Some of the 'Services' and 'Programs we have available
EVERY YEAR ON OCTOBER 13TH
Welcome to Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida 'a Source for Veteran Resources'
180 W. Idaho Ave, Ontario, Oregon 97914
541-889-1978
BI-MONTHLY ARTICLES AND A FEW STORIES OF INTEREST
Veteran Articles published Bi-monthly
Food Boxed at Veteran Advocates Food Pantry to hand out to Veterans/Military and their Families
Food Boxed at Veteran Advocates Food Pantry to hand out to Veterans/Military and their Families
The Chairman of Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida, Ronald Verini, writes two articles every month for publication in a Regional Newspaper, this article.."POLITICS AND OUR MILITARY" will be published October 5, 2024. Here is a part of Mr. Verini's article, and you can read the full article by clicking the red bar below.
Politics and Our Military…
Oct. 5th, 2024 Veteran Column by Ronald Verini
As a military man and having served in our Armed Forces I look at the pulse of our Nation and the condition of what our political system has taken…because what happens in Congress and the Administration affects every one of us. Sometimes for the rest of our lives.
I don’t know about you but I want our military involved in politics. Not in a way that draws us into any endorsements of any party or even involved in politics that is partisan whatsoever. Concentrating the mission of making sure our military is equipped, trained and a fighting force that is unparalleled in the world. I want our care and needs to be on the forefront of their minds and involved in the voice of communicating to the troops, politicians and to the citizens of our Nation our needs.
I do not think that our military should lean one way or another on the partisan front. I want our military brass to speak and fight for us. I certainly don’t want them endorsing anyone or any party.
We all need to be in the political arena and need to vote our convictions and personal preferences as citizens but not representing the institution of the Armed Forces.
There is a need for our military to not be apolitical but be informed in politics when it is beneficial for our mission. That does not mean that they are choosing a party but does mean we are fighting for our needs.
I believe that we, especially in uniform, should not seem to lean in any direction, influence or try to use our military presence to interfere with the partisan side of politics.
Crazy as it seems, we need to be involved in the political realm with our military brass influencing Congress and whatever administration is in power for our betterment. At the same time, we all need to be involved as citizens, voting and setting the direction of government.
Yes, it is amazing that we are able to do two things at the same time and be apolitical and be politicized when the issues dictate our brass dance to the tune of politics still without crossing the line.
I do not think any of us, or at least very few would want a militarization and an alliance with either political group.
Our national security and interest are the need to base our professional military role and not the treasures of one party over another.
I think we might get rapped up in the hoopla of party politics and forget that we are both a republic and a democracy.
Food Boxed at Veteran Advocates Food Pantry to hand out to Veterans/Military and their Families
Food Boxed at Veteran Advocates Food Pantry to hand out to Veterans/Military and their Families
Food Boxed at Veteran Advocates Food Pantry to hand out to Veterans/Military and their Families
MARCH 2024
The Food Pantry at Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida has really expanded and grown over the last few years. There has been such an increase of our Veteran and Military Families needing help to handle the increasing problems of 'food insecurity'. We do have a 'modest' pantry open every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:30am to 3:30pm. Give a call to 541-889-1978 to let us know you are coming to pick up Food Box. Please let us know how many in your family and about when your coming.
Also, if you are interested in volunteering to help our veterans and the Food Pantry please give us a call or come on in and see what we are doing...
Sometimes the food donations we receive are unable to meet the demands, but we still hand out the product we receive. So if you need a little something to help you get from one paycheck to the other come on down. Each Family can get a Box twice a month.
U.S. Navy Birthday October 13, 2024
Food Boxed at Veteran Advocates Food Pantry to hand out to Veterans/Military and their Families
VSAFE is a new VA Fraud Assistance Protection for vets
Written by: Veteran.com Team
Some might be surprised to learn that the official birthday of the United States Navy is Oct. 13, 1775. Back then, it was known as the Continental Navy and consisted of a small fleet of ships patrolling to intercept ships sent to resupply British Army troops at or near the colonies.
The U.S. Navy will next celebrate its birthday on Sunday, Oct. 13th, 2024.
The creation of this fleet was not without controversy. In fact, it was hotly debated for 11 days in the Continental Congress. According to the official website of the U.S. Navy, some in that debate were convinced that having a standing navy was “the maddest idea in the world.”
In the end, the debates were won by “navalists” who were in favor of adding a naval fleet as another branch of defense in addition to the already-created Continental Army which was authorized in June of 1775.
The Navy Birthday: Not To Be Confused With Navy Day
The U.S. Navy birthday should not be confused with Navy Day, which was created in 1922 to recognize the service of all Navy members. Believe it or not, Navy Day pre-dates official recognition of the Navy Birthday. Navy Day is observed on Oct. 27. That date was chosen, so the story goes, in honor of President Teddy Roosevelt whose birthday is also on the 27th.
Making It Official: Who Established The U.S Navy Birthday As A Service Holiday?
It wasn’t until 1972 when Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Elmo Zumwalt declared an official recognition of the holiday, intended to honor all who served in a Navy uniform, past and present.
While considered an “internal” celebration recognized by the Department of Defense rather than a national holiday, the U.S. Navy birthday is an important acknowledgment of the service and accomplishments of the second-oldest fighting force under the command of the President of the United States.
VSAFE is a new VA Fraud Assistance Protection for vets
Meal, Ready-to-Bulk? Pentagon urged to add creatine to MREs
VSAFE is a new VA Fraud Assistance Protection for vets
Learn. Detect. Protect.
Find resources about fraud targeting you. Know the signs of a scam, get advice about what to do, and learn how to report scams and identity theft.
Report suspected fraud!
Protect yourself and others; call the VSAFE Fraud Hotline at 833-38V-SAFE (8-7233).
833-388-7233
TO REPORT SUSPECTED FRAUD
Your 2024 State Veteran Benefits
Meal, Ready-to-Bulk? Pentagon urged to add creatine to MREs
Meal, Ready-to-Bulk? Pentagon urged to add creatine to MREs
January 2024 by Jim Absher Military.com
Everyone knows about the federal benefits available to veterans, but did you know many states also offer great benefits to their veterans? State benefits range from free college and employment resources to free hunting and fishing licenses. Most states also offer tax breaks for their veterans and specialized license plates, and some states even provide their veterans with cash bonuses just for serving in the military.
We have compiled a handy summary of the benefits each state and territory offers. Each summary page also has a link directly to the specific State Department of Veterans Affairs, so be sure to check it out. There may be a benefit available to you or your family that you didn't know about!. To choose your State click on the Red Bar below
Meal, Ready-to-Bulk? Pentagon urged to add creatine to MREs
Meal, Ready-to-Bulk? Pentagon urged to add creatine to MREs
Meal, Ready-to-Bulk? Pentagon urged to add creatine to MREs
By Riley Ceder & Jon Simkins - Observation Post
A provision included in the House version of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act is calling for the addition of a popular muscle-building supplement to the military’s traditional Meal, Ready-to-Eat rations.
The House Armed Services Committee called for the Pentagon to add creatine to MREs in a committee report accompanying the NDAA, sweeping legislation that Congress must pass annually to determine defense spending.
The gains-based recommendation will now await a Senate decision in order to become law.
“A broad body of clinical research has shown that creatine can enhance muscle growth, physical performance, strength training, post-exercise recovery, and injury prevention,” the body-broadening recommendation states.
Kyle Turk, director of government affairs for the Natural Products Association, called the supplement’s potential inclusion in MREs “tremendous for American service members.”
“Creatine is one of the most extensively studied ingredients for safely increasing strength and recovery time,” he told Military Times in an email. Turk consulted with the Armed Services Committee to help craft the language for the provision, he said.
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that can be found in human muscles, as well as the brain, which the body uses for energy, according to The Mayo Clinic. Recent medical science also suggests the supplement allows at least 227 Instagram users per year to modify their handles to respective iterations of “firstname_fit.”
Veterans health records need progress
not congressional sabotage - OPINION Article by MilitaryTimes.com
When service members hang up their military uniform for the final time, they need a smooth transition into veteran status. For far too long, that has not happened, causing serious problems, particularly in health care and mental health care.
Veterans need and deserve an electronic health records system built in the 21st century. This system should improve communication and coordination among health care providers to ensure better care. Whether it’s a primary care physician, a specialist or a mental health counselor, all members of the health care team need access to read and update a veteran’s records in real-time.
Despite billions of dollars pledged and already spent to overhaul the system, the majority of veterans’ health records are still stuck in an antiquated system.
In 2017, Congress allocated $16 billion to build and implement a modern electronic health records system across the Department of Veterans Affairs’ vast structure of 170 medical centers. The stated goal remains to replace the VA’s outdated, expensive system with a technologically advanced system that can directly and seamlessly interact with the Defense Department’s worldwide system.
The VA has been working to implement the new system for seven years, but it is only operational in six of the VA’s 170 medical centers. At the same time, the DOD now has its new health records system fully deployed worldwide.
Once this crucial project is complete, veterans’ health records can be securely stored and accessed on one platform from the day they enter a military entrance processing station through the entirety of their military service and transition into veteran status. Every medical record can be stored and accessed in the same way no matter where in the world they find themselves. For babies born in military hospitals, this could include records from cradle to grave.
The VA has spun its wheels for seven expensive years, trying to modernize and catch up to DOD. Until that happens, these two systems cannot “talk” to each other. A communications crater continues to exist.
The overly cautious delays must end. Aggressive, focused deployments are needed by regional systems rather than just by individual medical centers. The VA’s 170 medical centers are organized into 18 regional systems, known as VISNs. Each VISN has its own director and executive staff overseeing about 10 VA medical centers. Deploying to a full VISN would more than double what it has been able to do so far.
An Army device can diagnose traumatic brain injuries
With a drop of blood in 15 minutes
October 2024 by Patty Nieberg - Task & Purpose
A little over two decades ago, military scientists sat around a conference table to eat breakfast and discuss biological clues for diagnosing traumatic brain injuries among service members. The meeting took place at a combat casualty conference in St. Petersburg, Florida, where researchers and doctors discussed TBIs soldiers could suffer on the battlefield.
It was the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.
Within days, the U.S. would enter a series of wars that would last nearly two decades and TBIs would become “one of the signature injuries of troops wounded”in those conflicts. Since 2000, over half a million troops have been diagnosed with at least mild TBIs from combat or training.
That meeting on the morning of 9/11 “marks the inception” of the Defense Department’s involvement in TBI blood-based biomarker research, said Damien Hoffman, biomedical engineer and product manager for the Army’s traumatic brain injury tool.
More than 20 years later, the Army co-developed a test that researchers could not have envisioned that morning: A battlefield device that, by testing a single drop of blood, can give combat medics better insight into a soldier’s head injury.
The Analyzer Traumatic Brain Injury program is a test developed by the Army in conjunction with Abbott Laboratories. With one drop of blood, the ATBI device can detect early indications of a potential TBI within 15 minutes, researchers said.
The impact of having such a diagnosis in the field could be large.
For a field medic, a positive test could allow medical personnel to push an injured patient toward computed tomography or ‘CT’ scan, while a negative test would allow them to rule it out.
And beyond the frontlines, knowing who needs evacuation, and who can wait may be key information in the future. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S military medically evacuated countless troops for treatment of suspected TBIs. But in a conflict where the U.S. might not have air superiority, Hoffman said the test can help the military limit evacuations, treat troops locally and get those healthy enough back to the front lines.
“Given the large numbers of expected casualties with all severities of traumatic brain injury in future large-scale combat operations,” the test can help medical providers prioritize more severe cases and “eliminate unnecessary evacuations,” Army Lt. Col. Bradley Dengler, neurosurgical consultant to the Surgeon General said in a release.
Soldier brain health
The tool is part of the military’s focus on troop brain and head injuries that have prompted millions of dollars in research, new offices and programs that consider these issues early in service members’ careers. In August, the Pentagon announced that the services would conduct baseline cognitive assessments during Initial Entry Training. Along with the assessments, the Defense Department also published new rules on safe distances to limit troops’ exposureto heavy blasts or what the military calls “blast overpressure.”
In the Army, officials plan to evaluate soldiers’ cognition every three years after their initial screening for early intervention and to “identify any unusual cognitive change,” according to an Army release. While the schedule and ongoing evaluations are new, the testing is part of a program that began in 2007. For nearly two decades, over 3.4 million assessments have been collected, analyzed, and stored at the Neurocognitive Assessment Branch Data Repository at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.
Ongoing TBI research
With the ability to detect TBIs faster and more accurately, research in the civilian and military worlds are expanding what two of the main TBI blood biomarkers (GFAP and UCH-L1) can teach scientists about treatment and other diseases.
“Getting the rule-out test was the tip of the iceberg for these two biomarkers, in my opinion,” Hoffman said.
Veterans Not Covered by Toxic Hazards
Wait Decades for VA Recognition, Report Finds
Sept. 2024, by Patricia Kime, Military.com
The passage of the PACT Act gave millions of veterans the chance at expedited disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs, but thousands of others exposed to environmental hazards in military service wait roughly 31 years to receive similar recognition from the VA, a new report has found.
In a report released Wednesday by Disabled American Veterans and the Military Officers Association of America, the groups said the VA's disability claims filing process -- in which veterans must prove that their health conditions are directly related to military service -- is cumbersome for those who are unaware that they were exposed to toxic substances or those who don't connect a latent illness with their military service.
In "Ending the Wait for Toxic-Exposed Veterans," retired Army Lt. Col. Gary Sauer said he knew he had musculoskeletal injuries from jumping out of military aircraft but initially did not connect two illnesses -- non-Hodgkin lymphoma and a rare kidney disease -- with military service.
He now believes they were caused by exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, at Ford Ord, California, where he served early in his career. In 2017, Fort Ord was found to have more than 80 times the maximum amount of several PFAS chemicals set for drinking water by the Environmental Protection Agency this year.
"We're using that [water] to prepare food. We were drinking it straight from the water fountains. ... We were showering in it, brushing our teeth," Sauer said in the report. "So, the exposure of that was pretty significant."
Sauer is waiting on a claims decision, having filed tests that show he has PFAS chemicals in his blood decades after exposure.
The report found that the VA takes an average of 31 years to recognize an exposure for an individual veteran after it first occurs, and establishes a presumptive service connection -- a designation by the federal government that eliminates the requirement to prove a military tie -- for exposure-related conditions after about 34 years.
This is too long to help many veterans, the report authors noted.
"Despite major toxic-exposure laws enacted every decade or two over the past century, the
time veterans have to wait from the moment of exposure to meaningful VA compensation and medical support remains shamefully long -- more than three decades on average, according to our research," the report stated.
In response, VA officials acknowledged that veterans have waited "far too long" to receive benefits, but the PACT Act, which extended benefits to several populations of ill veterans, including those exposed to burn pits and other airborne hazards during the Global War on Terrorism, has allowed the VA to expedite claims for millions of veterans and their survivors.
"We're currently delivering more care and more benefits to more veterans than ever before, but make no mistake -- we will not rest until every veteran gets the care and benefits they deserve. We are grateful for the feedback from our partners, and we will continue to work with them to fulfill our shared mission," VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes said in a statement Thursday.
New Jersey Can't Take Care of Its Veterans
Feds Say. Help Is Needed Now.
October 2024 - by Ted Sherman nj.com
In a widely expected move, the U.S. Justice Department filed a civil complaint against New Jersey on Wednesday over the state’s failed response to the COVID-19 pandemic at its veterans homes, where hundreds died in the wake of lax infection controls and allegations of substandard care of residents.
At the same time, New Jersey officials entered into a consent decree that called for a federal monitor to oversee two of the three long-term care facilities operated by the state.
“Our veterans, who have sacrificed so much, should never have been subject to deficient care,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger in a statement. “This consent decree provides a detailed roadmap and expert oversight to ensure they are protected, so that they and their families can rely on the veterans homes. We look forward to working with the state and the independent monitor to implement this decree and ensure that every resident of the veterans homes lives with the safety and dignity that they so richly deserve.”
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said the consent decree, which still must be approved by the court, requires the state to deliver proper care and have the oversight in place to provide families with confidence.
“The Justice Department will work diligently with the state to ensure the reforms are properly implemented,” she said in making the announcement of the enforcement action.
Gov. Phil Murphy said the state welcomed the additional oversight.
“We’re committed to making sure our veterans have the best possible care and quality of life at all three of our veterans homes,” he said. “With this consent decree, we can resolve past differences with the Department of Justice and focus our efforts on providing the best possible care to our veterans homes residents.”
He said the state was determined to not only meet federal standards but to exceed them.
The federal complaint said the deficiencies at the facilities were “longstanding,” and that the state had not taken corrective action sufficient to correct them. The proposed consent agreement, and the proposed appointment of a monitor, followed a scathing reportissued last year that found that New Jersey failed to implement adequate infection control protocols, provide adequate clinical care, and “provide oversight of the facilities in a manner that keeps the residents of the veterans homes safe from harm,” in violation of the 14th Amendment.
Homeless vets sued the VA and won.
Now the government has to build thousands of homes.
September 2024 By Nicholas Slayton, Task & Purpose
A federal judge ruled that current leases for oil drilling and schools on the nearly 400-acre site are illegal and must end.
A federal judge ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs to immediately develop a plan to build nearly 2,000 new supportive housing units for veterans on its 388-acre campus in West Los Angeles.
Judge David O. Carter’s ruling on Friday, Sept. 6, was a major victory for a group of veterans who sued the VA over the use, or lack thereof, of the massive campus. They sued over a number of different aspects of how the VA utilizes the space, which was gifted to it in 1888. The plaintiffs, many of whom are experiencing homelessness themselves, argued that the VA was not building enough housing on the available space, while the VA fought back, saying it was building enough under a previous agreement and leasing out other parcels on the campus was providing revenue for services.
Judge Carter disagreed with the VA. He ordered the VA to build 750 temporary housing units in the next 12-18 months to provide immediate shelter. Additionally, Carter requires that the department construct 1,800 more permanent housing units on the VA campus. The decision came after a three-week non jury trial.
“Each administration since 2011 has been warned — by the VA’s own Office of the Inspector General, federal courts, and veterans — that they were not doing enough to house veterans in Los Angeles,” Carter wrote in his decision. “Despite these warnings, the VA has not made good on its promise to build housing for veterans.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs previously agreed to a master plan to build 1,200 new housing units, the result of a previous lawsuit, but only 233 are open now. The decision in this new suit gives the VA six months to develop a new plan for the additional 1,800 units and a town center for veterans living on the campus. The VA’s plan must have all of the new housing and supportive facilities finished and open within six years.
What Happens if the President
Issues a Potentially Illegal Order to the Military?
July 2024 by Konstantin Toropin Military.com
It's late on a weekday afternoon and a group of military officers -- the most senior leaders of every branch of the armed forces -- are sitting around a wide wood table under frosty overhead lights in a windowless conference room at the Pentagon.
After days of intense protests in several cities across the country, the defense secretary says the president is getting ready to order a massive deployment of armed troops to replace local police and bring a stop to political opposition. As the group slowly begins to discuss the details of sending active-duty troops to quash protests on American soil, one of the officers stops the group with a question.
"Is any of what we're discussing here even legal?"
The entire scenario is a work of fiction, but given presidential campaign rhetoric as Americans head to the polls in November, Military.com spent several months trying to unearth what existing safeguards and policies are in place to protect what has long been considered a hallmark of the U.S. -- an apolitical military that uses its power to fight the country's enemies, not its own citizens.
In speaking with more than a dozen Pentagon officials as well as outside experts, what emerged was a landscape where few concrete legal protections exist to prevent an abuse of power by a president, especially if that president chooses to lean on the Insurrection Act, a vaguely worded law originally passed in 1792.
Military.com reached out to the civilian and military leaders of every uniformed branch of service with a trio of direct questions: If a potentially unlawful order is received from the White House or issued by a defense secretary, what is the review process to determine whether the order is legal, who triggers the review, and who conducts the review?
The requests made no mention of a specific president or the specifics of potential orders, but rather asked about existing policies.
None of the services offered any comment on the record, and some didn't even reply to the inquiries.
Military.com reached out to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who also declined to comment.
Finally, the office of the defense secretary, after several weeks of queries, provided a response.
Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in an emailed statement that "lawyers are available to advise military leaders -- including the secretary of defense, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and combatant commanders -- regarding the legal and prudential impacts of orders, as well as the legal effects and consequences such orders may have."
Defense officials also said that, especially at those senior levels, legal reviews of most orders are part of the process, are conducted by lawyers assigned to the office of the commander or secretary, and do not need to be specifically requested.
The Insurrection Act
Both Trump and a number of groups aligned with the former president have said that Trump, if elected, would invoke the Insurrection Act to allow him to use troops for his domestic agenda.
The law was first passed in 1792 and largely cemented in 1871. It offers broad, sweeping and, critics say, ill-defined powers to the president.
The law says that "whenever the President considers that unlawful obstructions, combinations, or assemblages, or rebellion against the authority of the United States, make it impracticable to enforce the laws ... he may call into federal service such of the militia of any state, and use such of the armed forces, as he considers necessary."
An 1827 Supreme Court ruling found that the president alone can decide to invoke the law and courts may not review or second-guess that determination.
The Brennan Center for Justice, a law and public policy research organization at the New York University School of Law, noted in a 2022 paper that "the Insurrection Act fails to adequately define or limit when it may be used and instead gives the president significant power to decide when and where to deploy U.S. military forces domestically."
The lawyer who previously served as a judge advocate agreed with that assessment.
"All of us as American citizens should have an uneasy feeling about any service members policing our country," the lawyer said.
One scenario the lawyer laid out was an attorney general approaching the president with a concern that he or she doesn't have a sufficient number of federal law enforcement officers to deal with violence or unrest and making a request to bring in military forces.
Why food insecurity is a challenge for troops & families
The challenges result in a disproportionate rate of food insecurity
October by Shannon Razsadin and Dave
Flitman - MilitaryTimes.com
Our national defense is strong because of the incredible men and women who raise their hands to serve and the people who love and follow them throughout their service. Military service comes with incredible opportunity and sacrifice. Our all-volunteer force has been preserved by generations of military families who believe in a cause bigger than themselves and a bright future for themselves, their family and our nation.
While many thrive in service, we must grapple with the reality that too many military families, particularly junior and middle enlisted families, are experiencing food insecurity, defined as the inability to consistently afford or access adequate meals.
According to Military Family Advisory Network’s latest research, one in four (27.7%) active duty military families are food insecure compared to 13.5% of U.S. households. MFAN’s findings are consistent with the Defense Department’s own research, which found that 24% of service members experienced food insecurity in 2022.
While the military is a microcosm of the broader population, the unique challenges and lived experiences of service members result in disproportionate rates of food insecurity. The nuances and complexities of military life, including the consequences of financial hardship, lead many to skip meals or choose less nutritious options.
How is it that those who put country before self experience food insecurity at more than twice the rate of civilians? The answer may be traced to the unique demands of military life, most notably frequent moves.
Military families move every two to three years on average. During a permanent change of station, families undergo a complete reset. Many military spouses are forced to leave their jobs and find new employment opportunities. Families must also pay first- and last-month’s rent to secure their next home and stock up on household essentials while also navigating new doctors, schools, child care and community — all without the support of an extended network.
Simply put, this reset is taxing on both pocketbooks and overall well-being.
Policy efforts to address food insecurity in the military are underway, pointing to a significant step in reducing the stigma surrounding this issue.
The Defense Department’s Taking Care of Our People initiative seeks to strengthen economic security for service members and their loved ones. The basic needs allowance, a monthly payment for military families whose household income falls below 150% of federal poverty guidelines, has been rolled out force-wide.
What does Project 2025 mean for military veterans?
Project 2025's proposals for the VA calls for changes to vets healthcare eligibility and disability
Aug. 2024 by Jeff Schogol, Task & Purpose
For Task & Purpose coverage of Project 2025’s proposals for the U.S. military and Department of Defense, click here.
Project 2025, a policy guide that could be the blueprint for a second Donald Trump term, would revamp the Department of Veterans of Affairs with proposals to increase privatization, narrow the eligibility criteria for health benefits and replace civil service-style employees with political appointees in its ranks.
The document begins with an historical summary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA, and its current challenges meeting an aging, migrating population of veterans while modernizing and keeping costs within its budget. Chapter 20, which is dedicated to VA reforms, was written by Brooks D. Tucker, former VA Chief of Staff during the Trump Administration.
“Our goal is to assemble an army of aligned, vetted, trained, and prepared conservatives to go to work on Day One to deconstruct the Administrative State,” the manual states. “The VA must continually strive to be recognized as a ‘best in class,’ ‘Veteran-centric’ system with an organizational ethos inspired by and accountable to the needs and problems of veterans, not subservient to the parochial preferences of a bureaucracy.”
Task & Purpose reached out to six national veterans advocacy organizations for comment for this story. Three said they had no comment on Project 2025’s policy recommendations, the others did not respond, nor did two experts on veteran affairs at a major defense policy research organization.
Some veterans argue that Project 2025’s goals would impact veterans directly before any changes to the VA. In a July 9 op-ed, Michael Embrich, a veteran and former member of the secretary of Veterans Affairs’ Advisory Committee on the Readjustment of Veterans, wrote that the proposed cuts to federal agencies like the FBI and Justice Department could “disproportionately affect” the 300,000 veterans who make up roughly 30% of the federal workforce.
But the project devotes an entire section to overhauling major pieces of the VA.
In a similar fashion with its goals for other federal agencies, Project 2025 envisions a VA that is run by more political appointees. The policy calls for rescinding all “delegations of authority” granted by the Biden Administration and transferring Senior Executive Service employees out of positions designated for presidential appointees to “ensure political control of the VA.”
YOU TOO CAN HELP SERVE AND THANK OUR COUNTRIES VETERANS
About Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida
Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida was founded by a group of veterans who saw a need for better support and resources for the veteran community. Our organization is committed to providing assistance to veterans in need, whether it's help finding a job, connecting with mental health resources, or accessing affordable housing. We believe that every veteran deserves access to the care and support they need to thrive after serving our country.
Join Our Team
Are you passionate about supporting veterans and giving back to your community? Join our team of dedicated volunteers and make a difference in the lives of those who have served. We offer a variety of volunteer opportunities, from helping with fundraising events to providing mentorship to veterans in need. Contact us today at 541-889-1978 to learn more about getting involved with Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida.
TIME TO HONOR THE VIETNAM WARS MOST SECRET WARRIORS
Top-secret group operated in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1964 to 1972.
September 2023
by Col. Paris Davis, MilitaryTimes.com
https://www.army.mil/vietnamwar/
The nation is commemorating the 50th anniversary of America’s withdrawal from Vietnam through Veterans Day 2025, per presidential decree. But we cannot allow any lingering ambivalence on the legacy of the war — or anything else — to further delay honoring the extraordinary contributions of our most covert warriors of that era.
When I recently received the Medal of Honor for the 19-hour battle my Army Special Forces unit fought in Bong Son, Vietnam in 1965, President Joe Biden said, “It’s never too late to do the right thing.”
Indeed, we are well past time to do what’s right, and finally honor the elite U.S Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Studies and Observations Group, or MACV-SOG, with a Congressional Gold Medal.
This revolutionary, top-secret group operated in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1964 to 1972. Its members fought deep within enemy territory to gather invaluable intelligence for the highest levels of government, including the White House. Their tasks included strategic reconnaissance, sabotage, direct-action raids, psychological operations, deception operations, and rescue missions. The group targeted the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a crucial enemy supply line for the North Vietnamese enemy. Aerial reconnaissance was challenging, making the intelligence provided by SOG teams on the ground invaluable.
Casualty rates for SOG reconnaissance teams exceeded 100%, meaning every man was wounded at least once and approximately half were killed. Of the 1,579 Americans missing in action from the Vietnam War, 50 are from the group. At least 11 SOG teams, perhaps more, simply vanished.
The covert operations of SOG remained unacknowledged by military leadership until partial declassification began in the 1990s. Members of the unit had signed confidentiality agreements and their wartime activities remained mostly secret for decades. As SOG member John Stryker Meyer wrote in his book, Across the Fence: The Secret War in Vietnam, “If I died, no one would tell my mother the truth.”
The Congressional Gold Medal for MACV-SOG would help the American public better understand the members’ extraordinary service, sacrifices, and contributions to our nation. The men of this unit battled not only the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army, but also the harsh terrain, debilitating climate, and the chaos and uncertainty of guerilla warfare. They served with valor, often in situations where survival was the only measure of success. Let’s face it: The nation can handle the truth of their service.
Some Stories that Inspire, and have 'Positive Energy'
U.S. military’s longest-serving woman 4-star general retires from Air Force
U.S. military’s longest-serving woman 4-star general retires from Air Force
U.S. military’s longest-serving woman 4-star general retires from Air Force
October 2024 by Patty Nieberg, Task & Purpose
The first woman to lead the U.S. military’s massive logistical enterprise and one of just a handful to ever reach the rank of four-star general in the U.S. military retired Friday. Air Force Gen. Jacqueline Van Ovost passed command of U.S. Transportation Command to Gen. Randall Reed in a ceremony at Scott Air Force Base attended by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
Promoted to General in August of 2020, Van Ovost was the senior officer in that rank among the four women four-star generals and admirals across the U.S. military.
As the head of TRANSCOM, Ovost was responsible for coordinating nearly all movement of U.S. troops, weapons and supplies around the globe. The logistics command dispatches hundreds of military and civilian-owned planes, ships, trains and trucks every day.
“Just a few days ago, we celebrated the 37th birthday of TRANSCOM — a command that was born out of necessity that was built to deploy U.S. forces. Over time, our mandate has expanded to project, maneuver and sustain the joint force at a time and place our nation’s choosing,” Van Ovost said at the change of command ceremony. “If we were a necessity, we are indispensable now.”
At the ceremony, Austin spoke of Van Ovost as a trailblazer for women in the service.
“You’ve always had a message for women in uniform. And that message is: ‘Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it,’” Austin said. ”Every time that you encountered an obstacle, you kept at it.“
CBS News reported in 2023 that only 10 women have ever reached the four-star rank across the military, including the Coast Guard. Of those, Van Ovost was the fifth woman in the Air Force to reach the rank. However, the military she retired from Friday holds far more opportunities for women than when she joined, an era when women not yet allowed to fly fighter jets, Van Ovost’s lifelong goal.
So she found a workaround.
“You wanted to fly Mach 2. But back then, women weren’t allowed to fly fighters. So once again, you made the path wider,” Austin said. “You became a test pilot. And you flew more than 30 aircraft, including F-15s and F-16s.”
Van Ovost retired with more than 4,200 flight hours in more than 30 aircraft.
100 Marines showed up for an Iwo Jima veteran’s 100th Birthday
U.S. military’s longest-serving woman 4-star general retires from Air Force
U.S. military’s longest-serving woman 4-star general retires from Air Force
October 2024 by Matt White - Task & Purpose
Eddie Vincek landed on Iwo Jima about an hour after the first wave of Marines hit the beach. A member of 1st Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, it was his first taste of combat, he told an interviewer with his Veterans of Foreign Wars post.
“Working on a dairy farm,” he told the VFW, “I was used to seeing animal blood, but not human blood covering over the ground.”
On Sept. 29, Vincek celebrated his 100th birthday at a Ruritan Club in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he was a farmer for most of his life after leaving the Marine Corps in 1946.
For the party, 100 active-duty Marines showed up to help him celebrate. The Marines came from Training Company, Marine Corps Security Force Regiment, in Yorktown, Virginia, about an hour from Chesapeake.
The Marines stood in formation to sing Happy Birthday for “Corporal Vincek.”
On Feb. 19, 1945, Vincek was assigned to A Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division for the Iwo Jima landing. In fierce fighting, the 28th Regiment was the only Marine unit to reach its objective for the day at the base of Mount Suribachi.
It was also Marines from the 28th Regiment — though not Vincek’s battalion — who first planted a flag on top of the mountain (and a second one the next day), leading to the iconic photograph and design of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial.
Two men from Vincek’s 1st Battalion were awarded the Medal of Honor at Iwo Jima. Of the battalion’s 22 officers, only two emerged from the battle uninjured.
“I was one of the few that walked off carrying my own gear,” Vincek told the VFW. “So many others had been killed or wounded and weren’t able to carry their own gear off the island.”
We found 4 bottles of whiskey made by airborne paratroopers
U.S. military’s longest-serving woman 4-star general retires from Air Force
The origin of the military’s iconic mantra: ‘Embrace the suck’
October 2023
Whiskey has likely been around for some of your most memorable late-night shenanigans in the barracks or downtown. If there’s anything America’s airborne paratroopers know, it’s how to fight and how to drink good whiskey.
So we talked to four Airborne-qualified master distillers who took their well-researched opinions and made some of the best whiskeys out there. Although they make good whiskey, remember that you have gone too far if you find yourself in the brig. Drink responsibly.
First, a brief history of whiskey in America
In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, America was struggling to pay off its war debt (ah, the good ol’ days when America cared about keeping the nation’s debt under control). Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton proposed a tax in the late 1700s on domestic liquor as a means of paying it off — which was met with opposition from whiskey makers in Pennsylvania.
The Whiskey Rebellion that resulted was short-lived, but it was not the last time whiskey would be involved in war. The brown elixir fueled soldiers throughout the Civil War, especially the North, who were paid better and could afford it.
Gen. Ulysses S. Grant slammed Old Crow whiskey, and President Abraham Lincoln allegedly likened the General’s success on the battlefield to his liquor consumption. The New York Herald reported in a Sept. 18, 1863 edition of the newspaper that Lincoln was approached by a group calling for Grant to be removed from his position, claiming he was a drunk.
The tall hat-wearing president allegedly responded with a quirky quip, asking the group if they knew what Grant was drinking.
“If I can only find out, I will send a barrel of this wonderful whiskey to every general in the army,” Lincoln allegedly said. Historians contest the legitimacy of the quote because of the anonymous sources, but the legend lives on to this day.
Whiskey’s relationship with soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen is not a coincidence, in Derek Sisson’s opinion.
The origin of the military’s iconic mantra: ‘Embrace the suck’
The origin of the military’s iconic mantra: ‘Embrace the suck’
The origin of the military’s iconic mantra: ‘Embrace the suck’
by Sarah Sicard, Observation Post
One of the best pieces of advice, for people in careers both in and out of service, is to learn to deal with things or take the bad in stride.
But the military, famed for its ability to turn a phrase or ruin anything with an absurd acronym, came up with its own colloquialism for making the best of any situation: “Embrace the suck.”
Though it’s impossible to trace back the phrase definitively to its first user, it became popularized in 2003 by Marines in Iraq.
Retired U.S. Army Reserve Col. Austin Bay authored a book in the mid-2000s called “Embrace the Suck,” in which he explains the meaning of the phrase.
“The Operation Iraqi Freedom phrase ‘embrace the suck’ is both an implied order and wise advice couched as a vulgar quip,” Bay wrote.
He likens the slang phrase back to legendary military strategist Prussian General Carl von Clausewitz and his views on “friction.”
“Clausewitz went to war when he was 12 years old,” Bay wrote. “Over the last few decades, critics have argued that his treatise ‘On War’ is a bit dated in terms of theory. However, everyone with military experience agrees that Clausewitz understood ‘the suck.’ He called it ‘friction.’”
For Clausewitz, it’s this “friction, or what is so termed here, which makes that which appears easy in war difficult in reality.”
Troops, in their resilience, in effect, mitigate the chasm of difference between training or planning and the often harsh realities they face on the ground. And they do it with aplomb, because they must.
Marines: 0, Samurai sword: 1
The origin of the military’s iconic mantra: ‘Embrace the suck’
Air Force Veteran Finally Graduates 50 Years Later
The U.S. military may be a professional war-fighting organization, but it is also filled with people, and people can be very stupid sometimes. That’s why last week, Task & Purpose put out a call for readers to share the dumbest moments they had in uniform. We were not disappointed.
From drunken samurai sword fights to bored forklift drivers, a clear theme emerged: boredom is one step away from a chewing-out by the nearest platoon sergeant.
The best example of this is a story that one Marine veteran named Mike Betts sent us about the time he and his buddies got drunk on salty dogs (a cocktail of gin or vodka and grapefruit juice) in Vietnam. One of the Marines pulled out “a cheap samurai sword he got in Japan,” Betts recalled. Our reader then took the sword and, as one does while inebriated, “commenced my best samurai impression, slashing at anything and everything in the hooch.”
You can see where this is going: at some point during the demonstration, our brave Samurai smacked something that loosened the blade and sent it flying from the handle, striking the sword owner in the chest “and inflicting a pretty nasty wound.”
Nobody wants to have to explain that kind of trouble to someone in charge, so our reader and his fellows snuck the wounded Marine past the officer and sergeant on duty that night and “hustled him off to the hospital” before anyone could notice. Luckily, he was “stitched up and pronounced fit for duty,” Betts said.
“Needless to say, I felt terrible about hurting him,” he added.
Air Force Veteran Finally Graduates 50 Years Later
The origin of the military’s iconic mantra: ‘Embrace the suck’
Air Force Veteran Finally Graduates 50 Years Later
Vietnam War kept Bob Kroener from walking across stage with USC classmates in 1971.
Having to wait an extra year to participate in his graduation ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic paled in comparison to the 49 years that had already passed for Bob Kroener, 78, who finally attended his graduate-school commencement on May 17.
The now-retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and civil engineer missed his pomp and circumstance in 1971 due to his deployment during the Vietnam War. So, when he was thumbing through the University of Southern California's alumni magazine a few years ago and saw pictures of that year's graduation festivities he felt it was finally his time to walk across the stage.
"I was sitting there looking at it and I thought, You know, I never got to go through graduation,” he said. “So I picked up the phone, and I called over to the Marshall School of Business."
During the call, USC officials inquired if he had received his diploma and whether he had other information that would help them locate his decades-old records. The school also asked for his student ID number, to which he replied, “I'm too old for that, we only had a Social Security number."
Back to school
The road to Southern California started north of the border. Then a captain in the Air Force after receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of Detroit, Kroener was stationed at a military base in Canada when he learned that he secured one of 26 government-funded spots offered to Air Force officers for graduate school. From a snow-covered mountaintop in Newfoundland he was informed of the schools he could apply to.
"I heard the University of Southern California and I said, ‘I'll take it. I'm going back to sit on the beach after being in 110 inches of snow for a year.’ It wasn't too hard of a decision to make,” said Kroener.
However, it wasn't just the weather that Kroener appreciated about going to school in Los Angeles. He was able to take advantage of the wide variety of corporations that would open doors to students like himself.
"I went to [oil company] Atlantic Richfield to do a paper, I went to Mattel toy company to do a paper, I went to Continental Airlines to basically write a master's thesis, myself and another captain,” he said. “All you had to do was say you're a student doing graduate work at USC. And I mean, they just opened the doors."
Kroener earned his MBA in 1971, but before the graduation ceremony took place he was deployed to Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. As part of his duties, he managed combat engineering teams by setting up their directives and getting them all the equipment needed to prepare for combat in Vietnam. He eventually retired as a lieutenant colonel in 1993.
Some Ongoing Stories of Interest For Our Veterans
Kris Kristofferson, country music legend, US Army veteran, dead at 88
Kris Kristofferson, country music legend, US Army veteran, dead at 88
Kris Kristofferson, country music legend, US Army veteran, dead at 88
October 2024 by Nicholas Slayton - Task & Purpose
The singer, actor and scholar served for several years in the Army, earning a Ranger tab before pursuing a celebrated career in music.
Singer, actor, boxer, Rhodes Scholar, activist and U.S. Army veteran Kris Kristofferson died today. He was 88. The son of a general and an outspoken critic of American wars abroad later in his life, Kristofferson helped define “outlaw country” as a genre.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 28 at home,” his family said in a statement announcing his death. “We’re all so blessed for our time with him. Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.”
Born June 22, 1936 in Texas, he moved around often due to his father’s military service. He enrolled at Pomona College, where he was a celebrated athlete, competing in rugby and football, among other sports. He also won a Golden Gloves boxing tournament. While there he studied literature, and eventually received a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University. It was there that he started recording music.
The self-described military brat, Kristofferson’s family was heavily involved in the armed forces. His father, Lars Kristofferson, had been a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps and stayed with it when it became the U.S. Air Force, reaching the rank of major general. Kris’ brother Kraigher became a Navy aviator and served during the Vietnam War. After finishing his studies, Kris Kristofferson joined the U.S. Army at the age of 25. He was commissioned a second lieutenant.
While in the U.S. Army, he attended Ranger School, earning a Ranger tab and also eventually a promotion to captain. He trained as a helicopter pilot at Fort Rucker and was later stationed in Germany with the 8th Infantry Division. He would later recall that he had issues with the rigid structure and deference to authority in the military, but stayed on longer than his initial three-year term. He was eventually set to teach English literature at West Point, but left the Army to pursue his dream of being a musician.
Tips to achieve the ultimate dirty Navy-style coffee mug
Kris Kristofferson, country music legend, US Army veteran, dead at 88
Kris Kristofferson, country music legend, US Army veteran, dead at 88
Feb. 2023 by Sarah Sicard MilitaryTimes
The Navy may have the most complicated rank structure when it comes to its ratings system, but there is another, much more uncouth method for establishing hierarchy among sailors: Filthy coffee mugs.
It is a commonly-held truth in the seafaring service that one can tell a higher-up from a newbie based on the amount of sludge that lives in the bottom of one’s coffee cup.
So, in the interest of salt, here are some professional tips, from Navy veterans, to get an optimally seasoned mug.
1. Always drink black coffee. Milk or creamer curdles and introduces bacteria into the mix. Sour lactose creates a hostile environment — not ideal for going years without washing your mug.
2. Drink the whole cup of coffee. Don’t leave even a drop behind. You want to season the mug with a faint film, not swigging day-old coffee every morning.
3. For extra flavoring, take the leftover coffee grounds from the filter and let them rest in the cup for a few days before dumping it out. Treat your mug like a cast iron skillet.
4. If you need to, rinse it lightly with just a little water. This is only to be done in cases where the buildup is starting to become untenable.
5. Don’t wash the mug with the soap. Ever. You might be tempted every now and again to give it a good soak. Don’t. You will lose all the flavoring, respect from your near-peers and any chance at an honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy.
The history of the HK416 in modern warfare
Kris Kristofferson, country music legend, US Army veteran, dead at 88
DoD SkillBridge: The best military transition program you didn’t know existed
march 2024 by Joshua Skovlund, Task & Purpose
When the HK416 started showing up on SOF compounds throughout Iraq, people noticed.
In the early 2000s, operators in the U.S. military’s special operations community started using the Heckler & Koch HK416 as one of their primary battle rifles. It was initially meant to replace the Colt M4A1 but never realized that potential.
Not just anyone in SOF had the opportunity to carry this German-made rifle into combat though. Rangers, SEALs, Green Berets, and others in SOF often work in the same areas as their higher echelon counterparts, but still carried the M4A1 or even FN SCAR during that timeframe.
When the HK416 started showing up on SOF compounds throughout Iraq, hanging off the shoulder of operators grabbing a quick bite to eat in the chow hall — people noticed. It was the next new thing, but most never got a chance to use it. Unlike the SR25 sniper rifle, MultiCam uniforms, EOTech holographic sights, and high-cut helmets, the HK416 was one bit of kit that never made it into the wider U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) inventory.
The HK 416 is a step away from the traditional operation of the Colt M4A1. Instead of a gas-operated, direct impingement system, it uses a gas-operated, short-stroke piston-driven operating rod. Ultimately, the piston setup was more reliable in testing, but compared to the M4A1, it’s more expensive and heavier.
The operation of the HK416 is relatively similar to what operators were used to with the M4: the safety selector switch, magazine release, charging handle, and Picatinny rails were all the same or very similar. The cleaning procedures are different though, with the M4’s bolt carrier group and chamber needing to be cleaned more often when compared to the HK416’s piston system, which blows gas forward and away from the bolt carrier group — but still results in a different, but regularly required maintenance.
DoD SkillBridge: The best military transition program you didn’t know existed
DoD SkillBridge: The best military transition program you didn’t know existed
DoD SkillBridge: The best military transition program you didn’t know existed
January 2021 By Harm Venhuizen. MilitaryTimes
When separating from the military, it’s not uncommon for servicemembers to discover gaps between their resume and the civilian job they want.
Worries about putting food on the table can make going back to school, getting on-the-job training, or taking an internship seem like costly ways of filling that gap. Luckily, there’s a way servicemembers can gain the experience required by civilian jobs while still on the military’s payroll.
The DoD SkillBridge Program lets active-duty personnel from all four branches spend the last 180 days of their military service interning at a civilian job with one of more than 500 industry partners.
Participants continue to receive military pay and benefits, whether they’re getting certified by Microsoft in cloud development, learning to weld, or taking advantage of any one of the hundreds of other opportunities available.
As part of the DoD’s requirements, all training programs offer a “high probability of post-service employment with the provider or other employers in a field related to the opportunity,” according to the SkillBridge website.
In his internship with the Global SOF Foundation, retired Navy commander Chuck Neu says he not only tripled the size of his professional network, but also discovered a talent for sales.
“Without that exposure to cold-call sales from doing SkillBridge with the Global SOF Foundation, I likely would have ended up on-base as a contractor or a government civilian, which is really not what I wanted to do,” Neu told Military Times....
For more on this story click the 'Red Bar' below.
VA's updated list of Agent Orange sites outside of Vietnam
DoD SkillBridge: The best military transition program you didn’t know existed
How a WW2 banana shortage changed the course of Twinkie history
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released in January an updated Department of Defense (DOD) list of locations outside of Vietnam where tactical herbicides were used, tested or stored by the United States military.
“This update was necessary to improve accuracy and communication of information,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie. “VA depends on DOD to provide information regarding in-service environmental exposure for disability claims based on exposure to herbicides outside of Vietnam."
DOD conducted a thorough review of research, reports and government publications in response to a November 2018 Government Accountability Office report.
“DOD will continue to be responsive to the needs of our interagency partners in all matters related to taking care of both current and former service members,” said Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper. “The updated list includes Agents Orange, Pink, Green, Purple, Blue and White and other chemicals and will be updated as verifiable information becomes available.”
Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during service may be eligible for a variety of VA benefits, including an Agent Orange Registry health exam, health care and disability compensation for diseases associated with exposure. Their dependents and survivors also may be eligible for benefits.
How a WW2 banana shortage changed the course of Twinkie history
DoD SkillBridge: The best military transition program you didn’t know existed
How a WW2 banana shortage changed the course of Twinkie history
June 2022 by Sarah Sicard, Observation Post
Is there anything sweeter — literally or figuratively — than biting into the plastic-wrapped chemical compound of luxuriously spongey cake with vanilla cream that is a Twinkie?
Perhaps not. But the original Hostess delicacy was once something else entirely. The preservative-filled dessert that many once believed could withstand nuclear war got its start as a banana cream shortcake, until World War II changed everything.
In 1930, a baker named James Dewar began experimenting while serving as manager of Continental Baking Company’s Chicago area plant in River Forest, according to the Chicago Tribune. He wanted to prove that shortbread could serve a purpose outside strawberry shortcake.
“The economy was getting tight, and the company needed to come out with another low-priced item,” he told the paper. “We were already selling these little finger cakes during the strawberry season for shortcake, but the pans we baked them in sat idle except for that six-week season.”
While in St. Louis on a work trip, Dewar saw a billboard for “Twinkle Toe Shoes,” and thus found the name for his compact confections.
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