Some of the 'Services' and 'Programs we have available
Welcome to Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida 'a Source for Veteran Resources'
180 W. Idaho Ave, Ontario, Oregon 97914
541-889-1978
VETERAN ADVOCATES THRIFT EMPORIUM
HEY FOLKS........ THIS EMPORIUM AND THRIFT STORE IS FANTASTIC AND SUCH AN ARRAY OF ITEMS AND CLOTHING!!!!!! GIVE US A SHOT AND COME ON DOWN TO CHECK US OUT YOU'LL HAVE A GOOD TIME!!!!
Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida has a rathar very nice Thrift Emporium with an excellent selection of donated items !! The prices range from 50 cents up - depending on the kind of items you are shopping for - We have an absolutely WONDERFUL staff of Volunteers eager to help you find items... it is open from 9am to 4pm Monday thru Friday - and you can bring donations Monday thru Friday from 9:30 am to 3:30pm.
Any Questions call 541-889-1978
BI-MONTHLY ARTICLES AND A FEW STORIES OF INTEREST
Veteran Articles published Bi-monthly
The Chairman of Veteran Advocates of Ore-Ida, Ronald Verini, writes two articles every month for publication in a Regional Newspaper, this article ."NO" BOOTS ON THE GROUND"
will be published JUNE 24, 2026 Here is a part of Mr. Verini's article, and you can read the full article by clicking the red bar below.
.
No Boots on The Ground!!!
June 24th, 2026 Veterans Column by Ronald Verini
Are They Kidding?! Do they think we are stupid? In the Western Treasure Valley, from Caldwell and into the rural areas like Fruitland, Payette and stretches of Oregon like Ontario families quietly send sons and daughters into uniform. The distance between Washington’s war rooms and the reality of service has never been this far apart. Modern war is increasingly fought through screens, sensors, satellites, and remote weapons systems to carriers at sea. . To the average American it appears clean and precise. There are fewer images of mud-covered infantry and fewer flag-draped coffins arriving home. But for the men and women carrying out those missions, many connected to operations at Gowen Field or supporting deployments around the world, the so-called “clean war” is anything but clean. It replaces visible wounds with something harder to measure: digital scars, moral injury, and psychological strain that follow service members long after the mission ends.
The first hard truth is that our institutions have not fully caught up with the battlefield. Drone operators, intelligence analysts, and remote sensor technicians fight a war that policy still struggles to define. They watch targets for hours through high-definition feeds, observing routines and daily life before the order to strike is given. Unlike a pilot who releases a weapon and disappears into the sky, the remote operator often remains watching the aftermath unfold frame by frame. When the shift ends, that same service member may drive home through our local traffic and try to sit at the dinner table or attend a Little League game in Nampa as if nothing happened. That sudden shift from combat decision to civilian life creates a powerful psychological shock. Remote Combat Operations must be formally recognized as true combat service, ensuring equal access to mental-health care and disability recognition. War delivered through a keyboard is still war.
Another reality emerging from modern warfare is the “commuter warrior.” A service member can participate in lethal operations during the afternoon and be expected to function as a normal spouse or parent hours later. The brain cannot instantly move from life-and-death tactical awareness to relaxed family interaction. Over time that shift creates emotional strain, fatigue, withdrawal, and stress that quietly move from the battlefield into homes and relationships. Without decompression between combat operations and home life, many carry that pressure directly into their families and communities.
Another wound follows veteran’s home: the memory of allies left behind. In conflicts from Vietnam to Afghanistan, American troops built strong bonds with interpreters and local partners who risked everything to support U.S. missions. When wars ended suddenly, many of those partners were left exposed to retaliation. Veterans across the country, and here in the Treasure Valley, remember the desperate messages asking for help escaping danger. Memories remain long after the war ends.
Strategic miscalculation also leaves a mark on communities in the Western Treasure Valley. Some veterans remember Vietnam, when leaders misunderstood the nature of the war and prolonged a conflict that divided the country. Others served in Iraq and Afghanistan, where insurgencies proved more resilient than early predictions suggested. When policymakers misjudge an enemy or allow missions to drift without clear objectives, consequences are now reaching far beyond Washington. Soldiers deploy repeatedly. National Guard units leave civilian jobs again and again. Families in towns like Eagle, Caldwell, Ontario, Nyssa and Vale endure long separations and uncertainty. Strategic decisions in Washington become sacrifices in local communities.
Veterans With Gulf War Illness Were Finally Seeing Progress. Then Congress Cut Funding
Cuts to a congressional fund are alarming scientists, veterans, and advocates
BY LEAH ROSENBAUM JUNE 25, 2026
THE WARHORSE Newsroom
Cuts to a congressional fund are alarming scientists, veterans, and advocates
BY LEAH ROSENBAUM JUNE 25, 2026
It’s easy for Ron Brown to remember when his health problems first began. It was early March 1991, and Brown’s Army unit was in Khamisiyah, where Iraqi forces had been storing chemical weapons in a bunker and an excavated area known as “the pit.” As U.S. forces demolished the bunker and the weapons in the pit, plumes of smoke rose into the sky.
What he didn’t know at the time: the explosion had released a cloud of chemical weapons, including the nerve agents sarin and cyclosarin.
Brown’s health issues didn’t end when he returned to the States.
“I wasn’t able to breathe when I came back, so I wasn’t able to continue meeting [fitness] standards,” he said.
Soon after, when the military was downsized at the end of the Gulf War, he took the opportunity to leave the service with an honorable discharge.
Now 58 years old and living in Virginia, Brown has Gulf War Illness, a complex, multi-system disease that causes fatigue, cognitive problems, headaches, pain, and other symptoms.
“I still struggle to this day,” said Brown, who has participated in clinical trials that tested experimental supplements. “I take a pile of medications, and I’ve got three different inhalers.”
Now, after being sick for 35 years, he’s hopeful new treatments, or even a cure, for Gulf War Illness are on the horizon.
This year, researchers are closer than ever to finding that treatment. They might also finally understand the biological underpinnings of this mysterious disease. In a big step forward, Gulf War Illness last year got its own diagnostic code, which finally allows doctors to track sick veterans. And the Department of Defense has pledged to comb through and potentially declassify new documents relating to the Gulf War, which advocates hope could pave the way for new treatments.
About 175,000 to 250,000 veterans with Gulf War Illness have spent the years since Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm waiting for answers about their mysterious ailment. It has taken more than three decades to get here, as the U.S. is entangled in another war in the Middle East.
But amid all the progress Gulf War Illness advocates have seen in recent years, Congress slashed research funding for the condition without explanation.
Funding for Gulf War Illness and other toxic exposures “was never adequate in the first place,” said Anthony Hardie, a Gulf War Army veteran and advocate based in Florida. What’s even more concerning, Hardie said, “funding has now been cut in half and has not been restored.”
HISTORIC EVENTS THAT HAPPENED IN JULY
July 1, 1862 - President Abraham Lincoln signed the first income tax bill, levying a 3% income tax on annual incomes of $600-$10,000 and a 5% tax on incomes over $10,000. Also on this day, the Bureau of Internal Revenue was established by an Act of Congress.
July 2, 1776 - The Continental Congress in Philadelphia adopted the following resolution, originally introduced on June 7, by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia: "Resolved, That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved. That it is expedient forthwith to take the most effectual measures for forming foreign Alliances. That a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective Colonies for their consideration and approbation."
July 2, 1788 - Congress announced the United States Constitution had been ratified by the required nine states and that a committee had been appointed to make preparations for the new American government.
July 2, 1881 - President James A. Garfield was shot and mortally wounded as he entered a railway station in Washington, D.C. He died on September 19th.
July 3, 1775 - During the American Revolution, George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts
July 4, 1776 - The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress.
July 4, 1882 - The "Last Great Buffalo Hunt" began on Indian reservation lands near Hettinger, North Dakota as 2,000 Teton Sioux Indians in full hunting regalia killed about 5,000 buffalo. By this time, most of the estimated 60-75 million buffalo in America had been killed by white hunters who usually took the hides and left the meat to rot. By 1883, the last of the free-ranging buffalo were gone.
Birthday - Novelist and short-story writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) was born in Salem, Massachusetts. His works included; The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables and The Blithedale Romance.
Birthday - Song writer Stephen Foster (1826-1864) was born in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania. Among his nearly 200 songs were; Oh! Susanna, Camptown Races, Swanee River, Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair, and Beautiful Dreamer. He died in poverty at Bellevue Hospital in New York.
July 5, 1775- The Continental Congress adopted the Olive Branch Petition expressing hope for a reconciliation with Britain. However, King George III refused even to look at the petition and instead issued a proclamation declaring the colonists to be in a state of open rebellion.
Birthday - Promoter and showman P.T. Barnum (1810-1891) was born in Bethel, Connecticut. His American Museum opened in 1842, exhibiting unusual acts such as the Feejee Mermaid, Siamese Twins Chang and Eng, and General Tom Thumb. In 1871, Barnum opened "The Greatest Show on Earth" in Brooklyn, New York. He later merged with rival J.A. Bailey to form the Barnum and Bailey Circus.
July 6, 1885 - Louis Pasteur gave the first successful anti-rabies inoculation to a boy who had been bitten by an infected dog.
Birthday - Revolutionary War Naval Officer John Paul Jones (1747-1792) was born in Kirkbean, Scotland. He is best remembered for responding "I have not yet begun to fight!" to British opponents seeking his surrender during a naval battle.
July 7, 1898 - President William McKinley signed a resolution annexing Hawaii. In 1900, Congress made Hawaii an incorporated territory of the U.S., which it remained until becoming a state in 1959.
July 8, 1776 - The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence occurred as Colonel John Nixon read it to an assembled crowd in Philadelphia.
July 8, 1943 - During the Nazi occupation of France, Resistance leader Jean Moulin died following his arrest and subsequent torture by the Gestapo. He had been sent by the Allies into France in 1942 to unite the fledgling Underground movement. In June of 1943, he was arrested in Lyon, tortured for eleven days but betrayed no one. He died aboard a train while being transferred to a concentration camp.
Birthday - Nelson Rockefeller (1908-1979) was born in Bar Harbor, Maine. He served as Governor of New York from 1958 to 1973. He became vice-president under Gerald Ford in 1974, serving until January 20, 1977.
DOD Officially Drops 180 Faiths - From Military's Recognized Religion List
Defense Secretary Hegseth previously announced the change due to an "impractical" system
Military.com has learned that the Department of Defense, for the first time in almost 10 years, has dramatically reduced its number of recognized religious faiths and belief systems by approximately 180.
The reforms mark the first time the list has been officially revised since a memo was issued March 27, 2017, decreasing the total number of faiths from 211 to its new number of 31. The changes were iterated in a May 20, 2026, memorandum issued by the Under Secretary of War and signed by Anthony Tata, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness of the United States, and obtained by Military.com.
This latest revision to the faith codes comes at the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to the Tata-signed memo, done to “streamline the DoW collection of religious preferences collection for service members to enhance the delivery of targeted religious support from the Chaplaincy.” It calls for the previously instituted faith and belief codes to be revised within a 60-day period from the issuance of the memorandum.
Here is the full list:
- Agnostic (AN)
- Baha'i faith (BH)
- Buddhism (BU)
- Christian - Assemblies of God (AG)
- Christian - Baptist (BA)
- Christian - Brethren (BR)
- Christian - Catholic (CA)
- Christian - Church of Christ (CC)
- Christian - Church of God (CG)
- Christian - Church of the Nazarene (CN)
- Christian - Episcopal/Anglican (EA)
- Christian - Evangelical (EV)
- Christian - Jehovah's Witnesses (JW)
- Christian - Lutheran (LU)
- Christian - Methodist (ME)
- Christian - Non Denominational (ND)
- Christian - Orthodox (OX)
- Christian - Other (CO)
- Christian - Pentecostal (PE)
- Christian - Presbyterian (PR)
- Christian - Quaker (QU)
- Christian - Reformed (RE)
- Christian - Scientist (SC)
- Christian - Seventh Day Adventist (SA)
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (CJ)
- Hindu (HI)
- Islam (Muslim) (IS)
- Judaism (Jewish) (JU)
- No Religion (NR)
- Other Religions (OR)
- Sikh (SI)
Shielding U.S. Forces from Spies that Use Location Tracking
MILITARY FAMILY FOOD INSECURITY ISN’T NEW, BUT THE SHUTDOWN MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE
Americans serving abroad often carry devices that can share precise location data across .multiple commercial apps, services and data-broker systems, frequently in ways users do not fully understand. They may not know it. Our adversaries do.
This is not hypothetical.
In 2018, Strava, a popular GPS-based fitness app, drew a map of one of America’s most sensitive military installations. Soldiers had simply gone for a run. When the app published an aggregated “heat map” of user activity, the GPS trails of service members illuminated base layouts and operational routines for anyone with an internet connection, not through espionage, but through data.
That vulnerability has multiplied since then. In March 2026, reporting indicated that a French naval officer’s public fitness-tracking activity exposed the location of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
During recent tensions involving Iran, viral warnings circulated online claiming that location-enabled mobile applications could expose U.S. personnel movements, underscoring how credible and persistent this concern has become, even though military officials later said that specific message was false.
U.S. policymakers increasingly recognize that foreign adversaries, including China, can exploit commercially available sensitive data about Americans, including military personnel. These incidents reflect a simple but consequential truth: location data, when aggregated, leaked, or otherwise compromised, can reveal patterns of life, operational routines and sensitive infrastructure
MILITARY FAMILY FOOD INSECURITY ISN’T NEW, BUT THE SHUTDOWN MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE
MILITARY FAMILY FOOD INSECURITY ISN’T NEW, BUT THE SHUTDOWN MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO IGNORE
By: Olivia Brinsfield, Content Manager
.When military pay is delayed or disrupted, families across the country feel the effects immediately. For some, it means deciding which bills to pay first or how to stretch what is left in the pantry.
The government shutdown did not create food insecurity among military families; it exacerbated what was already there. Each missed or partial paycheck shows what many have long understood: too many families are living on the edge, where even a short disruption in pay can threaten their stability.
The Crisis Beneath the Headlines
We’ve been hearing from military families everywhere who are worried about how to make ends meet. Some are rationing what’s left in their refrigerators; others are postponing bills, and many are turning to community food pantries.
Their experiences reflect a broader truth. Studies estimate that nearly one in four military families experience food insecurity, a statistic often overlooked in discussions about readiness and national defense.
Whether caused by a government shutdown, the high cost of living near military installations, or persistent challenges with spousal employment, the result is the same: families who serve the nation are struggling to meet basic needs.
A Hidden Struggle Made Visible
For Army spouse Amy C., the frustration runs deeper than a missed paycheck.
“This situation exposes how financially vulnerable many military families are. Too many are sunk if they miss one or two paychecks. It is disturbing that missing two weeks of pay can break so many people. This should be inconvenient, not life-changing.”
Adopted on July 4, 1776, by the Second Continental Congress
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Core PhilosophyThe text is built on Enlightenment principles and argues that:
- All individuals are created equal and are endowed with unalienable rights.
- Governments derive their power from the consent of the governed.
- People have the right to alter or abolish a tyrannical government and institute a new one.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
CIVICS FOR LIFE !!!!!
CIVICS EDUCATION - BASIC & SIMPLE..
Civics Education
An educated citizenry is crucial for a healthy democracy. Whether or not you studied civics in school or wish to brush up, these adult education resources are here to help.
Being educated means going beyond the essential what of civics to understand the why. We invite you to read, watch and discover the richness of civics.
Colonial Period Before the United States, thirteen separate colonies settled throughout the eastern coast of North America. As ...More →
Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, ...More →
The Constitution The U.S. Constitution is the second government formed after The Articles of Confederation failed to meet ...More →
The Legislative Branch Article I of the US Constitution establishes the legislature as a bicameral body consisting of ...More →
The Executive Branch Article II of the US Constitution establishes the executive branch led by the President of ...More →
The Judicial Branch Article III of the US Constitution establishes the judicial branch. However, it only creates the ...More →
How Elections Work The United States has a long and storied history of democracy, and elections have been ...More →
What is the Electoral College? The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The Founding Fathers established ...More →
History of Political Parties For more than two centuries, the Democratic and Republican parties have been the two ...More →
State Government The powers of a state government in the United States are defined in the Tenth Amendment ...More →
Local Government Local government plays an integral role in the lives of citizens. It has a more significant ...More →
History Lessons The articles below provide access to valuable resources, including articles, videos, and courses that deepen knowledge ...More →
"In over half the states in the union, civics education is not required. The only reason we have public school education in America is because in the early days of the country, our leaders thought we had to teach our young generation about citizenship ... that obligation never ends."
— Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
Lawmakers Criticize Global War on Terrorism Memorial
‘Disgrace’ & ‘Abomination’
BY Robert Billard-Military.com
Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), an Afghanistan veteran, did not mince words this week about the initial design concept for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial on the National Mall: “This proposal is a disgrace.
The lawmaker is among some members of Congress speaking out against the concept of the memorial. Artist renderings were unveiled June 10 and designed by renowned Japanese architecture firm Kengo Kuma & Associates. While the foundation has highlighted years of input from more than 20,000 Americans, including veterans and Gold Star families, some lawmakers and many post-9/11 veterans have said the modern, abstract elements fall short of what is needed to properly honor those who served and sacrificed in America’s longest war.
The backlash centers on the design’s perceived lack of direct recognition for the fallen—such as inscribed names like those on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial—and a feeling that it prioritizes artistic abstraction over solemn representation of service and loss.
Thousands of heroic Americans sacrificed everything in service to our nation during the Global War on Terror," Banks said on X. "I served in Afghanistan. These were real people with real stories. They deserve to be honored with dignity, not disconnected abstract art.”
Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), an Afghanistan veteran, did not mince words this week about the initial design concept for the Global War on Terrorism Memorial on the National Mall: “This proposal is a disgrace."
The lawmaker is among some members of Congress speaking out against the concept of the memorial. Artist renderings were unveiled June 10 and designed by renowned Japanese architecture firm Kengo Kuma & Associates. While the foundation has highlighted years of input from more than 20,000 Americans, including veterans and Gold Star families, some lawmakers and many post-9/11 veterans have said the modern, abstract elements fall short of what is needed to properly honor those who served and sacrificed in America’s longest war.
The backlash centers on the design’s perceived lack of direct recognition for the fallen—such as inscribed names like those on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial—and a feeling that it prioritizes artistic abstraction over solemn representation of service and loss.
“Thousands of heroic Americans sacrificed everything in service to our nation during the Global War on Terror," Banks said on X. "I served in Afghanistan. These were real people with real stories. They deserve to be honored with dignity, not disconnected abstract art.”
Banks was not alone. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote a post on X calling the concept a “disappointing landscape feature better suited to a hotel courtyard or mini golf course than a monument to the courageous men and women who fought, and the lives lost, to radical Islamic terrorism.” He urged the foundation to “start over and hire” American designers.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis), a retired Navy SEAL, labeled the concept as an “abomination” and a “Jazz Hands monument to our fallen brothers and sisters.” He said there is now “bipartisan/bicameral” support in Congress to stop the design and warned he would hold the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Memorial Foundation “organizationally and personally accountable” if it proceeds.
WHY VA MENTAL HEALTH CLAIMS ARE STILL SO DIFFICULT IN 2026
disabledamericanveterans.org
By-Benjamin Krause
Attorney. Journalist. Activist.
The Invisible Nature of Mental Health Conditions
Unlike a visible physical injury, many mental health conditions don’t leave behind obvious evidence. There may be no scar. No X-ray. No single moment that clearly documents the beginning of the condition.
Instead, veterans are often left trying to explain:
- chronic anxiety
- panic attacks
- emotional numbness
- sleep disruption
- hypervigilance
- trauma responses
- depression
- or survivor’s guilt
… Inside a system built around documentation and evidence.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outlines PTSD and mental health eligibility requirements through its official mental health and disability resources on VA PTSD eligibility page and VA mental health services. But understanding the requirements and successfully navigating them are two different things.
Why These Claims Can Be So Challenging
Mental health claims often involve a combination of:
- medical documentation
- personal statements
- service records
- behavioral evidence
- and psychological evaluations
In many cases, veterans must also establish a clear connection between their condition and military service. That can become complicated when:
- symptoms appeared years later
- treatment was delayed
- records are incomplete
- or the veteran never sought help during service
And that last point matters more than many people realize
The Legacy of WWII Tattoos:
Stories of Ink, Sacrifice, and Memory
By - Bridget Gibbons
Bridget Gibbons is an institute intern at the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy.
Each tattoo inked on the skin of those who lived through World War II tells a unique story, reflecting both personal experiences and collective history.
March 25, 2025
Life in the service during World War II was trying and difficult in the best of times. We know this from heartfelt letters sent home by young men to their wives and mothers, from the countless pieces of intense literature and art that emerged during and after the war, and from the depictions in famous movies and TV shows that continue to grace our screens.
But what about the men themselves? What stories of war can we glean from their faces and skin? At first glance, you may only see the tired face of a young man aged by war, but a closer look reveals a very different story. In fact, just a look at the arms, legs, or chests of these troops would remind us of their patriotism, their pride, and, in many cases, the naivety of youth. After all, how might an 18-year-old sailor explain the half-nude woman tattooed on his arm when he returned home to his mother after the war.
Today, it is typical—even expected—that servicemembers have tattoos. But this underappreciated art form was still rare in the 1940s. During World War I, troops tattooed their service numbers, and later social security numbers, on their skin as a means of identifying them in the event of injury or death in battle. However, during World War II, tattoo culture began to change as ink became a source of expression rather than survival—especially amid fears that the intimate details of identification tattoos could fall into enemy hands.
AMERICA’S GREATEST TATTOO ARTISTS
Honolulu became an epicenter for the growing tattoo culture in the United States during the war. In fact, the tattoo industry dominated the city. An American reporter who traveled to Honolulu in 1944 estimated that the city’s eight tattoo parlors brought in around $60,000 each year. At one establishment known as Miller’s Tattoo Emporium, the 15-year-old operator, Eugene Miller, tattooed around 300 people a day; prices ranged from 25 cents to $30 for larger pieces. The Hawaii native was the self-proclaimed “world’s youngest and greatest tattoo artist”1 and represented one way that Hawaiians engaged with the servicemembers who had become new inhabitants of their islands. Around 65 percent of Miller’s clientele were US Navy men stationed in Hawaii before being sent overseas, and tattoos offered wearable evidence that the individual was “salty,” or a sea-faring man. Many sailors preferred the simple “USN” with an anchor through it to demonstrate their devotion to their branch and country. An additional 25 percent of Miller’s clients were enlisted US Army men who opted for more traditional phrases like “Remember Pearl Harbor” or simply “Hawaii 1944,” a reminder of their time there during the most consequential conflict in history.
Senators introduce bill to abolish military draft agency
By Tanya Noury - Military Times
A bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled legislation on Thursday that would dismantle the government agency responsible for maintaining the military draft database of young, eligible men.
The bill — advanced by Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. — would phase out the Selective Service System,citing its annual operating cost of more than $31 million per year. The senators argued that the agency has been largely defunct since 1973, the last time the United States conducted conscription.
“The Selective Service is an outdated program that costs millions of taxpayer dollars to prepare for a military draft that Americans don’t want or need,” Wyden said in a statement. “Our volunteer military forces are the strongest in the world, and there is no need to replicate the same draft that sent two million unwilling young men to war 50 years ago.”
Paul, in a separate statement, added: “I’ve long stated that if a war is worth fighting, Congress will vote to declare it and people will volunteer. This outdated government program no longer serves a purpose and should be eliminated permanently.”
In its 2024 annual report, the SSS acknowledged a recent decline in registration rates, but noted that an automated registration provision could help bolster future enrollment levels.
Congress later incorporated the rule change into the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. The shift from a system of self-registration to automation is set to take effect in December, with noncompliance constituting a felony offense.
US to cut fighters, warships
from NATO mission in Europe
PUBLISHED JUN 13, 2026 TASK & PURPOSE
The United States plans to start cutting dozens of aircraft and several warships assigned to NATO operations in Europe, the latest move in a series of cuts to the American military presence on the continent.
The New York Times first reported on the cuts, citing European defense officials and parts of a written document shared by the United States with its allies. On Friday, NATO said that it is aware of the planned changes, and positioned it as a shift in the “balance of responsibility.”
However, according to the report it would impact NATO’s surveillance and long-range strike capabilities. The plan calls for reducing the number of F-15 and F-16 fighter jets from Europe by a third, from around 150 to 100, as well as dropping maritime reconnaissance aircraft from 26 to 15. Additionally, the United States would also move a bomber group, a submarine and carrier strike group.
U.S. European Command had discussed reductions earlier this month, with European Command U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich saying the NATO Force Model had “an unhealthy co-dependence” on American forces. However the specifics of the plan were not released. Neither the New York Times report or NATO specified the exact timeline, though the former said it will “take effect very soon.”
NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said in a statement on Friday that the “change strengthens NATO’s defense plans by reducing over-dependence on one Ally and is a reflection of a broader shift happening within the Alliance.”
“This is about putting NATO on a more sustainable footing for the decades to come,” Hart said
The Air Force has F-16 units based in Spangdahlem Air Base in Germany and Aviano Air Base in Italy. F-15s are primarily based out of RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom, with several fighter jets from the 48th Fighter Wing having deployed to the Middle East in recent years as a part of American military build ups and operations against Iran.
The planned cuts to NATO contributions comes after the United States stopped several large troop deployments to Europe in support of the NATO mission in recent weeks. The reduction came amid tensions between President Donald Trump and Germany’s leadership over the American war with Iran. Roughly 4,000 soldiers from 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division were set to start a months-long rotation in Europe, but that was canceled on May 1, even with some advance troops already sent to Poland.
CURRENT IDEAS ABOUT THE USE OF KETAMINE ON PTSD FLASHBACKS
Search Assist
Recent studies suggest that ketamine may be effective in treating PTSD, particularly when combined with psychotherapy. Research indicates that ketamine can enhance the extinction of traumatic memories and improve symptoms more rapidly than traditional therapies.
bbrfoundation.org
Yale Medicine
Overview of Ketamine in PTSD Treatment
Ketamine is being explored as a treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) due to its rapid effects on mood and anxiety. It is an NMDA receptor antagonist that can induce changes in brain connectivity, potentially enhancing therapeutic outcomes when combined with psychotherapy.
Mechanism of Action
How Ketamine Works
- Memory Reconsolidation: Ketamine may help modify traumatic memories during their recall, making them less distressing.
- Neuroplasticity: It is believed to temporarily increase the brain's ability to rewire itself, which can aid in the therapeutic process.
Treatment Approaches
Combined Therapies
- Ketamine Infusions: Administered in low doses, ketamine can be combined with exposure therapy to enhance treatment effectiveness.
- Intensive Therapy Programs: Some studies involve a 7-day treatment combining ketamine infusions with trauma-focused psychotherapy, aiming for significant symptom relief.
Study Findings
- Pilot Studies: Research indicates that a single ketamine infusion may enhance the extinction of traumatic memories, improving outcomes for PTSD patients.
- Long-term Effects: While initial results are promising, further studies are needed to understand the long-term benefits and safety of ketamine in PTSD treatment.
Eligibility and Considerations
Who Can Participate
- Age Range: Typically, participants are between 21 and 70 years old.
- Exclusion Criteria: Individuals with certain psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia or severe personality disorders, are generally excluded from studies.
Ketamine represents a novel approach to treating PTSD, with ongoing research aimed at confirming its efficacy and safety in clinical settings.
THERE ARE MANY ARTICLES ABOUT THIS TYPE OF TREATMENT FOR PTSD. SUGGEST YOU GOOGLE "KETAMINE THERAPY FOR PTSD" TO READ ALL THE RESEARCH AND TESTING NOW HAPPENING.
Vietnam War Veteran Triumphs Over PTSD
Through Faith, Salsa
Military.com | By Kevin Damask
Stephen Campos came home from war in Vietnam like many veterans from that era – changed
For decades, he didn’t talk openly about his mental health struggles until realizing he could help other veterans by sharing his thoughts. It led to Campos to becoming an advocate for veterans and a successful business owner, selling his trademark Senor Campos Salsa across the Phoenix, Arizona area.
Campos, an Army veteran, served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969, a particularly intense year of fighting in Southeast Asia. As a member of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, the violence he witnessed, all the horrors of war, he kept locked deep inside until only a year ago.
“I didn’t talk about my Vietnam experience until 2025,” Campos told FOX 10 in Phoenix. “And when I met my Vietnam buddies for the first time... at the Vietnam War Memorial.”
Seeing the names of his fallen comrades triggered memories and raw emotions for Campos he hadn’t experienced in many years. But it also reminded him of the fierce camaraderie he developed with his fellow soldiers, forged in the muggy, wet jungles of Vietnam.
“We were involved in a horrific firefight,” Campos said. “And that firefight, we bonded together at that time because we were scared and we made a vow that we would come back to the end and reunite after the war if we made it out alive and well. We made it.”
Not a Warm Reception
Coming home from the war, Campos didn’t receive the celebrations and adulation his predecessors did following World War II. Many Vietnam War veterans were shunned, called names like “baby killers” and worse.
To add to the disillusionment, the general public couldn’t even comprehend what Campos was dealing with, a mental health battle that wouldn’t even be properly diagnosed until 1980 – post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I was having a lot of problems,” Campos said. “I got picked up for drunk driving and I had living problems. I hadn’t really addressed the things that I had been through in Vietnam. Everything came to a head in 1982, and I had a spiritual awakening.”
Which changed everything.
SOME OF THESE STORIES MIGHT CATCH YOUR ATTENTION...
Why troops secretly relate to SpongeBob’s ‘I’m a Goofy Goober’ spiral
Observation Post by Clay Beyersdorfer
It happens about 80 minutes into “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.” SpongeBob, denied a promotion and humiliated in front of his co-workers, wanders into the Goofy Goober Ice Cream Party Boat. He proceeds to spiral.After a binge of sundaes and shame, he stumbles on stage, belting out a shredded guitar solo rendition of “I’m a Goofy Goober (Rock!)” in front of a confused crowd. There’s glitter. There’s foam. There’s full-throttle emotional release.
And if you’ve spent any amount of time in uniform, you’ve likely seen that clip — or at least a meme of it — shared with eerie sincerity. Maybe you laughed. Perhaps you rolled your eyes. But maybe, just maybe, it hit a little too close to home.
For all its absurdity, SpongeBob’s “Goofy Goober” breakdown has become an unlikely touchstone in military circles, particularly among those who know what it feels like to carry more than they’re allowed to say.
It’s the screaming catharsis that never happens in a formation. The ridiculous meltdown captures the quiet, internal ones that don’t make it into war movies. Every service member who’s ever needed to cry and didn’t, who’s ever felt out of place in their own civilian life and who’s ever tried to joke their way through pain that had no good language. SpongeBob just says it louder.
Military culture breeds stoicism. You learn quickly not to complain, hesitate or show weakness. And when the mission ends and the uniform comes off, all that armor doesn’t just evaporate. It calcifies. You carry it home, to your relationships, jobs and silence.
SpongeBob, in contrast, is absurdly open. He is the emotional inverse of everything military training drills into you. He’s hopeful. He’s naive. He wears his feelings on his sleeves — and when those sleeves get dirty, he cries about it in a room full of strangers.
And that’s the point. Strangely, that scene feels honest. Honest about what it feels like when you’ve been holding it together for too long. Honest about what happens when the ridiculousness finally outweighs the rules. SpongeBob’s meltdown is a stand-in for the veteran who doesn’t drink to party, but to forget. It’s the laugh-before-you-snap moment familiar to anyone who’s ever been “fine” until they weren’t.
The song “I’m a Goofy Goober” isn’t just silly. It’s defiant. When SpongeBob shouts, “I’m a kid, you say? When you say I’m a kid, I say: Say it again!” he’s rejecting the labels people assign to him. He’s rejecting the structure. He’s saying, “I’m still me, even if I don’t fit what you think I should be.”
That hits hard when you’ve gone from commanding missions to being told to use the kiosk at the DMV. When you’ve gone from decision-making in high-pressure scenarios to being passed over for jobs because “you don’t have corporate experience.” When you’ve buried friends, you get asked to “tone it down” in staff meetings.
It’s easy to laugh at SpongeBob’s dramatics. But a lot of veterans would tell you it’s the closest thing to what their emotional breakdown might look like — if they ever let themselves have one.
When the military tried to give soldiers personal flying platforms
NICHOLAS SLAYTON Task & Purpose
UPDATED JAN 1, 2026 12:53 PM ESTIn the 1950s the Navy and Army worked on small VTOL machines to make troops go airborne. They worked, just not well enough.
For decades the United States military has dreamed of developing jetpacks to ferry troops around. Personalized flying machines could turn an infantryman into an airborne fighter. But alongside rocket-propelled soldiers, the U.S. military also once gave personal vertical take-off and landing machines a shot.
They are better described, and are classified as flying platforms. Soldiers would stand on a small platform, which itself was over a large fan that would generate lift and get troops airborne. Steering itself would actually be simple: soldiers would lean, tilting the platform and directing it where they wanted to go, almost like a surfboard.
In the mid-1950s the Office of Naval Research, in a joint project with the Army, began to see if flying platforms would be both feasible and practical. And it turns out, the personal VTOL machines worked. Troops did fly on them
According to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, the idea for flying platforms started in earnest in the late 1940s. In 1953 the Army began its flying platform projects, contracting with Hiller Aircraft and de Lackner Helicopters. The Office of Naval Research was already working with Hiller, so a joint-service venture started. De Lackner created its DH-4 Aerocycle (designated the HZ-1), which had a smaller platform right above spinning rotors. It worked but was shelved due to the risk.
More success came with the Hiller projects. The Office of Naval Research got Hiller’s first design, the 1031-A-1 flying platform. It stood 7-feet tall, with an 8-foot-in-diameter platform, with the fan almost as wide. With two engines, it could hit a top speed of 16 miles per hour. The flying platforms were meant to be stable enough and easy enough to control that soldiers on them could still aim and fire small arms while airborne. Photos from some of the tests of the 1031-A-1 show service members aiming and firing rifles while in the sky
The Army, after giving up on the Aerocycle, turned to Hiller, getting a larger version of the 1031-A-1 with more thrust. The Hiller VZ-1 Pawnee began testing in 1957, with three engines. However the increased size made the idea of kinesthetic control impractical. Soldiers could not easily steer or maneuver on the Pawnee. Attempts to adjust the power and size didn’t resolve the issue.
That time the US military burned down one of its own bases with a ‘bat bomb’
WILD BATS WITH NAPALM,
WHAT COULD GO WRONG????
by Joshua Skovlund, Task & Purpose
Bats use echolocation to find food and places to rest. Add in an incendiary device glued to their chest, and you now have a firestorm that can wreak havoc on any enemy. Or so Pennsylvania dental surgeon Dr. Lytle S. Adams thought during World War II.
The problem is that you don’t know where they will go once released. Add to it that it’s generally a bad idea to mix explosives, adhesives, and wildlife.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Adams made a fateful trip to the Carlsbad Caverns National Parkduring a vacation to New Mexico. He was awed by the hundreds of thousands of bats that nested in the caves.
The bats were still on his mind later in day as he drove away when news came across the car’s radio of the attack on Pearl Harbor. According to the National Institute of Health, he was “outraged over this travesty, [Adams] began to mentally construct a plan for U.S. retaliation.
The idea Adams came up with — a ‘bat bomb,’ with 1,000 bats carrying napalm into a city full of wooden buildings — led to one of the U.S.’s most bizarre weapons development programs of all time, one that Adams believed could bring about a quick end of the war but did little more than burn down a flight training base in the U.S.
Adams knew that buildings in Japanese cities were predominantly built of wood. His idea was to develop an empty bomb case that, rather than hold explosives, would hold 1,040 bats toting napalm-like incendiary gel with timed fuses. Dropped over Tokyo, the bats would create a hellish cyclone with incendiary devices throughout Tokyo, hopefully bringing about an end to World War II
Adams put his idea in a letter to the White House, where he had professional contacts who got the letter to President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt was interested, if cautious, telling staffers, “This man is not a nut. It sounds like a perfectly wild idea but is worth looking into,” according to author Jack Couffer’s book, “Bat Bomb: World War II’s Other Secret Weapon.”
Couffer was a young filmmaker who had grown up studying bats and other birds as a teenager. He would go on to a career making dozens of nature documentaries, but he was drafted into the Army early in World War II and assigned to the bat bomb project and witnessed much of its three-year development.
The development and testing, dubbed Project X-Ray, was based in New Mexico. The program developed a metal bomb casing with three horizontal layers, similar to upside-down ice cube trays, where bats would nest. To keep them docile — or as docile as a bat strapped with a bomb can be — they would be placed in an artificial cold-induced hibernation. The “bat bomb” was designed to be released from high altitudes just before dawn, when bats naturally seek out a place to sleep during the daylight hours.
Tips to achieve the ultimate dirty Navy-style coffee mug
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.
VA's updated list of Agent Orange sites outside of Vietnam
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
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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