LZ:DC: Video from Vet Hunters Presentation

On Saturday the AMVETS National Executive Committee voted to adopt California's Vet Hunters program as a national pilot to assist homeless veterans.

The program, which was conceived by California AMVET Joe Leal, seeks to find homeless veterans and ensure that they receive the services they need to make it off the streets.

At the spring meeting of the AMVETS National Executive Committee, Leal took some time to explain the genesis of his program and AMVETS National Programs Director Beryl Love made a motion to adopt Vet Hunters, which was unanimously approved by the committee.

More details will be available on Vet Hunters in the coming weeks. Check back regularly for updates. In the meantime, here is video of Leal's presentation to the NEC, explaining his unique program.



(Image: AMVET Joe Leal, the visionary behind Vet Hunters, shakes hands with AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop before his presentation to the AMVETS National Executive Committee on Saturday, March 19. Photo by Ryan Gallucci.)

LZ:DC: Video of CODE's Check Presentation to AMVETS

On Saturday, retired Navy Rear Adm. Jim Carey presented AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop with a check for $100,000 from Activision's Call of Duty Endowment, or CODE, to support the expansion of AMVETS Career Centers.

Carey made the check presentation during the spring meeting of the AMVETS National Executive Committee as part of LZ:DC.

CODE recently donated $500,000 to worthy veterans' causes to fight veterans' unemployment and selected AMVETS as one of its grant recipients.

AMVETS Department of Ohio launched AMVETS Career Centers as a state program to offer veterans free resources to help complete job-critical certifications and to assist in resume-writing and job-hunting at AMVETS posts across the state.

AMVETS Department of Ohio also offers a veteran-specific job board, Ohio Vets CAN, where companies looking to specifically employ veterans can post available positions.

With thousands of successful placements for Ohio veterans, CODE recognized the value of the program and wanted to provide AMVETS with the requisite funding to implement Ohio's program on a national scale during difficult economic times when veterans' unemployment figures eclipse daunting civilian numbers.

To read CODE's official announcement of the grant, Click Here.

To learn more about CODE, Click Here.

(Image: Retired Navy Rear Adm. Jim Carey from Activision's Call of Duty Endowment presents AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop with a check for $100,000 to support AMVETS Career Centers. Photo by Ryan Gallucci.)

Fall NEC Highlights: Camp Hope, Healing Heroes, Riders & Sons

This weekend AMVETS hosted its fall meeting of the AMVETS National Executive Committee at the Hilton Washington Dulles Hotel in Herndon, Va. Representatives from the six AMVETS national districts and 48 departments came together to tend to the regular business of the organization.

Below is video from AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop's NEC report, calling for support to his national program, Camp Hope, the wounded warrior outdoor retreat in Hotop's home state of Missouri founded by Gold Star father William White in honor of his fallen son, Marine Pfc. Christopher Neal White.



In addition to the requisite reports from each organizational leader, AMVETS heard from leaders across the AMVETS family of organizations.

AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Past National President Patty Piening presented a $25,000 check to AMVETS Healing Heroes, the national project for her term in office last year.

AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary National President Dee Kreiling also introduced her national program for the coming year, Sharing & Caring, which she discusses in the fall issue of American Veteran.

AMVETS Riders National President Victor "Dutch" Stivason asked for the NEC's support in applying uniform standards for the fledgling Riders organization to ensure compliance with the Confederation of Clubs, or CoC, the sanctioning body for motorcycle riding groups.

Sons of AMVETS National Commander Robert Hammett and AMVETS Department of California Commander Charles Ramos signed the charter for the new Sons of AMVETS squadron at California AMVETS Post No. 113.

Finally, AMVETS welcomed other special guests, Choice Hotels, University of Phoenix and the pilot veterans' benefits IT solution, TurboVet.

TurboVet is a web-based data exchange system designed by Stratizon which could enable VA, claims service officers, and veterans to easily process benefits claims, potentially replacing the cumbersome paper-based process. The commonwealth of Virginia and AMVETS Department of Virginia are working closely with Stratizon on the implementation of TurboVet, learning how to best integrate the data-exchange system with the current VA claims process.

University of Phoenix, which currently offers $350,000 in scholarships to veterans and their families through its partnership with AMVETS, also announced an additional ten percent tuition discount for AMVETS members.

Choice Hotels, an AMVETS partner which offers room discount rates for AMVETS members, also discussed potential entrepreneurship opportunities for veterans interested in the hospitality industry.

(Images: Top: Nebraska NEC Representative Albert Christner delivers his report to the floor of the AMVETS Fall NEC. Middle: Past National Commander Jimmy T. Smith accepts the $25,000 donation to AMVETS Healing Heroes from Past National President Piening. Bottom Right: AMVETS Riders President Stivason discusses the proposed uniform standards while Cmdr. Hotop display's Stivason's regulation Riders vest. Bottom Left: Sons of AMVETS National Commander Hammett and AMVETS Department of California Commander Ramos review the new charter for the Sons squadron at Post 113. Photos by Ryan Gallucci.)

Spring NEC Floor Highlights: Camp Hope, Boy Scouts of America Partnerships Recognized

Last weekend, AMVETS leaders from around the country convened on the Hilton Washington Dulles for the spring meeting of the AMVETS National Executive Committee.

Amid the reports from each department across AMVETS' six regional districts, AMVETS hosted a variety of guests on the floor of the NEC, including AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary Humanitarian Award winner William "Mike" White and AMVETS National Spokesman Dana Bowman.

White, the founder of the wounded warrior retreat Camp Hope, took the time to thank AMVETS, AMVETS Riders and the AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary for their support to his vision of Camp Hope, which was established in 2007 in memory of his son, Marine Pfc. Christopher Neal White, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq.

Joining White and Ladies Auxiliary National President Patty Piening on the podium was Army Capt. Joseph Bogart, who was legally blinded by a roadside bomb in Iraq. Bogart recounted his visit to Camp Hope and the sense of peace that his visit brought back to his day-to-day life. In spite of his injuries, Bogart was able to remain on active duty and serve a second tour in Iraq.

AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin also presented the first AMVETS/Boy Scouts of America Youth Outreach award to California AMVET Jim Blank in recognition of his sustained commitment to his scouts. The new award can be awarded to volunteer scout leaders who demonstrate an ongoing commitment to AMVETS' mission of support to expanding Boy Scouts of America, or BSA, programs.

AMVETS National Spokesman Dana Bowman also took the time to thank AMVETS for its support over the last six months and discussed upcoming appearances, where he plans to jump in the AMVETS parachute. Bowman even joked that Cmdr. Miskulin still needed to join Bowman on a tandem jump before this summer's national convention.

AMVETS National Executive Committee meets three times each year to discuss general business of the organization. At the spring meeting, each AMVETS department also announced their state conventions, which will take place over the next three months.

Photos: Top: AMVETS NEC representatives deliver their reports on the floor of the spring NEC meeting. Middle: Army Capt. Joseph Bogart shares his Camp Hope experience with the floor of the NEC, while AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary National President Patty Piening and Camp Hope founder William White look on. Middle: Jim Blank poses for a photo with Cmdr. Miskulin and AMVETS Department of California Commander John Byrum after receiving the first AMVETS/BSA Youth Outreach Award. Bottom: Dana Bowman jokes with Cmdr. Miskulin about a potential upcoming tandem jump with the new AMVETS parachute. Photos by Ryan Gallucci.)

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will share highlights from the 56th annual Silver Helmet Awards, which took place on Saturday, March 20 at the Hilton Washington Dulles in Herndon, Va. We will also post highlights from the floor of the spring meeting of the AMVETS National Executive Committee.

The Sons of AMVETS were also out in force on Capitol Hill last week, meeting with more than 100 legislators and staff, outlining AMVETS' legislative agenda for 2010. We will bring you highlights.

On Saturday, AMVETS, the AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary and the Sons of AMVETS honored seven champions of veterans' service with the highest awards each organization can give. Here is a list of this year's recipients:

AMVETS 2010 Silver Helmet Awards:

• Rehabilitation - Joseph Mornini
• Civil Servant - William Montague
• Americanism - Joseph Gentile (on behalf of Gloucester Township Elementary Schoo)
• AMVET of the Year - Glen Maurer
• Congressional - Tim Walz

AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary:

• 2010 Humanitarian Award - William White

Sons of AMVETS

• Inaugural Award - PNC Joseph Piening
• Inaugural Award - PNC John Lorec

This week, American Veteran will also continue our "Women in Service" series, highlighting women's contributions to American military history in honor of Women's History Month. Our first installment this week will highlight Air Force Maj. Gen. Jeanne M. Holm, the first female general officer in the U.S. Air Force and the first female in the U.S. military to earn her second star.

Later this week, we will highlight a noteworthy female AMVETS member. We have some ideas on who we would like to highlight, but if you have a suggestion, please send me details via email, rgallucci@amvets.org.

American Veteran will also be on Capitol Hill this week where the House Committee on Veterans Affairs will hear testimony on VA's Systematic Technical Accuracy Review, or STAR, program, which evaluated VA's effectiveness in processing accurate benefits claims. The committee will also host a legislative hearing on Thursday, where 10 bills will be up for discussion.

AMVETS Deputy National Legislative Director Christina Roof will also be back on Capitol Hill, following up on last week's meetings with legislators on assistance dogs for wounded veterans. We will keep you posted on any developments.

As always, we're eager to hear what's going on within the AMVETS community, so please feel free to send us any stories you have from AMVETS posts and departments around the country.

(Photo: AMVETS ice sculpture at the 56th annual Silver Helmet Awards Banquet. Photo by Jay Agg.)

This Week at American Veteran

This week is one of the most significant weeks of the year for AMVETS, its subordinate organizations, and its partners. Leading up to Thursday's testimony of AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin before a special session of the House and Senate committees on Veterans Affairs, AMVETS and its partners will take to Capitol Hill, pushing for improved care and services for veterans and their loved ones. American Veteran will be on hand for all of this week's events, providing photos and coverage on this blog.

Starting tomorrow, AMVETS and partner non-profit Paws With A Cause will kick off a two-day push around the nation's capitol, promoting responsible assistance dog legislation for wounded veterans. Two AMVETS members, Luis Montalvan and Kevin Stone, will join leaders from AMVETS and Paws on a series of Capitol Hill visits with top legislators and staff, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), and House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-Calif.). The group will also visit with staff at the White House to discuss how the Obama Administration could help advocate for the cause.

On Thursday, members of AMVETS, AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary, and Sons of AMVETS will join Cmdr. Miskulin for his special testimony at 9:30 a.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. After the testimony, members of the AMVETS family will take to the halls of the House and Senate office buildings to meet with legislators to explain critical veterans' issues first-hand and to provide copies of the AMVETS 2010 Legislative Agenda.

Meanwhile, AMVETS National Legislative Director Ray Kelley will participate in the House Veterans Affairs Committee summit on the VA claims backlog--AMVETS' top legislative priority for 2010.

On Thursday night, AMVETS will also present Congressman Tim Walz (D-Minn.) with the AMVETS Congressional Silver Helmet Award in recognition of Walz's decades of service as a command sergeant major in the Minnesota Army National Guard and his continued service as a vocal veterans' advocate in Congress.

Finally, AMVETS will gather over the weekend in Herndon, Va., for the spring meeting of the AMVETS National Executive Committee, tending to the business of the organization, before honoring the final four recipients of the 2010 AMVETS Silver Helmet Awards during the 56th annual Silver Helmet Awards banquet at the Hilton Washington Dulles in Herndon.

Check back regularly with American Veteran for updates as this busy week unfolds.

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will cover a series of hearings in the House Committee on Veterans Affairs ranging from the structure of the 21st century VA to progress on VA's Center for Veteran Enterprise.

We will also continue to follow VA's efforts to recoup Post-9/11 G.I. Bill emergency check payments from student-veterans. AMVETS has heard from numerous student-veterans who have received notice, but are yet to receive back pay for the fall. AMVETS is also concerned about the lines of communication with VA, whose repayment hotline has been busy for the last week. Check back for updates as this story develops.

Over the weekend, AMVETS leaders gathered in Stevens Point, Mich., to honor AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin for his testimonial dinner. The annual tradition takes place in the national commander's home town shortly before the commander is scheduled to testify before the special joint session of the House and Senate committees on Veterans Affairs.

Cmdr. Miskulin is scheduled to testify next Thursday, March 18, at 9:30 a.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. This year, Miskulin's testimony will coincide with a series of events on Capitol Hill and around the region, as AMVETS, its subordinate organizations and its partners make their presence felt on Capitol Hill.

On Tuesday, March 16, AMVETS will join Paws With A Cause to push for responsible veterans' service dog legislation through a series of meetings with Congressional leaders and the Obama Administration. On Thursday, following Cmdr. Miskulin's testimony, AMVETS and Sons of AMVETS members will visit with dozens of legislators, as well, outlining AMVETS' legislative agenda for 2010, which was published on Veterans Day.

Thursday concludes when AMVETS honors Congressman Tim Walz (D-Minn.) with the 2010 Congressional Silver Helmet award.

On March 19, AMVETS leaders will gather at the Hilton Washington Dulles for the spring meeting of the National Executive Committee and the 56th annual Silver Helmet Awards banquet. American Veteran will be on hand covering the event on this blog.

This week, AMVETS leaders will also acknowledge Women in Military History Month, kicking off on American Veteran Online with more stories of heroism and valor among America's storied female service members.

American Veteran is also eager to highlight noteworthy female AMVETS members as part of our "Women in Service" series.

As always, we're eager to hear from you and eager to post any content from AMVETS posts and departments around the country.

AMVETS Fall NEC Recap

On Saturday, Dec. 5, AMVETS National Executive Committee convened for its fall meeting at the BWI Hilton in Linthicum, Md. AMVETS leaders from all 38 departments around the country were on hand to report the business of the organization and discuss the way forward in serving the veterans' community.

AMVETS Past National Commander Bill Boetcher and National Finance Director Velma Hart discussed the second annual AMVETS leadership conference, which will take place January 22-24, 2010 at Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Boetcher and Hart encouraged interested participants to register as soon as possible, since space will fill quickly. To read the conference agenda and to find registration information, Click Here.

The AMVETS National Conference Committee also announced rule changes to this summer's AMVETS National Convention in Louisville, Ky. This year, all AMVETS members who plan to attend activities of AMVETS subordinate organizations at the convention must also register to participate as AMVETS members at the convention.

National Sons of AMVETS Commander David Spencer also joined Cmdr. Miskulin and AMVETS National Executive Director Jim King, who officially signed the paperwork commissioning the new Sons of AMVETS Department of Tennessee.

AMVETS Riders National President Vincent "Dutch" Stivason announced that the AMVETS Riders enjoyed another successful year of growth in posts and departments around the country.

On the NEC floor, AMVETS National Commander Duane J. Miskulin presented a check for $10,000 to the winner of the first AMVETS National Sweepstakes, Henson Bedeau of Severn, Md.

With the help of AMVETS' partners at the University of Phoenix, AMVETS also presented Sharon Adger with one of this year's $4,000 scholarships to attend the university. University of Phoenix awarded 50 scholarships to veterans and their dependents through the AMVETS partnership in 2009.

AMVETS partner Choice Hotels also introduced a new rewards program exclusively for AMVETS members to earn additional travel discounts and credits while staying at any Choice Hotels location.

(Photos: Top: The floor at the AMVETS fall NEC meeting. Middle: AMVETS National Commander Duane Miskulin presents AMVETS sweepstakes winner Henson Bedeau with his check for $10,000. Bottom: University of Phoenix Military Liaison Manager Kristen Nolan and Cmdr. Miskulin present Sharon Adger with her $4,000 scholarship. Photos by Ryan Gallucci.)

This Week at American Veteran

Business is back on at AMVETS National Headquarters after the Thanksgiving holiday. I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday and kept our brave men and women fighting overseas in their thoughts and prayers.

This week at American Veteran, we will discuss Dana Bowman's first jump with the AMVETS parachute at last weekend's nationally-televised NCAA football game between New Mexico and No. 4-ranked Texas Christian University (TCU) in Texas.

American Veteran will also cover this weekend's fall meeting of the AMVETS National Executive Committee at the BWI Hilton in Linthicum, Md. AMVETS leaders will discuss progress since the national convention and critical issues for the organization such as Stolen Valor and the upcoming 21st Century Veterans Symposium this summer at the AMVETS National Convention in Louisville.

Congress is back to work, which means we will continue to follow AMVETS Legislative Department, advocating for our veterans on Capitol Hill in Washington. Critical issues continue to be veteran-owned small business contracting, VA family caregiver plans, and the VA budget for FY2010, which is now two months late.

If you have stories you would like to share with American Veteran, please let us know. And, as always, feel free to leave your comments.

New Blog Features and AMVETS on Facebook

Every day, AMVETS looks for new and innovative ways to spread its message throughout the veterans' community. As you can see, we've added a couple of new features to the blog. On the right, you can now subscribe to our news feed, alerting you each time American Veteran Online is updated. We also added a video bar, with links to AMVETS' YouTube videos embedded into the blog.

This week, AMVETS also launched an official Facebook group, thanks to the help of Mike Little, a Navy veteran and life member of AMVETS who is currently serving in Iraq.

Immediately following the spring NEC, where AMVETS leaders called for a more aggressive use of online social media, AMVETS communications staff reached out to Little to help build a comprehensive information-sharing resource for AMVETS on the social networking site, based off of the group Little created in 2007.

To join the AMVETS Facebook group, all you need to do is log on to Facebook and search "AMVETS." The official group will be the first to pop up. If you do not have an account, it only takes a few minutes to create one.

We hope to hear from you on the blog and see you on Facebook soon.

-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)

Blogging from the Silver Helmet & NEC

It's once again time for the spring meeting of the AMVETS National Executive Committee, and next week is going to be a busy one for AMVETS. It all starts on Tuesday with Legislative Director Ray Kelley's testimony before the House and Senate on the VA budget process for FY2010. On Thursday, National Commander John Chad Hapner will testify before a special joint session of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs committees, outlining AMVETS' legislative agenda for the year. Later on Thursday, AMVETS will honor Texas Congressman Chet Edwards with a special Silver Helmet reception on Capitol Hill. Spring NEC preliminary business starts on Friday, with the full committee session on Saturday, followed by the 55th annual Silver Helmet Amwards banquet Saturday night. American Veteran magazine will be on hand to cover all of the events, with updates from Capitol Hill, the banquet, and the floor of then NEC.

In addition to the special award for Rep. Edwards, AMVETS will honor four more remarkable individuals during the black tie banquet for their contributions to the veterans' community: Danny Devine, Tammy Duckworth, Cathy Hargrave, and "E J" Knapick. To learn more about each recipient, visit the official Silver Helmet Awards page. This year's Silver Helmet Awards banquet and spring NEC will take place at the BWI Hilton in Linthicum, Md.

American Veteran magazine is going to hit the ground running on Tuesday, with comprehensive coverage of all the week's activities. Be sure to check in regularly at americanveteranmagazine.blogspot.com, and be on the look out of the spring issue of American Veteran magazine, with more photos and highlights from this exciting week.

-Ryan

(Photos, Top: Guests gather last spring for the 54 Annual Silver Helmet Awards at the Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria, Va. Photo courtesy of AMVETS. Center: Past National Commander JP Brown III testifies before the special joint veterans affairs committee in spring 2008. Photo by Isaac Pacheco.)