MILITARY BROTHERHOOD

May 3, 2013

New Student-Veteran Support Program
In partnership with Student Veterans of America, the VFW launched 1studentveteran@vfw.org to provide direct assistance to student veterans on 800 college and university campuses who may experience problems accessing their G.I. Bill or other earned benefits provided by VA. As VFW National Commander John Hamilton said, "Student veterans will now have a place to turn to for reliable and timely help when they encounter problems with the VA." Read more.
The VFW Joins Discussion on CredentialingThis week, VFW spent some time at the White House for a series of roundtable discussions on military professional credentialing and academic credit for military training and experience. The discussion is part of First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden’s Joining Forces initiative. Hundreds of stakeholders across the federal government, private industry, military and the veterans' community were on hand to discuss ways to improve the portability of military training for civilian professional licenses and credentials, as well as academic credit toward a college degree. The VFW has been, and will continue to be, a vocal advocate on both of these issues. We helped champion legislation in the last Congress to improve career portability and academic preparedness for transitioning service members and veterans. We will continue to work with the White House, VA, the Pentagon and Congress to ensure that separating service members have access to quality careers after leaving the military. For more on the event and the Joining Forces initiative, visit our blog.
Congress Returns to Busy May ScheduleCongress returns to Washington next week for a busy month of bill hearings, appropriation wrangling and mark-ups. Some of the bills that will be debated in committee are those VFW has been monitoring since the beginning of Congress. They cover a wide range of topics, including homeless veteran programs, chiropractic care, caregiver expansion, research sharing, and improvements to women veterans’ healthcare within VA. Check back next week for full coverage of the bill hearings and our testimony. Read our blog postings. For the Senate VA Committee website, click here.
Vietnam MIAs BuriedOn July 19, 1967, Navy Lt. Dennis W. Peterson of Huntington Park, Calif., was the pilot of an SH-3A helicopter that took off from the USS Hornet on a search and rescue mission of a downed pilot in Ha Nam Province, North Vietnam. A concealed enemy 37mm gun targeted the helicopter as it flew in. Also aboard were Ensign Donald P. Frye of Los Angeles, and Aviation Antisubmarine Warfare Technicians William B. Jackson of Stockdale, Texas, and Donald P. McGrane of Waverly, Iowa, all of whom had been previously identified. The reunited crew was buried as a group on May 2 at Arlington National Cemetery. Read more.
As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories, either fill out our online form or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.

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