The American Legion Department of Colorado Blog

WASHINGTON (Nov. 9, 2009) – The American Legion is cheering, with reservations, an Obama administration initiative to provide more federal employment for military veterans. The president will sign an executive order tonight, establishing a Council on Veterans Employment and creating allied programs to help veterans get federal jobs.

    “For many decades, The American Legion has played a leading role in creating job opportunities for veterans,” said Clarence E. Hill, national commander of the nation’s largest veterans service organization, “so it is heartening to see our advocacy paying off in such a tangible way.  It’s a decent start.

    “However, there is more to be done,” Hill continued.  “For instance, we would ask the President to do more to end age discrimination in the hiring of veterans.  While age discrimination is technically banned, it is not unusual for National Guard and Reserve servicemembers to lose employment due to time spent away while deployed.  After all, employers may downsize and go out of business.  When this happens to a middle-aged servicemember, re-employment can be especially challenging.  Still, the Executive Order certainly has great merit, though we will continue to fight for more such initiatives.”

    Besides establishing the Council, to be chaired by the secretaries of Labor and Veterans Affairs, the president’s executive order also creates a Veterans Employment Program office within most federal agencies.  These offices will help veterans identify federal employment opportunities, assist with job applications and help veterans move from military life to civilian employment.  Additionally, the program will ensure that hiring officials understand how to use tools available to them to increase the number of veterans employed within their agencies.

    “In many ways, this executive order replicates and amplifies the work done by the Legion through its long-established veterans job fairs and small business workshops,” Hill said. “So we are especially grateful to the president for this worthwhile move.”

    Hill also reflected on the fact that several months ago, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano made a personal promise to The American Legion that her agency would redouble its efforts to employ veterans.  “It is gratifying to see that this policy has become that of the Obama administration as a whole,” Hill said.

Two VA Employees Slain, One Wounded during Shooting

WASHINGTON (Nov. 10, 2009) — In the midst of providing mental health services and other support to the Ft. Hood community following the recent shooting, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) learned about its own losses from the violence.  Two VA employees, both serving on active duty with their Army Reserve units, were among the slain.  A third VA health care worker on reserve duty was seriously wounded.

    “Speaking for the entire VA family, I offer heart-felt condolences to the families of these dedicated VA employees,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “They devoted their working lives to care for our Veterans, and they died in uniform, preparing to safeguard our Nation’s freedom.”

    Russell G. Seager, Ph.D., a 51-year old nurse practitioner at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee was killed in the deadly attack.  He was a captain in the reserves.  In his VA duties, he led a mental health team treating a wide variety of Veteran patients, from the youngest combat Veterans just back from deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, to World War II Veterans dealing with depression.

    Seager signed up for the Army Reserve four years ago.  This would have been his first overseas deployment.  Seager was motivated to prevent the mental health problems of young combat soldiers from occurring in the first place.  He was to be assigned to a Combat Stress Control unit to watch for warning signs, such as anger and insubordination, among front-line soldiers.

    Seager, who was also a well-respected teacher at Bryant and Stratton College in Milwaukee, leaves behind a wife and son.

    VA’s other fatality was Juanita L. Warman, 55, a nurse practitioner at VA’s medical center in Perry Point, Md.  She was a lieutenant colonel in the Maryland National Guard, with two daughters and six grandchildren. Herself the daughter of a career Air Force member, she held a masters degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

    Warman volunteered for “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon,” a program to help members of the Maryland National Guard readjust after returning from overseas deployments.  She provided mental health counseling and helped develop a program about the myths and realities of post-traumatic stress disorder.  She was preparing for deployment to Iraq at the time of her death.

    Dorothy Carskadon, 47, a captain in the reserves and a social worker and team leader at the VA Vet Center in Madison, Wis., was wounded in the gunfire that brought Ft. Hood activities to a halt.  She is currently in stable condition in the intensive care unit at the Darnall Army Medical Center at Ft. Hood.

    As a VA team leader, Carskadon oversees other social workers in providing individual and group counseling for combat Veterans experiencing difficulty readjusting to the civilian community following military service.  A new Army officer, Carskadon was preparing for her first deployment.

    On an average day, more than 850 VA employees don uniforms to serve military commitments in Reserve and National Guard units across the country and overseas.

    VA has been responding to the Ft. Hood tragedy since shortly after the sound of gunfire was replaced by the sirens of emergency responders. 

Through official agreements and the shared sense of mission to care for military members and Veterans in the central Texas region, VA has provided clinical supplies, including pharmaceuticals, and sent mental health teams from nearby facilities as well as four fully staffed, portable Vet Centers to aid in counseling military members and families.

    Teams of physicians, nurses and other clinical and support personnel were placed on stand-by for possible deployment to Ft. Hood or to receive additional patients following the shooting.

    VA operates several clinical and benefits processing locations on Ft. Hood and routinely has about 18 employees working on the post.  Initial actions included confirming the safety and security of those employees.

    VA continues to coordinate with the Department of Defense on providing care and support to all those affected by the tragedy.

Jerick Johnson finishes 10th at Memphis to win rookie trophy

By James V. Carroll | The American Legion – November 8, 2009

Jerick Johnson, driver of The American Legion/David Law Firm 76 Freedom Car, captured the American Speed Association Late Model Challenge rookie points trophy Nov. 7 at Memphis Motorsports Park near Millington, Tenn. Johnson beat out fellow contender Billie Crane for the honor after finishing 10th in the season’s final race.

    Johnson credited Crane and his crew. “It would have been easy to give up, but Crane and his team just wouldn’t quit. It wasn’t until Crane spun his car around in the front stretch, in the final laps, that I realized the rookie title was there for the taking.”

    Johnson avoided a couple of near-misses in the race, which finished under the yellow caution flag due to darkness. He narrowly escaped a race-ending crash when a two-car accident sent Johnson scrambling for a path through the melee. He clipped his front right fender as his escape route closed. The flapping fender forced Johnson to make several short pit stops for repair.

    When the checkered flag came up at the 300-lap race, Johnson finish in 10th place, elevating him to 9th place in the overall series standings.

    ASA will conduct its annual awards ceremony Jan. 16 in Indianapolis. Johnson said he plans to display his Rookie Championship trophy at The American Legion National Headquarters, then at the David Law Firm in Houston before finding it a permanent home.

    “The ASA Rookie Championship would not have been possible without the support of The American Legion family and the David Law Firm,” Johnson said, after being doused with champagne by his crew at an informal trophy presentation. “Sure, we at Team Johnson Motorsports worked hard all season, but the Legion and David Law Firm sponsorship made it possible for us to compete in a full season of racing.”

The leader of The American Legion says his organization is reaching out to victims of the tragedy at Fort Hood, Tex., where the rampage of a lone gunman – an Army officer – reportedly killed 13 people and wounded 30.

    “As the nation’s largest veterans’ service organization, and the one with the greatest number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, we have the resources to assist the newest generation of warriors.” 

    “We invite those who have been touched by this horrific experience to make use of the Legion’s services to military families and active-duty servicemembers,” said Clarence Hill, national commander of The American Legion.

    “We are also initiating outreach through our local Legion posts to families and individuals at Fort Hood who have been affected by this event.”

    American Legion posts are part of a nationwide Family Support Network that provides hands-on assistance and emotional support to servicemembers and their families.

    At the national level, The American Legion offers aid through its Temporary Financial Assistance program to distressed military families with minor children suffering monetary difficulties. 

    “Financial assistance can be a great comfort in times of turmoil,” Hill said. “It can help with temporary daycare costs, travel expenses for family members and other burdens so that families can concentrate on caring for loved ones – healing wounds both physical and emotional.”

    Another Legion program that helps our troops is Operation Comfort Warriors. It provides clothing, personal and recreational items to wounded servicemembers during their recovery.  “Up until now most, but not all, of those we have aided have been servicemembers who have suffered injuries in our theaters of war,” Hill said, “but those who were hurt in this tragedy at Fort Hood should, and will, receive our help as well.”

   Hill won’t speculate on the motive for the Fort Hood shootings.  “We will reserve comment until the Army’s investigation is complete,” he said. “Once all the facts are assembled and analyzed, The American Legion will lend its aid and advocacy to the Army, the Department of Defense and lawmakers to help prevent tragedies such as this.”

    Those touched by the Fort Hood event seeking assistance from The American Legion are invited to call 1-800-504-4098 or email familysupport@legion.org.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

With celebrities, veterans and other VIPs in attendance, the National World War II Museum in New Orleans will unveil the latest additions in its $300-million expansion this weekend.

    New 70,000-square-foot complex houses the Solomon Victory Theater, the Stage Door Canteen and The American Sector restaurant – billed as significant attractions for the city’s cultural scene.

    Events kick off Friday morning, when Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and museum leaders will introduce “Beyond All Boundaries,” a 4-D cinematic experience produced and narrated by Hanks.

    Dedication and grand-opening ceremonies follow at 8 a.m., including a military fly-over and precision parachutist. The museum’s three new venues officially open to the public Nov. 7, with free activities for visitors on the expanded campus. That night, they can enjoy the Victory Stomp, a New Orleans-style block party with entertainment and cuisine from award-winning chef John Besh.

    With a 120-foot screen, the Solomon Victory Theater promises to immerse the audience in a sensory World War II experience, where they’ll feel the steam of Guadalcanal’s jungles and hear the rumble of tanks across North Africa. Using life-size props and atmospherics, as well as film and sound, Hollywood technicians designed the theater with everyone from the Greatest Generation to the youngest generation in mind.

    “Beyond All Boundaries” was created specifically for the Victory Theater. The 40-minute film features an all-star cast (Brad Pitt, Patricia Clarkson, Gary Sinise, James Cromwell and others lend their voices) and blends original war footage with special effects and digital animation.

    “This isn’t another World War II film,” says Dr. Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller, the museum’s president and CEO. “This is a cinematic experience unavailable anywhere else in the world.”

    Adjoining the theater is the new Stage Door Canteen, a throwback to the wartime venues of New York and Los Angeles and a celebration of 1940s American pop culture. The 150-seat vintage theater-style space will feature swing dancers, Big Band tunes and a war-bond drive – “educating through entertainment,” says Gary Solomon, president and executive producer of Solomon Group Entertainment, a creative and technical production firm working with the museum.

    Finally, visitors can enjoy casual American food with a gourmet twist at The American Sector, a chef John Besh restaurant. A Marine veteran of Operation Desert Storm and the 2006 winner of the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef of the Southwest, Besh has put together a menu reminiscent of the 1940s for the business crowd and museum visitors. The restaurant bears the original name of the historic New Orleans district now called the Warehouse District.

The Victory Theater complex is the first phase in the National World War II Museum’s six-acre, 300,000-square-foot expansion. By 2015, the museum will have four additional exhibition buildings, space for traveling exhibits and a parade ground.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

The American Legion welcomed VA’s five-year plan to end homelessness among veterans, an issue the Legion has been addressing for several years. VA Secretary Eric Shinseki announced the comprehensive plan at the VA National Summit Ending Homelessness Among Veterans in Washington on November 4th.

    “Anyone who has served our country in uniform should have a roof over their heads,” said American Legion National Commander Clarence Hill. “To have even one veteran out there living in the streets is a disgrace.

    We’ve been working with VA and Congress on this issue for some time, and Secretary Shinseki’s five-year plan is definitely a solid step in the right direction.”

    The American Legion has been urging Congress for some time to pass legislation that would reduce homelessness among veterans. On Oct. 21, the Legion testified on the issue before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee; it has also frequently shared its expertise with VA’s Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans.

    At its National Executive Committee meeting last month, The American Legion called upon Congress to authorize the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide more affordable housing for veterans. The country’s largest veterans organization also seeks to expand the highly successful HUD-VASH program, recommending the allotment of 20,000 vouchers annually, and making the program permanent.

    The American Legion also wants Congress to establish a grant program that would provide assistance to veterans who are at risk of becoming homeless.

    VA will spend $3.2 billion next year to prevent and reduce homelessness among veterans. That includes $2.7 billion on medical services and more than $500 million on specific homeless programs.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

The USS New York (LPD 21) arrives at New York Harbor on Nov. 2 for its commissioning ceremony. Photo by Amy C. Elliott The USS New York (LPD 21), built with 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center wreckage, sailed into New York City on Nov. 2. The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock will be commissioned into the U.S. fleet at 11 a.m., Nov. 7, at Piers 86 and 88 in New York Harbor.

    When the warship arrived, it made a stop across from the site of the World Trade Center and fired a 21-gun salute. Once docked, the New York’s crew began hosting public tours. The ship will be open to the media Nov. 6.

    The American Legion will cover Saturday’s commissioning and related events leading up to it.

    On Nov. 4, American Legion Post 1870 – which meets on board the USS Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, – hosted 20 U.S. Marines serving with the New York (docked next to the Intrepid). The fleet Marines got a fine dinner while their hosts thanked them for their service and filled them in on the Legion’s programs and services.

    Legionnaires will tour the New York today as part of the New York Police Department Wounded Warriors tour.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

American Legion National Commander Clarence E. Hill released the following statement concerning this afternoon’s shootings at Ft. Hood:

    “The American Legion extends condolences to the victims and the families of those affected by the shootings at Fort Hood. The facts are not all out and there is still much about the events that we do not yet know. We do know, however, that The American Legion will reach out to assist any soldiers, family members or other victims of this horrible tragedy in any way possible. We will release further statements as the facts become known.”

    John Brieden, a Texan and past national commander of The American Legion, said, “The first thought I have about this tragedy is that I’m angry. You’ve got folks who are preparing to deploy into a dangerous area of the world, and you’ve got them here at home being attacked. And it makes me angry that they would lose their lives in this way, right here in America.”

    Bill West, adjutant for The American Legion’s Department of Texas, said that Legionnaires from Killeen Post 223 and Coppers Cove Post 582 were standing by to lend whatever assistance may be needed in the area.

    Brieden said The American Legion has several programs such as its Family Support Network that are designed to reach out to families who suffer tragic losses. “All of a sudden, we have families with a father, mother, a spouse who isn’t going to be coming home. So how do you deal with this?

    “Yes, they need help,” Brieden said. “And The American Legion will certainly be helping those families who lost loved ones in such a horrible incident. We intend to help as much as we possibly can.”

“Countdown to Veterans Day with Library of Congress”

WASHINGTON (Nov. 4, 2009) – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will join with the Library of Congress to host a “Veterans History Countdown” on the VA Web site – www.va.gov, featuring the oral histories of Veterans from every state and U.S. territory.

    “VA has partnered with the Library of Congress to honor our Veterans, preserve their histories and ensure that their service, sacrifice and heroism will never be forgotten,” said Secretary Shinseki. “We want to encourage Americans to record the oral histories of Veterans for future generations.” 

    Each day, beginning Nov.1, VA’s Web feature will introduce new personal histories, culminating on Veterans Day when a Veteran’s history from each state and U.S. territory will be available simply by clicking on the U.S. map in the display. 

    As Veterans Day approaches, the VA Web display will urge Americans to “Honor our Veterans. Record their Histories!” The display will link to the library’s Veterans History Project Web site — www.loc.gov/vets — which, provides background about the program, a guide for volunteers to follow in recording and submitting Veterans’ oral histories and to access the project’s extensive digital archive. 

    VA has collaborated with the Veterans History Project since its implementing legislation was signed into law on Oct. 27, 2000.  VA Voluntary Service has made oral history recording part of its program.

    VA offers Veterans the opportunity to record their histories at its facilities and special events.  These collections of first-hand accounts are archived in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

    “We hope the Veterans History Countdown will serve as a call to action for volunteers to record the first-hand stories of the Veterans they know-relatives, neighbors, friends,” said Bob Patrick, director of the Veterans History Project.

    The Veterans History Project collects and preserves the remembrances of

American war Veterans and civilian workers who supported them. 

    The recordings make accessible the first-hand remembrances of American wartime Veterans from World War I through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war.  Approximately 65,000 individual stories comprise the collection of the Veterans

History Project.

    The project relies on volunteers to record Veterans’ remembrances using guidelines accessible at www.loc.gov/vets/. Volunteer interviewers may request information at vohp@loc.gov or the toll-free message line at (888)

371-5848.

“Craig Newmark to Help Pick Winners of National Competition”

WASHINGTON (November 4, 2009) — Craig Newmark, the founder of “craigslist” and a well-known technology visionary, has agreed to serve on the blue-ribbon panel of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that will review and evaluate ideas to improve disability claims processing times and provide greater transparency to Veterans.

    “Transforming VA into an organization that is Veteran-centric, results-oriented and forward-looking is my top priority,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “Leveraging the talent, innovation and creativity of stakeholders, like Craig Newmark, is just one of the many ways VA can think outside of the box to help deliver tangible results to our nation’s Veterans.”

    The innovation competition solicited ideas from VA employees and members of Veterans Service Organizations who are on the front lines every day, working with Veterans to help deliver benefits they deserve and need.

    VA officials from each of the 57 regional offices across the country have submitted promising ideas, which will be reviewed by Newmark and other panel members.  Patrick W. Dunne, the VA Under Secretary for Benefits, will chair the panel. 

    “I look forward to working with VA’s leadership team to bring tangible results to our Veterans,” said Craig Newmark.  “I am very encouraged by the fact that VA is embracing new ways to look at old problems.”

    In 1995, Newmark launched the first community site on the Internet for people to share information about housing, jobs and other needs.  By April 2009, craigslist received more than 22 billion page-views per month, with more than 50 million members worldwide.

    Newmark is a vocal proponent of using the Internet and technology to support government innovation and maximize the utilization of human capital.  Additionally, Newmark is a passionate supporter of Veterans causes. 

    VA has received and reviewed over 3,000 suggestions since Sept. 8th. The panel will review the top 17 submissions and chose 5 projects that will receive full funding for project development and execution at the Regional Office that submitted the idea.