AMVETS Riders Lead an American Warrior Home

On Sunday, Nov. 15, AMVETS Riders from Chapter No. 7 in Morristown, Tenn. joined the local Patriot Guard Riders and members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol to escort the body of Army Spc. Fred Greene back to his hometown of Mountain City, Tenn.

Greene, a 29-year-old Army combat engineer, was one of the 13 victims of the Nov. 5 shooting at Fort Hood, where Army Maj. Nadal Hasan opened fire on a crowded room of soldiers preparing to deploy.



Alan Sipe, president of AMVETS Riders Chapter No. 7, said the AMVETS Riders joined up for a 45-mile stretch of the journey, which passed through the mountains of eastern Tennessee on Sunday morning. Sipe said that entire congregations of small churches along the route lined the streets to pay their respects to Greene.

"The Tennessee Chapter No. 7 Riders were very moved at each and every moment of the ceremonies as they led one of their fallen brothers to his final resting place," said Sipe. "May he forever rest in peace."

Greene was laid to rest on Wednesday at his family church in Mountain City. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was in attendance to pay his final respects. Sipe said that Greene was buried with full military honors and treated as a KIA.



According to the Associated Press, Greene enlisted in the Army in 2008 and was assigned to the 16th Signal Company, which was heading overseas. Greene is survived by his wife, Christie, and his two adopted daughters, Haley and Allison.

(Photo: AMVETS Riders served as members of the Honor Guard when Spc. Greene arrived at the Tri-Cities Airport on Nov. 15. Photo courtesy of Alan Sipe. Video: TriCities.com news coverage of Spc. Greene's ride home and his funeral on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Embedded using HTML code provided by TriCities.com.)

This (Short) Week at American Veteran

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, AMVETS National Headquarters will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 26 and Friday, Nov. 27 so that our staff can spend the holidays with their loved ones. Congress is also on recess this week for the Thanksgiving District Work Period, which means many of our legislators will be in our hometowns, listening to their constituents.

Tomorrow on American Veteran Online, we will feature the story of AMVETS Riders Chapter No. 7 in Morristown, Tenn., which helped to escort Army Spc. Fred Greene, one of the fallen from the Fort Hood shooting, to his home town of Mountain City, Tenn.

American Veteran will also follow up on last week's Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, citing government contracting fraud among businesses claiming to be service-disabled veteran owned small businesses (SDVOSBs).

In May, AMVETS Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof testified that a lack of oversight could lead to excessive fraud by small businesses seeking to take advantage of veterans' preferences in contracting and proposed changes to the system to ensure compliance. The new report confirmed AMVETS' greatest concerns over the gravity of the situation.

We will also post highlights from Cmdr. Miskulin's visit to the Far East, which we were unable to post last week.

We're always eager to hear from our readers and the AMVETS posts and departments around the country, so please feel free to comment below, send us story ideas and content, or click on the new "Like/Dislike" boxes at the bottom of each entry.

Finally, AMVETS leaders ask that this Thanksgiving, we all give thanks for the brave men and women, young and old, who have fought to preserve the ideals of our great nation--especially those who have been called to serve and cannot join us this holiday season.

President, Top Military and VA Leaders Honor the Fallen at Fort Hood

President Barack Obama, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, and Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey joined hundreds of soldiers, military families, first-responders, and survivors at the Army III Corps Headquarters at Fort Hood for a somber remembrance ceremony in honor of the 12 soldiers and one civilian who were killed last Thursday in the brutal rampage at Fort Hood's Soldier Readiness Processing center.

Thirty-eight other soldiers were wounded in the cowardly act perpetrated by another American soldier.

"It may be hard to comprehend the twisted logic that led to this tragedy, but this much we do know: No faith justifies these murderous and craven acts; no just and loving God looks upon them with favor," said Obama in his remarks, "and for what he has done, we know that the killer will be met with justice in this world, and the next."

Below is video of the Fort Hood memorial service in its entirety posted on the official White House blog:



Following today's somber ceremony, military leaders met with families of the fallen and soldiers who survived the brutal attack. Defenselink, the official Pentagon Web site, features in-depth multimedia coverage of the tragedy, including a tribute to the victims. To view the Pentagon's site, Click Here.

AMVETS leaders ask that this Veterans Day, Americans remember the 13 Americans who lost their lives in this cowardly act:

Lt. Col. Juanita Warman, Havre de Grace, Md.
Maj. Libardo Caraveo, Woodbridge, Va.
Capt. John P. Gaffaney, San Diego, Calif.
Capt. Russell Seager, Racine, Wis.
Staff Sgt. Justin Decrow, Plymouth, Ind.
Sgt. Amy Krueger, Kiel, Wis.
Spc. Jason Hunt, Tillman, Okla.
Spc. Frederick Greene, Mountain City, Tenn.
Pfc. Aaron Nemelka, West Jordan, Utah
Pfc. Michael Pearson, Bolingbrook, Ill.
Pfc. Kham Xiong, St. Paul, Minn.
Pvt. Francheska Velez, Chicago, Ill.
Michael G. Cahill, Cameron, Texas

American Veteran will continue to follow this story. Check back regularly for updates.

(Photos: Top: President Obama speaks at today's Fort Hood memorial service honoring the victims of the Nov. 5 shooting rampage. DoD photo by Cherie Chullen, released. Bottom: Adm. Mullen with Army 2nd Lt. Brandy Mason, who was shot in the hip during the horrific rampage that left 13 dead and 38 wounded. DoD photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, Released. Video: Tuesday's memorial service in honor of the Fort Hood victims from the official White House blog.)

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will be covering Veterans Day in depth. We will also highlight last week's homeless veterans summit, hosted by VA Secretary Eric Shinseki. At the summit, Shinseki outlined an ambitious plan to end homelessness among veterans, which has been met with cautious optimism around the veterans' community.

This morning, AMVETS launched its new veterans' health care information Web site, VeteransHealthCenter.org.

American Veteran encourages our readers to check out this new resource and, please, let us know what you think.

AMVETS will also officially publish its legislative agenda for FY2010 on Veterans Day. Check out www.AMVETS.org at noon on Veterans Day to read the document.

AMVETS will be on hand this week as Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden host members of the military and veterans for a Veterans Day luncheon.

AMVETS posts and departments around the country will also host their own Veterans Day events ranging from special dinners honoring local veterans, to parades and special visits to veterans at VA Medical Centers around the country.

American Veteran Online is eager to highlight these events, so if your post or department has photos or stories you would like to share, please let us know.

American Veteran will also be following developments on Capitol Hill with last week's passage of the health care reform bill in the House. AMVETS leaders still seek clarification on how the latest language will affect veterans who use VA health care and their loved ones.

Finally, American Veteran will continue to follow the developments out of Fort Hood, where 12 American soldiers and one civilian were brutally gunned down by a rogue soldier.

AMVETS National Executive Director Jim King said last week that the thoughts and prayers of AMVETS are with the victims of the brutal attack. On Friday, AMVETS National Headquarters held a moment of silence in memory of the fallen.

As details emerge, AMVETS leaders remain skeptical of the shooter's motives, but still will not jump to conclusions.

Check back regularly with American Veteran Online for updates on these and other stories. And, as always, please let us know what you think.

BREAKING: Tragic Shooting at Fort Hood

This afternoon, reports came in from Ft. Hood that more than 40 soldiers had been shot in a brutal rampage on the U.S. Army's largest post. According to the Pentagon, twelve people were killed and 31 wounded.

Shortly before 5 p.m., Fort Hood Commanding General Army Lt. Gen. Bob Cone confirmed that the shooter was a soldier at the post who used a handgun to carry out the attacks. Shortly before 6 p.m., sources confirmed that the shooter was Army Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, a military mental health doctor. Initially, the military reported that Hasan was killed, but late last night, Cone confirmed that he was alive and in custody.

Three other soldiers were apprehended in connection with the incident. Two of the three were cleared and released. One final person-of-interest remains in custody.

CNN reported that the shooting took place at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center where soldiers transit back and forth from the combat zone. Fort Hood was on lock-down while soldiers and local police from nearby Killeen, Texas, swept the post.

AMVETS National Executive Director Jim King says he was "shocked and saddened" by the report.

"An incident like this is just unheard of on a military post in our own country," said King. "As we continue to sort out the details, AMVETS' thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. Our troops should feel safe on American soil. Americans must now rally around our brave men and women who wear the uniform in the wake of this unimaginable tragedy."

Most of the soldiers who were killed in the rampage were set to deploy overseas. AMVETS leaders will honor these fallen heroes with a moment of silence at AMVETS National Headquarters tomorrow morning.

AMVETS and American Veteran will continue to follow this story.