AMVETS National Cmdr. Gary L. Fry decries failure of Congress, Sen. McCain, to repatriate first Navy combat casualties

Soon after his election as commander of America’s most inclusive major veterans service organization, AMVETS National Commander Gary L. Fry met with town leaders in Somers Point, N.J., and learned of the ongoing efforts to repatriate the town’s namesake, Master Commandant Richard Somers, and his 12 fellow sailors lost in 1804 during the First Barbary War.
The 13 men of the USS Intrepid, commandos and precursors to the modern Navy SEALs, were killed during a daring attempt to destroy the fleet in Tripoli Harbor. The following day, the remains of Somers and his crew were buried in four or five mass graves, which the Somers Point Historical Society has long maintained is an inappropriate final resting place for the Navy’s first combat casualties. U.S. Congressmen Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., and Mike Rogers, R-Michigan, agreed, and pushed for an inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 (NDAA) of a provision requiring the Department of Defense to repatriate the Sailors’ remains with stipulations. However, at the eleventh hour, Sen. John McCain changed the final language of the legislation in favor of a continuing review of the issue.
Cmdr. Fry called the setback an unacceptable failure of leadership. “As Americans, we have a fundamental responsibility to all our men and women in uniform to ensure they are properly accounted for,” said Fry. “I salute the Somers Point Historical Society, the Intrepid Project, and Congressmen LoBiondo and Rogers for honoring our Armed Forces’ ethos to never leave a comrade behind. AMVETS will continue to support them in this important fight.”
Fry also echoed the belief of the Somers Point Historical Society and the Intrepid Project, which has spearheaded the repatriation effort, that the recent political upheaval in Libya has created a window of opportunity, albeit a rapidly closing one, to recover the remains of the USS Intrepid Sailors.
“After more than 200 years of remaining vigilant, never have the families of Master Commandant Somers and his crew been so close to reaching a positive resolution in this matter,” said Fry. “Together with other leading veterans' advocates in Washington, D.C., AMVETS will remain committed to ensuring we do not lose the opportunity to bring these valiant warriors home to our shores where they belong.”
For more information about the efforts to repatriate Master Commandant Somers and his crew, visit the Intrepid Project blog here. 

About AMVETS:
A leader since 1944 in preserving the freedoms secured by America’s armed forces, AMVETS provides support for veterans and the active military in procuring their earned entitlements, as well as community service and legislative reform that enhances the quality of life for this nation’s citizens and veterans alike. AMVETS is one of the largest congressionally-chartered veteran’s service organizations in the United States, and includes members from each branch of the military including the National Guard and Reserves. For more information, visit www.amvets.org. 

2nd Annual Wounded Warrior Hiring and Support Conference in Vienna, Va. Nov. 9 - 10

Department of the Navy is announcing the 2nd Annual Wounded Warrior Hiring and Support Conference being held in Vienna, Va. Nov. 9 - 10, 2011.

The theme of this year’s conference is "Hiring our Nation's Heroes" and aims to convene prominent government, military, and industry leaders and their human resource professionals who are committed to hiring and supporting wounded warriors. Conference attendees will have the unique opportunity to learn best practices from many successful organizations on how to recruit, hire, train and retain wounded warriors.

In addition to the 25 break-out sessions and exhibitors offering tools and resources on how to hire and support wounded warriors, there will be a distinguished line-up of guest speakers including senior leadership in the federal government, private industry, wounded warrior care agencies, and hiring programs. Some of the confirmed speakers include:

- Hon. Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy
- Gen. James Amos, USMC, Commandant of the Marine Corps
- Gen. Peter Chiarelli, USA, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army
- Mr. John Campbell, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy
- Mrs. Holly Petraeus, Assistant Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Office of Servicemember Affairs

This year’s conference will be held at the Sheraton Premiere at Tyson’s Corner, 8661 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, Va., and is free for registered participants. For more information on the conference, schedule and speakers, please go to the registration website at http://www.public.navy.mil/donaa/Pages/woundedwarrior.aspx.

San Diego Padres Kick Off 2010 Campaign Honoring America's Military

In April the San Diego Padres kicked off their 2010 season at Petco Park in San Diego. Keeping with tradition as the "Team of the Military," Padres Director of Military Outreach and retired Navy Capt. Jack Ensch hosted the team's annual Military Opening Night on Wednesday, April 14.

Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Tom Conant, commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing threw out the ceremonial first pitch and the Padres recognized 20 military award recipients from San Diego-area commands on the field.

Local military children Jacob and Jeremiah Bruce called "play ball," accompanied by their mother, Aleah, only to be treated to a surprise message from their deployed father, Navy Chief Todd Bruce broadcast on the stadium's big screen.

Northrop-Grumman provided more than 5,000 tickets to the game for San Diego military men and women and their families, and the Padres hosted wounded warriors from nearby Balboa Naval Hospital.

The Padres also unveiled their new military logo, which will be featured on all Padres military outreach materials and new souvenirs throughout the 2010 season.

Throughout the 2010 season the Pacdres will offer discounted tickets to members of the military, retirees, Department of Defense civilians and dependents with valid DoD ID cards. The will also introduce the Padres Veterans' Appreciation Card, or PVAC, offering benefits and discounts to non-career veterans.

For more information on the Padres' military programs, Click Here.

(Images: Top: Naval Base San Diego's 50-state Flag Team lines the outfield of Petco Park, as the Edwards Air Force Base Honor Guard presents the colors on Military Opening Night. Photo by Shana Siler. Middle Left: Maj. Gen. Tom Conant waves to the crowd before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Photo by Chris Handy. Middle Right: Jacob, Jeremiah, and Aleah Bruce look up at the stadium's big screen for the special greeting from Navy Chief Todd Bruce, who is serving overseas. Photos by Shana Siler. Bottom: San Diego Padres' military logo for 2010, based on the U.S. military aircraft roundel. All photos courtesy of the San Diego Padres.)

AMVETS Remembers "A Date Which Will Live in Infamy"

On of Dec. 7, 1941, the tranquil Hawaiian morning was shattered by a brutal attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor, drawing a formerly isolationist United States into World War II.

The attack killed 2,402 American service members and damaged or destroyed more than a dozen Pacific Fleet ships, including the USS Arizona.

Out of WWII, AMVETS was born, and this afternoon, AMVETS leaders will be on hand at Arlington National Cemetery for a solemn wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns, in memory of the American service members who lost their lives on this day.

In a speech to Congress immediately following the attack, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt labeled Dec. 7, 1941 as "a date which will live in infamy" and asked for a formal declaration of war in response to the premeditated Japanese aggression.

As a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Americans who had opposed intervention against Nazi aggression in Europe and Japanese advances in the Pacific, were suddenly drawn into a fight for the preservation of our way of life.

Leading up to the final Nazi surrender in May of 1945 and the Japanese surrender the following August, more than 416,800 American service members would give their lives in defense of our nation.

In the decades that have followed WWII, AMVETS has continued to honor the sacrifices of the men and women who fought and perished at Pearl Harbor. AMVETS played an integral role in commissioning, funding, renovating, and maintaining the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii, which rests atop the sunken hull of the battleship where 1,102 service members remain entombed.

The attack on the USS Arizona was responsible for nearly half all American casualties in the attack on Pearl Harbor, with 1,177 of the ship's 1,400-man crew dying in the attack.

It is with a heavy heart that we, as Americans, recall the horrors of Dec. 7, 1941, but we must continue to look forward as a nation, and remember the sacrifices of the brave men and women who gave everything to preserve the freedoms we enjoy today.

(Photo: The USS Arizona burns in Pearl Harbor after the Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941. U.S. Navy photo, released.)

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

Magazine Update: Veterans For Education

In the fall issue of American Veteran magazine, we explored the challenges facing veterans returning to college. In the story, we profiled the student-veterans' group, Veterans For Education (V4E), at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Since last meeting with the students at Rutgers, V4E has continued to work tirelessly to improve the perception of veterans on their own campuses and at schools across New Jersey.

William Brown, a former Navy SEAL who helped to establish the group alongside Army veteran John Cosby, continues to work with newly-appointed New Jersey Congressman John Adler on the Congressman's veterans' advisory board. Leading up to the election, Brown and his V4E colleagues hosted a congressional debate between Adler and challenger Chris Meyers. V4E's work keeping tabs on both Adler and Meyers leading up to Nov. 4, inspired Adler to seek counsel from V4E on veterans' issues once in office.

Brown has also developed an ambitious idea to run across Iraq from Kirkuk to Basra as a sign of good will and to raise funds for Iraqi charities. Brown's idea has been highlighted by a variety of major media outlets, including the New York Daily News and the Boston Globe. AMVETS has offered support to Brown in his efforts to make this run a reality within the coming year.

The current president of V4E, Bryan Adams, a former Army sniper who was wounded in Iraq, has gained significant notoriety in his own right over the last six months through his work with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). In the fall, IAVA enlisted Adams' help as its new national spokesman. Adams is featured along with IAVA's director of government affairs, Todd Bowers, in the new Ad Council public service announcement, "Alone." The PSA, which can be viewed below, recently won the 2009 New York ADDY award. Adams is currently also in the running for student body president at Rutgers Camden.



Through the leadership of Brown, Adams, and Cosby; and with the support of the Student Veterans of American (SVA), the veterans at Rutgers have become vocal authorities on student-veterans' issues across New Jersey. V4E has been working for months with the New Jersey Legislature to pass legislation authorizing state colleges and universities to accept college credits from military transcripts, as part of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges program. The group is also pushing through legislation that would authorize the state's office of veterans' affairs to assign veterans' assistance officers to college campuses across New Jersey; a story that has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer and syndicated on Military.com.

Unfortunately, V4E continues to face challenges within their own student body. Recently, an Army Major visited Rutgers Camden School of Law to inform students about opportunities with the Army JAG Corps. The officer was greeted with offensive signs put in place by a Rutgers student disparaging the honorable service of our men and women in uniform as a method of protesting the controversial "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Not only were the signs misdirected toward service members, but they also contained racially-charged remarks, out of the context from the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" debate. One military student enrolled in the law school, Vivek Sahani, took offense to the signs and sought to take action with campus officials.

Thanks to Sahani's efforts, the campus is reviewing the actions of the student responsible for placing the signs. Similar protests have taken place on college campuses nationwide, leaving many veterans feeling unwelcome in academia; victims of a debate on controversial policies over which they have no control. Check back with American Veteran to follow this story's developments. In the meantime, let us know your thoughts on the issue, or if you have had similar experiences on college campuses near you.

(Photo: Veterans For Education members last fall at Rutgers Camden, photo by Ryan Gallucci. Video: IAVA's "Alone" public service announcement featuring Bryan Adams, used with permission from IAVA.)

Highlights from the 55th annual Silver Helmet

On Saturday night, AMVETS hosted its 55th annual Silver Helmet Awards banquet at the BWI Hilton in Linthicum, Md.

AMVETS from across the country packed the house to pay tribute to this year's recipients, Danny Devine, Tammy Duckworth, Cathy Hargrave, and "E.J." Knapick. Devine, Duckworth, and Knapick are all members of AMVETS.


(AMVETS National Commander John C. Hapner poses for a photo with Tammy Duckworth and her husband, Army Maj. Bryan Bowlsbey.)

(AMVETS National Deputy Provost Marshal Arthur "A.J." Johns prepares each Silver Helmet Award for presentation.)


(Tammy Duckworth accepts her award as Civil Servant of the Year. During her acceptance speech, Duckworth brought many in the room to the brink of tears, recounting her experiences and the struggles she has overcome as a wounded warrior.)


(Danny Devine accepts his Silver Helmet Rehabilitation Award. Devine spoke about his motivation to continue serving his fellow veterans--a mission he embarked upon in the mid-1990s as a staff member at AMVETS National Headquarters. Devine also spoke about the personal sacrifices that have come along with a life dedicated to serving the needs of veterans.)


(AMVETS Past National Commander Chuck Taylor presented Cathy Hargrave with her Silver Helmet Americanism award for her tireless work at Poy Sippi Elementary School in Wisconsin. Taylor caught Hargrave by surprise when he hosted a special reception at Poy Sippi, announcing the award. Taylor gathered Hargrave's students, family, and Poy Sippi leaders to recognize Hargrave for her accomplishments. Taylor somehow managed to keep it from her in the unincorporated Wisconsin village of fewer than 1,000 residents.)


(WWII Navy veteran "E.J." Knapick accepts his award as AMVET of the Year, the highest honor AMVETS can bestow upon its members. Knapick is a charter member of New York AMVETS Post 21 and he has been a vocal contributor within the veterans' community and at every level of AMVETS for nearly 60 years.)


(Devine meets with Duckworth and her husband prior to the evening's banquet.)

I wanted to share some of the evening's moments with you, and I apologize for the length of this post. Once we start an AMVETS Flickr account, this will be considerably easier.

-Ryan

(All photos by Ryan Gallucci)