California High School, paid special tribute to women vets and La Puente's own Leon Burns.
• 04/13/2013 - A Vietnam veteran reflects: How I found peace 40 years later
  "The Vietnam I returned to years after my US army service was unrecognizable. I hope Iraq and Afghanistan vets see the same"
• 04/13/2013 - Volunteers wash the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
  It is often called "The Wall that Heals," but the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall got some healing itself as dozens of people scrubbed it clean Saturday morning. NewDay USA employees and their families picked up brushes and hoses to wash the 58,000 names etched into the marble.
• 04/11/2013 - Sponsors Continue Support of Wounded Warrior Golf Tournament
  The 2013 AUSA Wounded Warrior Golf Classic is scheduled for October 14 at Firewheel Golf Park in Garland, Texas, a Dallas suburb. Organizers said the event promises to be even bigger than last years tournament, which attracted some 200 golfers from around the country to the Dallas area. That event featured contests, giveaways, food, and a touching musical performance. Military vehicles were on display, as was a walkie-talkie from the time of the Second World War. A tournament-record $56,380 was raised for two Dallas-area charities that assist injured servicemen and women.
• 04/11/2013 - Vietnam vets reach out to each other
  On the proclaimed 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, veterans are receiving long overdue recognition, and a local veterans chapter is trying to bring attention to a major issue they face: the serious health problems resulting from exposure to Agent Orange.
• 04/11/2013 - VVA chapter pitches in to transform decaying resort into retraining center
  Haven for PSTD veterans: Local veterans pitch in to transform decaying resort into retraining center A local grassroots group wants to lease the deteriorating Cliff Park Inn and Golf Course from the National Park Service and give it new life as a retraining facility for veterans, especially those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• 04/10/2013 - Dogs swarm local park in event geared to connect veterans with four-legged
  Clad in a red American flag T-shirt and a patriotic hat too big for his head, Kiki strode past his fellow competitors with confidence. Just 3 years old, the yellow Lab mix had secured the "most patriotic" title before he even reached the panel of three judges. "We just rescued him three weeks ago, and he's wearing my T-shirt and my daughter's Uncle Sam hat," said Patty Ross of Dunmore, Kiki's owner. "We wanted to come out here because the event is for a great cause." More than 250 people and their dogs swarmed the Abington Dog Park at Hillside Park on Sunday for "Tails for Troops."
• 04/10/2013 - Nonprofit to send candy overseas
  OYR is a non-profit organization that prepares and sends care packages in addition to organizing welcome-home ceremonies for those serving in Operation Enduring Freedom in the Middle East. Currently, the operation is collecting supplies for the next round of packages. All candy still sealed and recent, in addition to items listed on the website, will be accepted. Visit operationyellowribbonsouthjersey.org.
• 04/10/2013 - Activision gives $2 million to 'Call of Duty' charity for veterans
  "Call of Duty" maker Activision Blizzard has donated $2 million to Call of Duty Endowment (CODE), a charitable organization the video game industry giant founded in 2009 "to help soldiers transition to civilian careers after their military service," according to the nonprofit's mission statement. The Call of Duty Endowment provides funding to charitable organizations working to provide employment to U.S. veterans. Activision said that the bulk of the new funds will be used by CODE to support local veterans' charities nationwide that focus specifically on providing employment to former members of the U.S. military.
• 04/09/2013 - Bike ride across cities helps veterans heal
  More than 200 wounded American veterans stopped in Austin Tuesday night on their way to Fort Worth on bicycles. The program is called Ride 2 Recovery. Its rehab for veterans using cycling as a tool. The bike saved my life. That's about all I can say. I haven't let it go. I haven't given any thought as to why I wouldn't cycle, said John Kennelly, a participating veteran.
• 04/09/2013 - FL Horse therapy center for veterans gets new home
  Facility at Ralph V. Chisholm Park will offer barn, trails and covered riding area. A pioneering research effort that uses horses to help wounded veterans readjust to society has found a long-term home in Osceola County. The University of Central Florida, Heavenly Hoofs equine-therapy group and county leaders have agreed on a deal to establish a riding venue at Ralph V. Chisholm Park in Narcoossee, near St. Cloud.
• 04/08/2013 - Veterans Memorial Parkway dedicated in Missouri
  Supporters of renaming five miles of the Interstate 70 south service road in western St. Charles County had something to celebrate Friday. Chief among the celebrants was 89-year-old Ralph Barrale, a World War II veteran who in recent years led the push to name the road Veterans Memorial Parkway from one end of the county to another.
• 04/08/2013 - Vets of Forgotten War remembered in Fargo
  Sixty years gone, the Korean War still holds a grip on Sid Erstad. The 85-year-old Ada, Minn., man got to Korea in 1952 and was an infantryman with the 5th Regimental Combat Team. VVA Chapter 941 presented thank you medals during the Korean War Era Veterans Recognition program at the Fargo Air Museum.
• 04/08/2013 - Standing up for women: Local vets aim to raise funds for new shelter, progr
  Homeless women veterans in Asheville "don't get what men get," said Alyce Knaflich. The retired staff sergeant spoke March 29 at the Tribute to Women Veterans event, a fundraiser she organized as a way to build awareness and get female vets the help they need. About 30 people attended the tribute, which was hosted by Jubilee! Community Church and honored such local residents as World War II veteran Stella Stepherd and Army veterans Brenda Ploss and Darleen Minton.
• 04/08/2013 - Vietnam War anniversary event dedicated to late Abington vets agent
  Joseph D. Colantoni founded the U.S. Veterans Vietnam Era Post 2 in Abington because he felt that U.S. soldiers from that war had been given a bad rap. Colantoni, 78, died in February after battling lung cancer. But his 17-year legacy as Abingtons longest-serving veterans services agent is remembered by his fellow veterans.
• 04/07/2013 - Veterans gear up for third WWII Honor Flight; program gets $10K
  Standing in front of about 80 people at Montana State University Billings' downtown campus on Sunday, Electrical Consultants, Inc. owner Dave Anderson essentially paid for 10 World War II veterans to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Washington, D.C., monument honoring their sacrifices.
• 04/07/2013 - Vietnam Veterans Day celebrated in Union Township
  Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 649 held a ceremony in honor of Vietnam Veterans Day March 30 at Veterans Memorial Park in Union Township. More than a dozen people, mostly veterans, attended the ceremony that was held in front of the helicopter memorial at the park.
• 04/07/2013 - College campuses seek to lure more veterans
  Sara Stocks didnt take the traditional path to college. But the path she did take made her more prepared to tackle higher education. The Army veteran, 27, who served 15 months in Iraq, enrolled at Texas Womans University in Denton after she left the military. Stocks, a child development major, said she brings a different skill set and focus than many of her fellow students.
• 04/06/2013 - Month of the Military Child
  Today, The Sierra Club, Blue Star Families, Children & Nature Network, National Military Family Association, Outdoors Alliance for Kids, the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service will host activities at Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia in honor of the sacrifices children face when a parent is deployed.
• 04/05/2013 - Retired Louisiana veterans leader praised
  Lane Carson, who retired in January as the state's Secretary of Veterans Affairs, received a hero's reception at the St. Tammany Parish Council meeting Thursday night, garnering a proclamation from the local government and a standing ovation from a large audience. A Covington resident, Carson was credited by Parish President Pat Brister with bringing a long-sought veterans cemetery to the north shore.
• 04/05/2013 - Vietnam veteran from Montana awarded Bronze Star
  A Montana man who served as a medic in the Vietnam War has received a belated Bronze Star Medal with Valor for disregarding his own safety to help wounded soldiers during an artillery attack. Bernard Rustad was awarded the medal Friday by his former commander during the war, Lt. Barry Byrd.
• 04/04/2013 - Vietnam Vet holds reunion to honor a fallen soldier
  The Battle of Soui Tre was one of the most important battles of the Vietnam conflict. In a little over three hours, 647 enemy soldiers were killed. The Americans suffered casualties, as well. One of the men killed in action was a member of Plaisance's artillery unit: His friend, John F. Pezzulo of New York. The reunion was to honor their friend John Pezzulo killed in action during the Battle of Soui Tre.
• 04/04/2013 - Color Guard of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 913
  The Color Guard of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 913 presents the colors during the College of the Ozarks kickoff in Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Saturday.
• 04/03/2013 - Veterans group raises flags at new home
  The Disabled American Veterans Chapter 3 is officially at home in De Pere. After moving from its old Allouez office last year, the local nonprofit held a flagpole dedication Wednesday morning, March 27, to mark its new location and honor the sacrifices all veterans have made while serving in the U.S. military. About 35 people attended the event, which featured a rifle salute and volunteers who raised five flags representing America, Wisconsin, Desert Veterans of Wisconsin, Disabled American Veterans and Vietnam Veterans of America.
• 04/03/2013 - Second homecoming gives closure to Vietnam vets
  Huntsville celebrates veterans 40 years after the wars end. The second annual event, hosted by Huntsville Chapter 1067 of the Vietnam Veterans of America at the Veterans Memorial in downtown Huntsville, honored 40 years since the Vietnam War officially ended in 1973 after 13 years of U.S. involvement.
• 04/02/2013 - Vietnam vet, 62, gets Silver Star 42 years later
  TAMPA - The oppressive Southeast Asia sun had not yet come up on Hill 950 when the mortars started to drop. It was June 1, 1971, and U.S. Army Sgt. Ralph A. Morgan, a 20-year-old radioman from Michigan, knew what to do. This was his moment in the Vietnamese jungle...
• 04/01/2013 - Former U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz to Speak
  MILFORD, Conn., April 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/  Thinklogical LLC, a global manufacturer of secure fiber optic video and KVM routing and extension systems, today announced that retired Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, former U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff, will be the guest speaker at the Thinklogical Technology Summit, April 18, 2013 at the Sheraton Premier Hotel in Tysons Corner, Va.
• 03/27/2013 - WWII Vet, 90, Inducted Into Packers Fan Hall of Fame
  Green Bay - A Sheboygan man one month shy of his 91st birthday is the newest member of the Green Bay Packers Fan Hall of Fame. Edward Fritsch, a veteran of World War II and Purple Heart recipient, was named the 15th member of the Fan Hall of Fame during a ceremony Tuesday at Lambeau Field. Fans voted on a field of 10 finalists, with Fritsch, a season ticket-holder since the 1950s, getting the most votes.
• 03/27/2013 - Helmets to Hardhats helps veterans return to normal life
  Iraq combat vet Andrew McIlhenny was trained for a new civilian career as a sheet metal worker, photographed on March 22, 2013. Here, McIlhenny at the Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 19, where he was trained...
• 03/27/2013 - Ohio begins first observance of Vietnam Veterans Day
  CINCINNATI (AP)  Tom Burke returned home from military service in the Vietnam War and was scorned and even spit upon by war protesters. More than 40 years later, he is proudly taking part in Ohios first observance of the states Vietnam Veterans Day, which he and other veterans sought for years. Many Vietnam veterans have waited a long time for something that validates their service, said Burke, who has vivid memories of protesters spitting on his uniform after he returned home. Back then, the war and the warriors got blurred, and unfortunately the warrior became the war for some.
• 03/27/2013 - Veterans help homeless veterans
  Stamford securities traders volunteer to offer food, employment training -- Mike Boyd spends most days hustling around a Wall Street trading floor, but this week he and two other securities traders were hustling around a kitchen serving up salad and ziti to about 60 homeless men, including veterans.
• 03/27/2013 - Weber (UT) deputies can wear badges with military vet status
  A chance encounter in a parking lot has led to an opportunity for Weber County sheriffs deputies to wear special badges proclaiming they are veterans of the United States military. Weber County Sheriffs Lt. Mark Lowther said he was in the parking lot of Symbol Arts in South Ogden late last year when he happened to see Nick Lopez, a member of the Salt Lake City Fire Department. Lopez, like Lowther, served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
• 03/27/2013 - MLB donates $10 million to Welcome Back Veterans
  Amid a planned reduction of 34,000 U.S. military troops in Afghanistan by next February, Major League Baseball on Wednesday announced an expansion of its efforts to help returning American veterans and their families with a new $10 million donation to Welcome Back Veterans. Nearing the five-year anniversary of the apolitical organization's inception, this backing brings MLB's total commitment to Welcome Back Veterans to $23 million. Welcome Back Veterans is an initiative of MLB Charities and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, helping men and women make a successful transition to civilian life when their service to their country has ended. It is promoted annually on MLB's biggest stages, including the World Series.
• 03/27/2013 - Amputee veteran: IED explosion training eases his PTSD
  SAN DIEGO - An amputee veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder is playing a major role in military training drills by reliving the trauma of his own injuries.
• 03/27/2013 - Parade will honor Vietnam vets
  When Fred Schuster tosses a ceremonial wreath into Buck Creek during the Vietnam Veterans Day of Remembrance next week, the nine silver coffins he faced in the hold of his C-141 more than 40 years ago wont be far from his mind.
• 03/26/2013 - Texas heroes honored at Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument ceremony
  AUSTIN  State Representative Wayne Smith (R-Baytown) honored Texas Heroes who served in Vietnam during groundbreaking ceremonies for the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument. On Sunday, Smith participated in the Reading of the Names ceremony at the LBJ Museum in Austin, honoring those Texans who died. On Monday, Smith spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony at the Texas Capitol.
• 03/26/2013 - Universities working to ease veterans back into school
  Indiana is among states creating programs to help combat-to-college students adjust. Anthony Arnold left college his freshman year to enlist in the Navy. When he returned to finish his undergraduate degree five years later, he wasn't like everyone else. He was older. He was trained in military intelligence. He had spent 15 months in Afghanistan.
• 03/26/2013 - House for families of wounded veterans to be built at Milwaukee VA Hospital
  A house for families of wounded veterans will be built on the grounds of Milwaukee's VA Hospital starting in late summer, Fisher House organizers announced Tuesday. The 16-unit building will take a year to complete and will be built west of a pond called Lake Wheeler on the grounds of the Clement J. Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center. "This is a home that will last generations," said Dan Buttery, an Iraq veteran who is president of Fisher House Wisconsin.
• 03/26/2013 - Vietnam vets to get a welcome in Sanford
  Last year, the U.S. Congress declared March 30 to be Vietnam Veterans Appreciation Day. Joseph Armstrong and the rest of Sanfords Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1044 marked the occasion with a Welcome Home Open House aimed at providing that welcome for Vietnam veterans and their families. On Saturday, March 30, Sanfords Vietnam veterans will gather for the second appreciation day, as the organization continues its support for Vietnam veterans, as well as extends a welcome home to newly returning veterans of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
• 03/26/2013 - Native Warriors Lead Washington State to Observe Welcome Home Day
  Many of them were 18 or 19 when they enlisted or were drafted. They were trained to fight in a far-off land, to stop communism from spreading into Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, all that is ugly about war  in this case, the Vietnam War  was broadcast into American living rooms for the first time. As the human and financial costs of the war grew, opinions collided  sometimes violently, in the U.S. capital, on college campuses and on city streets. When U.S. military personnel came home, many with injuries and memories that would still haunt them decades later, there was no welcome.
• 03/26/2013 - Vietnam Veterans Homecoming 2013 slated for Sept. 11-15
  Kasey Rippel, president of the Vietnam Veterans Homecoming, said the importance of bringing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall to Buckeye Career Center Sept. 11 through 15 cant be emphasized enough. It is to recognize the sacrifices made by veterans and to thank, honor and support them for their service and devotion to the United States...
• 03/24/2013 - Vietnam Veterans for VIM
  COURT HOUSE  South Jersey Chapter 602 of the Vietnam Veterans is sponsoring Volunteers in Medicines First Annual 5K Health Run next Sat. (March 30) at the Cape May County Zoo. We are thrilled to support this organization that looks after so many of our own, said Richard Kraus, of the Vietnam Veterans.
• 03/22/2013 - Vietnam veterans welcome-home day in The Villages (FL)
  Now, 40 years after the war ended, the U.S. is finally thinking of the 2.2 million men and women  nearly 8,000 were female nurses  who served in Southeast Asia. Earlier this week, the Legislature designated March 30 as Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day. Locally, the Vietnam Veterans of the America chapter in The Villages is sponsoring a welcome at 10 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park in Spanish Springs in The Villages. Anyone may attend.
• 03/21/2013 - Hiring veterans Businesses begin to tap into an overlooked resource
  As soldiers return from post 9-11 wars that are still being fought, businesses from mom-and-pop shops to big-box behemoths are looking to tap into a young workforce shaped by the work ethic and sense of hierarchy that are trademarks of military experience. (It doesnt hurt that businesses that hire vets also get a healthy federal tax break.)
• 03/21/2013 - Welcome Home Vietnam Vets celebrations set
  March Field Air Museum and Riverside National Cemetery are holding Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans observances on Saturday, March 23. The museum is open free to all Vietnam vets and their families that day. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the official program beginning at 11 a.m. At the conclusion of the program a free lunch will be served for Vietnam Vets and their immediate families.
• 03/20/2013 - Chapters hold walk, bike run for vets
  The Vietnam Veterans Remembrance celebration will start Monday and run through Saturday, March 30. The accompanying bike run is scheduled for March 30. Friends and relatives of Vietnam veterans have planned a 117-mile walk that starts at 10 a.m.
• 03/19/2013 - Vets Officially Honored
  "To all my brotherans welcome home," said Donohoe. On Saturday March 30Th, Vietnam Veterans will be properly welcomed home at the Vietnam War Memorial in front of the (Florida) Capitol. Click link for video.
• 03/18/2013 - Missoula military museum gears up for Vietnam War's 50th anniversary
  For generations of Americans, the Vietnam War is now what World War II was to their parents  a battle told through stories by grandfathers and late-night documentaries on television. But for thousands of military veterans, the war remains real, as if it happened yesterday, never mind its 50th anniversary is rapidly approaching.
• 03/14/2013 - USO Expands Reach of Education, Employment and Community Reintegration Prog
  In 2013, the USO has answered the call for increased education, employment and community reintegration programming with 200 events in new locations nationwide based on feedback from military commands, troops, and military families. The USO constantly adapts to meet the changing needs of our troops and families and our unique scope and scale allows us to deliver on our commitment to our nations wounded troops and their caregivers as they transition back to active duty or to the civilian sector.
• 03/06/2013 - Vietnam vets give back with Chesapeake Beach war memorial
  Chesapeake Beach residents and visitors will have a new memorial honoring Vietnam War veterans in Veterans Memorial Park, possibly in 18 to 36 months. The Town Council approved the development and construction of the memorial by the Nam Knights of America Old Line chapter Feb. 21. Ray Bomber Nieves, president of the Old Line chapter, said that since the chapter moved its headquarters to Chesapeake Beach about five years ago, the community has made its members feel so welcome, they wanted to show their appreciation.
• 03/02/2013 - Boxer, Burr introduce Vietnam Veterans Day legislation
  U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Richard Burr (R-NC), co-chairs of the Senate Military Family Caucus, have introduced legislation that would encourage the president to issue a proclamation each year designating March 29 as Vietnam Veterans Day to honor all members of our Armed Forces who served during the Vietnam War.
• 02/19/2013 - Vietnam veterans honored at event on Tet Offensive anniversary
  Organizers said they were 45 years too late. But their event Saturday honoring Vietnam veterans drew hundreds of servicemen and their families to the Longview Exhibit Building. Coinciding with the 45th anniversary of the 1968 Tet Offensive, the event included recognition of veterans and speeches by U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert and state Rep. David Simpson. The centerpiece, though, was the Moving Wall that paid tribute to fallen troops
• 02/11/2013 - John Carlisle: Vietnam Veterans chapter office a place where soldiers don't
  Inside this book, long-gone soldiers forgotten by all but a few are brought back to life and remembered. There are 149 names in there so far, each of them servicemen from Macomb County who were killed years ago in Vietnam. This book of the dead, a three-ring binder with laminated pages, rests on a little stand inside the office of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 154 in Roseville. It's an ongoing project by the members to honor fellow soldiers who never made it back home.
• 02/08/2013 - Vietnam Vets to hold open house at museum, office.
  Tonawanda News  The local Vietnam Veterans chapter now has more room to showcase its hundreds of historical mementos from the war in their new museum and office located at 47 Main Street, just feet away from its old location.
• 02/06/2013 - Vietnam Veterans' Group Hosting Student-Art Competition
  Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 227 and the Memorial Day Writers Project are sponsoring the 16th annual Vince Kaspar Prizes for Excellence in the Arts, open to high school juniors and seniors in Arlington and Fairfax counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church. Students will be recognized with cash awards in poetry and the visual arts. The deadline is March 2, and awards will be presented in May. For information, see the Web site at www.vva227.org.

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