This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we welcome new National Commander Jerry Hotop to AMVETS National Headquarters in Lanham, Md. Hotop, a life member of Perryville AMVETS Post No. 94 in Missouri, was recently elected as AMVETS National Commander for 2010-2011 at the AMVETS National Convention in Louisville.

This week, we will also discuss VA's publication of Agent Orange regulations for the latest presumptive conditions for exposure to the dangerous defoliant during the Vietnam War. VA plans to publish the new rules on Tuesday in the Federal Register.

Congress remains on recess for the district work period, meaning AMVETS legislative team continues to use this time to compile AMVETS' legislative agenda for 2011 and the upcoming report from the 2010 AMVETS Symposium for 21st Century Veterans.

We will also continue to follow the latest developments on recent court rulings in favor of funeral protests and framing Stolen Valor as free speech. AMVETS recently issued statements on both rulings, calling the decisions "misguided" and demanding appeals. To read the statement on Stolen Valor, Click Here. To read the statement on funeral protests, Click Here.

As always, we're eager to highlight what's going on at AMVETS posts and departments around the country, so please send us your stories and photos for consideration, and please comment on anything we post.