Activision's Call of Duty Endowment to Support AMVETS Career Centers

Today, the Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit organization which is focused on helping veterans transition to civilian careers, awarded $500,000 in grants to five organizations working to train and place returning service members and wounded warriors into the workforce. The organizations that will receive funding include: the USO, AMVETS, Military to Medicine, Student Veterans of America and Veterans Green Jobs.

The announcement comes on the heels of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) yearly Veterans’ Employment Summary, which was released today. According to the new report from BLS, there are currently more than one million veterans who are out of work in the country. The problem is worst for the youngest veterans between the ages of 18-24. Male veterans in that age range experience an unemployment rate of 21.9 percent, and women veterans in the same age range experience an unemployment rate of 15.3 percent.

“It is a great honor to support these organizations that are training and placing our military men and women in 21st century careers,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) “For those who give selflessly to defend our freedom, we must continue to increase the public’s awareness of this problem, and we must work together with businesses around the country to find our heroes fulfilling and sustainable jobs.”

The five grant recipients will each receive $100,000 to assist them in their efforts with career training and job placement throughout the country. The programs chosen each have a different avenue and audience as to how they are combating the unemployment issue.

The USO will provide career support to wounded warriors and their families through the creation of two new facilities at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland and a new medical campus at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Student Veterans of America works mostly with younger veterans on college campuses, while AMVETS will expand their Career Centers pilot program, which has been helping veterans living in Ohio. Veterans Green Jobs, based out of Colorado, looks to train veterans in the emerging field of sustainable green jobs, and Military to Medicine provides veterans with online healthcare training and employment assistance in the medical field.

Sloan Gibson, president of the USO expressed his gratitude to Activision and Bobby Kotick for the Call of Duty Endowment’s grant, “Considering their character, drive and discipline – our men and women who serve in the Armed Forces - should be seen as ideal candidates to hire for any employer. I hope that more companies will help promote that theme, just as Activision and Bobby Kotick have done through the Call of Duty Endowment.”
Since Activision Blizzard, Inc., the worldwide online and console video game publisher and producer of the Call of Duty® video game, established the Call of Duty Endowment it has delivered more than $500,000 in grants and scholarships to assist veterans gain new careers in the civilian workforce. This past November, Activision committed another $1 million to the Endowment and pledged to find 1,000 jobs for veterans.

To learn more about fighting veterans’ unemployment and the grants announced today, visit www.callofdutyendowment.org

To see the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2010 veterans’ unemployment report, visit http://www.bls.gov/news.release/vet.nr0.htm

About The Call of Duty Endowment:
The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit, public benefit corporation created by Activision Blizzard. The organization seeks to help soldiers transitioning to civilian life find work and establish careers and to assist organizations that provide job placement and training. For more information about The Call of Duty Endowment, please visit www.callofdutyendowment.org.

About Activision Publishing, Inc.:
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products. Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com.

Call of Duty and Activision are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

(Image: Call of Duty Endowment official logo courtesy of Activision.)

Press Conference on Proposed Burn Pit Legislation

This morning, Congressman Timothy Bishop (D-N.Y.) will be joined by veterans and veterans' advocates on Capitol Hill, including IAVA and DAV, for a press conference to discuss burn pit exposure in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Bishop recently introduced the Military War Zone Toxic Exposure Prevention Act (H.R. 2491), which would commission a database and subsequent study by the Department of Defense to monitor troops' exposure and resultant health problems, along with new regulations on waste disposal in the combat zone, prohibiting the U.S. military and its contractors from activating new burn pits.

In the last year, veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have brought the burn pit issue to light after many have discovered persistent health problems associated with exposure to chemicals given off by burn pits in their areas of operations.

Military Times reported this morning that the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center has published increasingly high mortality rates for respiratory and chest conditions among troops deployed from 2001-2008. The report also demonstrated nearly twice as many instances of tumors (benign and malignant) among the same group.

"It is important for the Pentagon to identify and track troops who may have been exposed to these dangerous toxins, and then ensure new pits don't pop up across the combat zone," said AMVETS Legislative Director Ray Kelley who recently served in Iraq. "Since so many troops have separated from the military since 2001, it will be a daunting task to track down everyone who may have been exposed, or may be suffering from related health conditions. As this legislation moves forward, we hope both Secretary of Defense Gates and VA Secretary Shinseki will do everything in their power to ensure no post-9/11 veterans fall through the cracks."

Check back with American Veteran Online for more details on today's press conference and H.R. 2419, as it moves through committee.

Post-9/11 G.I. Bill Update: VA to accept applications May 1

This afternoon, Rick Maze from Military Times reported that the VA will begin accepting Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits applications as early as May 1, through the VA's G.I. Bill Web site.

Though critical details, such as dependent transferability, must still be worked out, AMVETS is encouraged that the VA is taking the necessary steps to ensure that student-veterans receive timely and accurate benefits when the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill rolls out in August.

According to Military Times and recent VA estimates, nearly half a million post-9/11-era veterans are expected to take advantage of their new G.I. Bill benefits starting this fall. Since the new G.I. Bill is based on a complicated corollary of time in service, geographic location, and individual school costs, the VA has identified potential issues in the benefits distribution process. By allowing veterans to start the process on May 1, the VA hopes to iron out any delivery issues so that veterans receive their correct G.I. Bill payments by August 1.

AMVETS has kept a close eye on the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill process, taking part in regular conference calls with the VA and testifying on potential issues. Check back regularly with American Veteran Online for more details as implementation of the new G.I. Bill draws closer.

Six Years in Iraq

On this day in 2003, U.S. troops "crossed the berm" on the border of Kuwait and surged onward toward Baghdad. Two short weeks later, the regime of Saddam Hussein would fall. However, the battle was only beginning for our nation's war fighters.

As a result of toppling Hussein's governemnt, a power vacuum ensued in the Middle East, drawing some of our nation's most bitter enemies into the fight in an attempt to fill it. Through years of struggles on and off the battlefield, our military men and women have fought through insurmountable odds to finally set a fledgling Iraqi democracy on a path to stability.

Today, we acknowledge the sixth anniversary of the war in Iraq, a day that has come to define the lives of millions of brave American men and women, and perhaps changed the perception of an entire generation.

Prior to 9/11, young Americans were often labeled as egocentric, focused solely on personal success at all costs. Still, millions of young men and women of this generation have selflessly raised their right hands, swearing to uphold and defend the Constitution, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.

To date, 4,259 brave Americans have lost their lives in the conflict, with thousands more suffering life-altering injuries. To these men and women, our nation owes an immeasurable dept of gratitude for their sacrifices. Each of us should take a moment today to pause and reflect on the service of our fallen heroes and our wounded warriors.

In the context of the Iraq War, I wanted to take a moment to address an issue that has raised eyebrows around the military and within veterans' community. Our military men and women have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan for the better part of a decade, with many troops serving multiple tours in multiple combat theaters.

Many of us who have worn the uniform during the Global War on Terrorism have witnessed tremendous acts of valor and heroism for which we revere our fellow service members. However, in nearly eight years of conflict, the U.S. military has only awarded five troops with the nation's highest combat award for valor, the Medal of Honor. All awards have been posthumous.

How can this be? To put it into perspective, in eight years of war in Vietnam, 246 American service members were awarded the Medal of Honor, with more than 50 percent of these brave men living to receive their award.

With advances in medical technologies over the last three decades, it seems absurd to me that equally valorous actions would not have occurred on the battlefield of Iraq and Afghanistan, with the brave American making it home alive. To suffice, something doesn't seem right here, and we intend to look into it.

But I digress. Today, we must acknowledge the service of our brave men and women who have served in Iraq. If you know an Iraq veteran, shake their hand, thank them, let them know you appreciate their service. I guarantee, it never gets old.

-Ryan

From the Floor of the NEC

This morning, the spring meeting of the AMVETS National Executive Committee opened at the BWI Hilton in Linthicum, Md.

On the floor, the NEC approved AMVETS' follow-up on the 2006 National Symposium on the Needs of Young Veterans.

The follow-up symposium, hatched out of the National Headquarters, will take place during the 65th AMVETS National Convention in New Orleans this August.

AMVETS hopes to bring at least one post-9/11 veteran from each department to New Orleans to participate in a roundtable discussion of the pertinent issues identified in the original symposium from 2006. AMVETS will also investigate new issues that may have arisen over the last three years and issue a new report on their findings to guide the organization's work pertaining to the newest gerenation of American veterans.

On Monday morning, AMVETS will begin to plan for the follow-up symposium. Check back regularly with American Veteran Online for more details on this summer's symposium as they develop.

AMVETS also signed a new agreement with the University of Phoenix to continue providing educational opportunities for members of the military, veterans, and their family members. Since University of Phoenix first partnered with AMVETS, the university has given hundreds of veterans the opportunity to earn a college degree. From the lectern at the NEC, AMVETS National Commander John C. Hapner called on every department to spread the word about the new scholarship opportunities.



Also on the floor, Norm Barker from the Department of Wisconsin announced the new Women Veterans' Memorial, which AMVETS and Wisconsin's leading veterans' organizations will build at Irma Hill.

The AMVETS Department of California also officially presented the AMVETS Law Clinic at Chapman University School of Law in California. The new clinic, which handles a variety of pro bono cases for members of the military and veterans in California will be featured in the upcoming issue of American Veteran magazine.

Official NEC business has drawn to a close in Linthicum, but check back with American Veteran Online for coverage of tonight's 55th Annual Silver Helmet Awards banquet.

(Photos, Top: Cmdr. Hapner addresses the AMVETS National Executive Committee. Center: University of Phoenix and AMVETS sign a new agreement to continue offering scholarship opportunities to our veterans. Photos by Ryan Gallucci)