This morning, the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs will host a hearing on potential improvements to the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, which AMVETS has been calling for since last summer when the new benefits took effect.
Some of the improvements AMVETS has called for include expansion of benefits for mobilized National Guard troops on Title 32 orders, increased equity in benefits for students attending private universities, living stipend benefits for full time online students, and increased access to vocational training outside of traditional colleges and universities.
This morning, the House Committee on Veterans Affairs is also hosting a roundtable discussion on treating the invisible wounds of war--post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and traumatic brain injury, or TBI. The committee has brought together leaders within the health care industry alongside Department of Defense and VA officials to discuss the issues.
To view a list of this morning's participants in the roundtable, Click Here. To view live video starting at 10 a.m., Click Here.
AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin made addressing the invisible wounds of war his top personal priority for his year in office and AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof will be on hand for the roundtable. To read about Miskulin's chief initiative to address these invisible wounds and the broader reintegration issues faced by today's veterans through AMVETS Warrior Transition Workshops, Click Here. '
American Veteran will follow both of these hearings closely. For updates, check back later.
This morning on Capitol Hill both the House and Senate committees on Veterans Affairs will hear testimony on critical veterans issues.
First, at 9:30 a.m., in Russell Senate Office Building room 418, the Senate committee will host a hearing to discuss the daunting VA claims backlog. Joseph Violante from Disabled American Veterans will testify on behalf of the Independent Budget partners, including AMVETS. Lists of witnesses have not been published, but live video from the hearing is available on the committee's Web site. To view the video, Click Here.
At 10 a.m., in Cannon House Office Building room 334, the House VA Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will discuss VA's suicide prevention and outreach efforts. AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof will be on hand for the hearing, where leaders from other veterans' groups and VA and Department of Defense officials will testify. To view a full list of witnesses and to read their prepared remarks, Click Here.
AMVETS leaders will be following both hearings closely, as the VA claims backlog is AMVETS top legislative priority for 2010, and AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin has made veterans' mental health and suicide prevention a personal priority for his year in office.
In an effort to augment VA and DoD's efforts to quell veteran suicides, Miskulin drove AMVETS' partnership with Freedom & Honor earlier this year to commission AMVETS Warrior Transition Workshops--a series of national workshops designed by combat veterans for combat veterans, offering peer support to help veterans contextualize their experiences and successfully transition back to civilian life.
Check back with American Veteran Online later for highlights from today's hearings.
This week at American Veteran we will discuss VA's recent changes to policies on PTSD claims processing. This morning VA officially announced changes waiving additional evidence requirements for veterans seeking service connection for PTSD. We will discuss in depth on this blog, but in the meantime, to read VA's Q&A on the PTSD changes, Click Here.
This week we will also be sending the summer issue of American Veteran magazine to the printer for delivery in time for the 66th annual AMVETS National Convention next month in Louisville, Ky. As we finalize this magazine, you may not see as frequent of updates on the American Veteran blog. However, we continue to invite your feedback and any submissions of photos and stories you would like us to consider for publication in the magazine or on the blog.
As convention draws closer, we will also post an update on the 2010 AMVETS Symposium for 21st Century Veterans. Submissions for participants are due to AMVETS National Legislative Director Ray Kelley as soon as possible to ensure that veterans receive all necessary materials prior to arriving in Lousiville. More to come this week.
On Capitol Hill this week Congress is back in session after the Fourth of July recess, and American Veteran will be following hearings in both the Senate and House committees on Veterans Affairs. On Wednesday, The Senate will hear testimony on VA's current efforts to alleviate the VA claims backlog--AMVETS' top legislative priority for 2010--and the House will hear testimony on VA's suicide prevention efforts--one of AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin's personal priorities for 2010.
Details on each hearing, including updates on witnesses, links to testimony and live video feeds will be available on this blog Wednesday morning.
On Thursday, VA's update on its study of service dog benefits for physically and psychologically wounded veterans is due to Congress. As the leader in advocating for veterans' service dogs, AMVETS will be watching closely, with updates posted to the American Veteran blog.
As always, let us know how we're doing and check back regularly for updates.
Earlier this month, AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin and AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary National President Patty Piening paid a visit to the Maine Veterans Home in Bangor, Maine, prior to the AMVETS Department of Maine convention.
Miskulin and Piening were joined by their fellow AMVETS for a tour of the facility and a luncheon where Kelley Kash, chief executive officer of the Maine Veterans Home, provided an overview of the state veterans' home program and discussed challenges facing the Maine home today.
One issue facing state veterans' homes today is the "70 Percent" program, which offers veterans with a service connected disability rating of 70 percent or more nursing home care free of charge. However, VA is not adequately covering these associated costs, threatening the ability of state veterans' homes to function.
Earlier this year, AMVETS testified on this issue before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, calling for increased flexibility in payments from VA to state veterans' homes.
Following the luncheon, Miskulin, Piening and the AMVETS members were treated to a tour of the facility by home administrator Greg Urban. During the tour, Miskulin and Piening took the time to meet residents.
(Photo: Maine Veterans Home CEO Kelley Kash discusses the services available through the Maine Veterans Home with Cmdr. Miskulin and President Piening during the luncheon at the home. Photo and additional contributions courtesy of Jeff Roosevelt.)
In the wake of yesterday's scathing report on mismanagement at Arlington National Cemetery, the Department of the Army has commissioned a hotline for concerned family members to answer questions about the final resting places of their loved ones.
Concerned families can call (703) 607-8000 and press "0" for information.
Yesterday, AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin released a statement expressing sadness and anger over the revelations. To read Miskulin's statement, Click Here.
AMVETS also spoke with Fox 5 News in Washington, D.C. on the impact of Arlington's mismanagement on the veterans' community and particularly surviving spouses.
News quickly spread around the world about the sad situation at Arlington and last night the BBC also spoke with AMVETS about the issue.
In the wake of the Army investigations, both the superintendent of Arlington National Cemetery and his deputy have been relieved of their duties and the Army is reworking the command structure for the cemetery in an effort to improve accountability.
Army leaders have also ensured that additional steps will be taken to modernize operations at Arlington, ensuring that similar incidents never happen again.
AMVETS will continue to follow this story closely, as the Department of the Army works to remedy the situation. Check back regularly with American Veteran for updates.
This week at American Veteran, we will remember D-Day, June 6, 1944, when allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy in an effort to liberate Europe from Nazi oppression in WWII.
We will also highlight the AMVETS Riders national project, Camp Hope, and the recent visit by AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin and AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary National President Patty Piening to the AMVETS Department of Maine.
On Thursday, AMVETS National Legislative Director Ray Kelley will also testify before the House VA Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity on pending veterans' legislation. A live video link will be available on this blog the morning of the hearing.
American Veteran will also follow this week's House hearing when VA's Office of the Inspector General will testify on VA's problem-solving ability. AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof has been working closely with OIG on several critical issues, including the implementation of the VA's Uniform Mental Health Service Handbook and the continued implementation of new veterans' assistance dog policies.
We will also highlight the recent Congressional letter, orchestrated by Roof, which was sent to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, calling for an update on the VA's assessment of service dog benefits for today's wounded veterans. Roof secured 14 signatures from leaders on veterans' issues.
As always, please submit your story ideas and photos for American Veteran Online and the print edition of American Veteran magazine, and please let us know how we're doing.
On Memorial Day, AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin and AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary National President Patty Piening joined Vice President Joe Biden, the nation's military brass, and leading veterans' advocates at Arlington National Cemetery to honor America's fallen heroes.
Miskulin and Piening hosted four wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the AMVETS' box for the day's program.
Miskulin and Piening also laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns and accompanied their guests on a visit to Arlington's Section 60, where the fallen heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan are laid to rest.
Throughout the day, AMVETS participated in a variety of events around the nation's capitol ranging from the culmination of the annual Run for the Wall motorcycle ride to the national Memorial Day concert at the U.S. Capitol.
AMVETS Riders had participated in the Run for the Wall over the ten days leading up to Memorial Day, starting in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and following two routes across the United States.
AMVETS Deputy National Legislative Director Christina Roof joined House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), her staff, veterans, and other top veterans' advocates on the Speaker's balcony for the Memorial Day concert.
At 3 p.m. on Memorial Day, AMVETS leaders also joined in the National Moment of Remembrance--the national moment of silence commissioned by Congress to demonstrate national solidarity and honor the sacrifices of America's fallen war heroes.
(Photos: Top: Cmdr. Miskulin and President Piening lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Photo by Jay Agg. Middle Top: AMVETS hosted four wounded warriors from Walter Reed in the AMVETS box at Arlington National Cemetery. L-R: Cmdr. Miskulin, Spc. Cunningham, Staff Sgt. Waugaman, Staff Sgt. Hockaday, Sgt. 1st Class Huey, and President Piening. Photo by Jay Agg. Middle Bottom: Riders participating in the national Run for the Wall cross Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C. Photo by Toni Roof. Bottom: The crowd gathers at the U.S. Capitol for the National Memorial Day Concert. Photo by Christina Roof.)
On Memorial Day, AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin will join in ceremonies honoring America's fallen heroes across the nation's capitol, including the national wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
AMVETS will also host four wounded warriors from Walter Reed Army Medical Center for the day's events in Washington, D.C.
AMVETS Riders from around the country will also converge on the nation's capitol for the annual Run for the Wall, honoring America's prisoners of war and those who remain missing in action. American Veteran is accompanying the riders on the final leg of their journey from Norfalk, Va., to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.
AMVETS posts and departments around the country will also play host to special events for Memorial Day, honoring the brave Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of freedom. These events range from parades to memorial services, speeches and barbecues for veterans and their loved ones.
Memorial Day is one of the most significant holidays to AMVETS, honoring America's fallen heroes. To read AMVETS' official statement for Memorial Day 2010, Click Here.
Next week, American Veteran will bring highlights of AMVETS' Memorial Day commemorations, and we encourage all AMVETS posts and departments to share your Memorial Day photos and stories with us for American Veteran Online and the summer print edition of American Veteran magazine.
This morning, AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin and AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary National President Patty Piening visited with wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
During rare downtime between his visits to AMVETS posts and departments around the country, Miskulin and Piening managed to schedule visits with troops and a tour of the Army's state-of-the-art prosthetics ward.
AMVETS leaders and AMVETS service officers routinely visit with troops at Walter Reed and Bethesda Naval Hospital, speaking with troops about their entitlements through VA once they separate from service.
AMVETS service officers are also stationed at VA regional offices around the country, offering similar claims assistance, free of charge to all honorably discharged veterans. To learn more, Click Here.
(Photos: Top: L-R, President Piening, Cmdr. Miskulin, and AMVETS National Service Director Denny Boller speak with Walter Reed Executive Services Directorate Ambassador Alberta Barren during this morning's visit to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Bottom: Prosthetic devises line a wall of the state-of-the-art prosthetics ward at Walter Reed. Photos by Jay Agg.)
This week at American Veteran, we will follow AMVETS' leaders around Washington discussing critical veterans' issues ranging from the VA claims backlog to VA's implementation of the uniform mental health services handbook.
On Friday, American Veteran will be on hand at Elkins Manor in Elkins Park, Pa., where AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin will unveil the new AMVETS Warrior Transition Workshops alongside partner non-profit Freedom & Honor, Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), and 77th Reserve Support Command Maj. Gen. William Terpeluk.
The Elkins Park workshop will be the first in a series set to take place at locations from coast to coast. To learn more about the new program, Click Here.
Also, the latest issue of American Veteran magazine has gone off to the printer and should be arriving in your mailboxes shortly. Later this week, we will preview the spring issue.
With the new issue downrange, American Veteran Online can resume our regular publishing schedule, catching up on all the happenings within the veterans' community over the last few weeks, including the recent open house at Camp Hope and the San Diego Padres ongoing support to the veterans' community.
This week, Washington, D.C., will also play host to the fourth annual G.I. Film Festival and AMVETS National Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof will be on hand for the event.
Finally, it's military appreciation week and we will look to bring you highlights of AMVETS' military appreciation activities from around the country, as they come in.
As always, we're eager to hear what you think. Please feel free to share your veterans' news and comments with the editorial staff of American Veteran.
Tonight the Senate passed the Caregivers and Veterans Health Services Omnibus Act, offering groundbreaking aide and benefits for family caregivers of wounded veterans. The bill also includes significant improvements in care for female veterans and rural/remote veterans--two of AMVETS' top legislative priorities for 2010.
AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin applauded yesterday's passage of the bill in the House, calling it a "significant innovation in how VA cares for our wounded veterans and our underserved veteran populations."
AMVETS leaders were on hand at the U.S. Capitol yesterday for a press conference by House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-Calif.) alongside wounded warrior Ted Wade and his wife, Sarah, and other House veterans' advocates.
Since Ted was severely injured in Iraq, suffering a severe traumatic brain injury and losing his right arm, Sarah left school, quit her job and took on the role of caring for her husband.
"I was going to do whatever it took for Ted to live in the community, out of institutional care," said Sarah during the press conference, "but I would lay awake at night wondering how we'll get through this."
Sarah, who now telecommutes for the Wounded Warrior Project, said the new caregiver benefits will allow more than 2,000 other military families in similar situations to make ends meet while properly caring for their loved ones thanks to living stipends, formal caregiver training, available health care, and respite care.
The caregiver bill will now go to President Barack Obama for signing and American Veteran will be following closely. Check back regularly for updates.
(Photo: Wounded warrior Ted Wade and his wife, Sarah, discuss what the passage of the veterans' caregiver bill means to them. Photo by Ryan Gallucci.)
Last week, two Iraq veterans serving in Congress, Reps. John Boccieri (D-Ohio) and Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), introduced a bipartisan resolution calling on the Supreme Court to preserve privacy for military families mourning their loved ones.
The resolution, House Continuing Resolution 261, would express the sense of Congress that the Supreme Court should uphold lower court decisions that military funeral proceedings should be private, peaceful ceremonies where Gold Star families are allowed to mourn with dignity.
The resolution comes as the Supreme Court prepares to hear the case of Gold Star father Albert Snyder, who sued the Kansas church that picketed the funeral of his son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snider, who was killed in Iraq in 2006.
The church, which we refuse to acknowledge on this blog, has picketed military funerals since 2005, brandishing offensive signs and screaming at mourning Gold Star families, posturing that American troops were dying in combat as a result of America's tolerance for homosexuality.
In an effort to protect grieving families, motorcycle groups like the Patriot Guard Riders and AMVETS Riders have offered escorts and cordons for funeral processions alongside local law enforcement.
After being exposed to the group's hateful message, Snyder decided to take action, suing the Kansas church for defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Snyder was originally awarded more than $10 million in damages, until the decision was overturned by the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which also ordered Snyder to pay associated court fees for the Kansas church.
With the case making its way to the Supreme Court, AMVETS leaders support Boccieri and Hunter's resolution, calling to preserve dignified military funerals.
"What this radical church has done is abhorrent and cannot simply be viewed in the context of preserving First Amendment rights," said AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin. "Our grieving Gold Star families deserve only the utmost respect when mourning the loss of their loved ones. AMVETS hopes that the Supreme Court will agree that picketing military funerals violates the personal rights of a grieving family."
The Boccieri/Hunter resolution, which has already garnered support from fellow veterans in Congress, Reps. Chris Carney (D-Pa.) and Tim Walz (D-Minn.), among others.
Both Hunter and Boccieri said the issue was personal in nature to them, given their experiences in the current conflicts. Hunter has served multiple combat tours, leading Marines in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and Boccieri, a life member of AMVETS Post No. 44 in Youngstown, Ohio, flew C-130 missions in Iraq.
"Service members who make the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation--as well as their families--deserve our unending respect and appreciation," said Hunter. "Those who attempt to discredit their sacrifice by hurling insults and engaging in other offensive behavior bring great shame to themselves. The right to free speech is one of our nation’s most fundamental and protected rights, but it’s unfortunate when certain individuals or groups think it’s appropriate, for the purpose of creating controversy, to publicly malign our fallen heroes and disrupt such an important moment for their families. It’s my hope is that the Supreme Court will move to uphold existing laws that allow these families to mourn the loss of their loved ones without disturbance."
"The right to free speech ends where the privacy of a family mourning the loss of a service member begins,” said Boccieri. “While our law doesn’t restrict hate groups from spewing their venom, it forces them to do it at a respectful distance from the grieving family. This is personal for me after flying wounded and fallen soldiers out of Baghdad."
The Supreme Court granted certiorari on the Snyder case earlier this year and it has been placed on the docket for the current session, with a decision expected to come by fall.
American Veteran will continue to follow developments closely.
(Image: Dear Colleague letter from Reps. Boccieri and Hunter, calling for support to H.CON.RES 261. Letter courtesy of the Office of Congressman John Boccieri.)
This week, Congress is still on a break for the in-district work period. However, the work continues for the AMVETS National Legislative Department, which is planning for more Capitol Hill visits to discuss veterans' issues ranging from recent daunting unemployment figures to follow-up on assistance dogs for wounded veterans.
Over the weekend, AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin was quoted by CNN on the latest veterans' unemployment figures, which surpassed 14 percent. Cmdr. Miskulin is in Indiana for the week, touring the AMVETS Department of Indiana.
This week, American Veteran will begin to discuss AMVETS' new program to help address the invisible wounds of war, as details emerge this week. We will also discuss the upcoming 2010 AMVETS Symposium for 21st Century Veterans. Details about the upcoming symposium are now available on the AMVETS National Web site.
This week, we will also highlight the work of AMVETS Riders in Tennessee, who honored local Vietnam veterans last week.
Finally, members of the AMVETS family were on hand at the White House this morning for the annual Easter Egg Roll. Photos will be available shortly.
If you have a story you would like to share with us for publication on the blog for American Veteran magazine, or in the quarterly print edition, please let us know. And, as always, we're eager to read your comments.
This week at American Veteran we will follow AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin to Albert Lea, Minn., where Miskulin will present the 2010 AMVETS Congressional Silver Helmet award to Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) in his home district.
The presentation will take place at 10 a.m. at AMVETS Post No. 47, co-located at the Albert Lea American Legion Post No. 56.
This week, AMVETS Deputy National Legislative Director Christina Roof will participate in a series of meetings with Congressional staffers during the members' district work period, following up on the recent Capitol Hill visits alongside Paws With A Cause, educating on the benefits of assistance dogs for wounded veterans.
Roof will also participate in this week's meeting at the Department of Labor, where veterans' leaders will join Administration leaders to discuss progress on the federal Veterans' Employment Initiative.
As part of our Women in Service series for Women's History Month, we will highlight the Marine Corps Lioness Brigades--female units in Iraq who serve alongside male combat units.
As always, we're eager to hear from our readers, so please post your comments, and if you have anything you would like to share for our "Keeping Posted" feature on the blog and in the magazine, please let us know.
AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin testified before a special joint session of the Senate and House Committees on Veterans’ Affairs on Capitol Hill this morning in Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill, outlining AMVETS' legislative agenda for 2010.
Below are additional photos from this morning's special hearing before a joint session of the House and Senate committees on Veterans Affairs. For details from this morning's hearing, Click Here. To view video from this morning's hearing, Click Here.
(Hundreds of AMVETS in Washington for this weekend's national executive committee meeting and Silver Helmet Awards packed into Dirksen room G-50 for this morning's hearing.)
(Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.) thanks each of the veterans organizations on this morning's panel for their continued dedication to improving veterans' services, while Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii) looks on.)
(Cmdr. Miskulin reads his prepared remarks during this morning's hearing, highlighting the persistent VA claims backlog and the invisible wounds of war.)
(Top photo: Cmdr. Miskulin delivers his remarks, as members of the House and Senate committees on Veterans Affairs look on during this morning's special joint session. All photos by Ryan Gallucci.)
This week at American Veteran, we will once again follow AMVETS' legislative team to Capitol Hill for a series of hearing on critical veterans' issues ranging from benefits-delivery, veterans' suicide, Gulf War illness, and pending veterans' legislation. Several of these hearings were rescheduled from the back-to-back blizzards that struck Washington prior to the district work period.
This week, we will also keep you posted on plans for upcoming Capitol Hill visits with AMVETS and Paws With A Cause to discuss responsible service dog legislation. The Paws hill visits will correspond with a barrage of AMVETS and Sons of AMVETS meetings with legislators on critical veterans' issues, as well as National Commander Duane Miskulin's testimony before the joint session of the House and Senate committees on Veterans Affairs and the presentation of the Congressional Silver Helmet Award to Rep. Tim Walz (D-Minn.). As details become available (and as AMVETS develops a clever name), American Veteran will keep you up to date.
Cmdr. Miskulin is visiting the AMVETS Department of Illinois this week, meeting with AMVETS and veterans' advocates across the state and participating in the State Executive Committee meeting on Sunday.
Last week, Miskulin and AMVETS National Service Foundation President Joe Piening were in Nevada for the Special Olympics national bowling championship--an event AMVETS has supported for more than 25 years. American Veteran will post photos and highlights in the coming days.
Next, the new issue of American Veteran is on its way. We will post highlights on this blog in the coming days.
As always, we're eager to how what you think, so please feel free to post in the comments section on this blog.
In tonight’s State of the Union address, President Barack Obama discussed two issues critical to the veterans’ community—the controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and the proposed federal budget freeze.
In his speech, the President reiterated his goal of working with the military to overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” allowing gays and lesbians to openly serve in the U.S. military. The President also clarified that while he plans to freeze federal budgets, reducing the national deficit, the freeze will not apply to Defense and VA spending—a clarification which AMVETS applauded. AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin issued the following statement on tonight’s address.
“AMVETS is happy to see that the President remains dedicated to fully funding America’s defense interests around the world and fulfilling the obligation to fund the needs of today’s war-fighters once they return home. AMVETS will work to ensure that Congress upholds this duty as well.
“Late this afternoon, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi broke with the administration, calling for an additional freeze to defense funding—an action that AMVETS considers reckless and wholly irresponsible in a time of war. Politics aside, our men and women are in the fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. They need our continued support while overseas and long after they return home. Abandoning our military and our veterans to balance the budget is not an option.
“In regards to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” AMVETS membership passed a resolution at the August 2009 AMVETS National Convention in New Orleans calling for continued support of the stop-gap measure until policies critical to the rights of gays and lesbians have been addressed on a national scale—something AMVETS hopes the President will consider moving forward.
“In the interest of protecting the rights of gays and lesbians who wish to serve our country, Congress and the Pentagon must first consider issues within the current military structure to ensure equitable treatment of all who wish to serve before AMVETS can consider supporting a repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
“One critical issue is the recognition of legal relationships between homosexual partners in relation to military and veterans’ family member benefits and policies including, but not limited to, housing, dependency allowance, Dependency and Indemnity Compensation, Survivor Benefits Plan, transferability of benefits, joint duty station assignments, fraternization policies, and family care plans.
“Today, our nation lacks a clear definition of how such partnerships, which are only legally recognized in certain states, can be acknowledged across the board for members of the military. By allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly without considering these issues sets those affected by a new policy up for failure.
“Though the policy may seem antiquated to many and the social climate may be leaning toward change, AMVETS must support House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton in continuing to use “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” as a standard while the nation is at war, should the military and Congress fail to address the broader social questions first.
“To date, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” has succeeded to an extent in affording gays and lesbians an opportunity to serve. A report issued this morning by a UCLA demographer estimates that upwards of 66,000 gay and lesbian men and women may currently serve.
“In the interim, AMVETS also supports Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ assertions that the Pentagon should explore options to enforce the policy in a more equitable fashion. With this in mind, AMVETS suggests that the military enforce its non-fraternization and harassment policies in full accordance with the Uniformed Code of Military Justice and improve enforcement of the oft-overlooked “Don’t Pursue” clause of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” prohibiting witch-hunts against suspected homosexual service members.
“AMVETS prides itself on being the nation’s most-inclusive of the major veterans’ service organizations, representing the best interests of a broad constituency of veterans, which is why AMVETS leaders will work closely with the Administration, military leaders, and Congress to ensure that these critical concerns are addressed before any sweeping policy decision is made.”
To read AMVETS’ resolution on “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the AMVETS Legislative Agenda for 2010, Click Here.
Below is full video of last night's address:
(Media: Top Photo: President Obama delivers his State of the Union address. White House photo by Pete Souza. Bottom Video: Full White House video of the State of the Union address. White House images and video are in the public domain.)
It's back to work at National Headquarters this morning after a brief Christmas break!
This week, AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin will travel to the Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, where AMVETS national spokesman Dana Bowman will jump in prior to the kickoff between the University of Houston and the U.S. Air Force Academy on Dec. 31.
Bowman, the inspirational double-amputee who was wounded in a skydiving accident with the Army's elite Golden Knights, came on board with AMVETS at the national convention last summer in New Orleans. Bowman's story will be featured in the winter issue of American Veteran in January.
Speaking of the winter issue, all content should be submitted no later than close-of-business Thursday, Dec. 31. If your post or department has photos you would like us to consider for Keeping Posted, please submit them now.
This week, American Veteran will also continue to follow the developments in the disappearance of Army Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl, who has been held captive in Afghanistan since the summer. Over Christmas, the Taliban released a new video of Bergdahl, which AMVETS leaders have condemned.
We will also highlight AMVETS' work from around the country supporting today's military men and women who could not be home this Christmas season and supporting our veterans at VA facilities around the country.
Over the next couple of weeks, we ask that you bear with us, as the AMVETS communications department reconstitutes for the New Year. Blog postings may not be as consistent as you've seen over the last nine months, but be on the lookout for new features to kick up in mid-January.
We have a lot in the works and we're very excited about what the New Year brings, but we hope that you understand this may affect the blog in the short term.
This week at American Veteran, we will wrap up our coverage on Capitol Hill, as Congress prepares to break for a holiday district work period.
AMVETS Deputy Legislative Director Christina Roof will be on hand for Wednesday's hearing before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, discussing VA contracting. AMVETS submitted testimony for the record.
On Monday, AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin and AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary National President Patty Piening paid their respects to our nation's fallen heroes by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in honor of Pearl Harbor Day.
Each year, AMVETS top leadership lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in honor of those who lost their lives in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
AMVETS, originally American Veterans of World War II, has always taken special care to honor the sacrifices of the WWII generation, including AMVETS' key role in commissioning the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii, where 1,102 American sailors remain entombed since the attack on Dec. 7, 1941.
At Arlington, Miskulin, Piening and AMVETS national officers also paid their respects at the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association's memorial grove at Arlington. The grove stands as a tribute to both those who lost their lives in the attack on Pearl Harbor and to the Pearl Harbor survivors who went on to fight in WWII. In front of the trees, the association placed a plaque which reads, "These trees are dedicated to the men and women serving their country on the island of Oahu and territory of Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941."
(Photos: Top: Cmdr. Miskulin and President Piening lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns on Pearl Harbor Day. Bottom: Cmdr. Miskulin, President Piening and AMVETS national officers pay their respects to those who served at Pearl Harbor. Photos by Jay Agg.)
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Contributors
Andrew Keirn, National Publications Editor, Marine Corps veteran
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