Thursday, July 31, 2008

National Guard and Reserve Access to VA Benefits

National Guard and Reserve Access to VA Benefits

On July 17, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General released its Audit of Veterans Benefits Administration Transition Assistance for Operation Enduring and Iraqi Freedom Service Members and Veterans. The report explained that more than 36,000 National Guard and Reservists returning from Iraq and Afghanistan were not informed of the VA benefits they were eligible for. In response to the findings, Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) called a hearing of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to figure out what Congress and VA can do to assist National Guard and Reserve members transitioning to civilian life.
. 
Lt. Col. John C. Boyd, Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel in the Vermont Army National Guard, explained the importance of a quality outreach program that can "help identify and refer Service Members and their families to appropriate clinical care to serve their readjustment needs." To ensure the best results, five combat veterans were hired as outreach specialists to conduct person-to-person outreach. "Our program has observed that using fellow veterans helped allay anxiety some soldiers felt when first contacted," said Boyd. The outreach specialists focus on explaining VA benefits that veterans are entitled to, availability of mental health counseling for the whole family and accessibility of treatment.
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The committee also heard from Maj. Cynthia M. Rasmussen, Combat Stress Officer for the 88th Regional Readiness Command (RRC). As part of the Combat Stress Control Team at the 88th RRC, Rasmussen provides assistance to service members, family members, employers and communities through education, support, crisis intervention and referrals. The success of her program is due to ensuring that customer care is a high priority, focusing on the needs of the entire military family and understanding the mindset of a transitioning service member.   
 
"In civilian communities, veterans of the Guard and Reserve and their families do not have access to the kind of support available in military communities. VA needs targeted strategies to fill this gap," said Akaka.
Posted by Bill Moran at 16:09:28 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

States Seek Alternative Sentencing Programs for VET's

States Seek Alternative Sentencing Programs for Veterans Instead of Incarceration

Minnesota state lawmakers are being urged to consider a bill passed in California
in 2006 that provides alternative sentencing other than jail for first-time, nonviolent 
offenders who are combat veterans. In 2005, California State Assemblywoman
Nicole M. Parra introduced AB 2586, which allows courts to divert veterans,
regardless of where or when they served, into alternative sentencing programs
as opposed to incarceration if they committed the crime as a result of PTSD,
substance abuse or psychological problems stemming from combat.


At the forefront of this fight is Guy Gambill, an Army veteran who serves as an
 advocacy coordinator for the Minnesota Council on Crime and Justice. "This is
not a coddling of criminals," said Gambill. "This is an effort to raise public
recognition of the fact that, all too often, some of our combat veterans issue
a call for help and that call sometimes comes from a jail cell or the back of
a squad car."


Programs like this also can be used as a preventative measure in the fight to
end homelessness among veterans. Instead of incarcerating veterans for
committing crimes because they suffer from PTSD, substance abuse or
 psychological problems stemming from combat, these veterans will be
able to receive the help they need. Contact your state legislator and find
out if you have a similar law. If not, ask why.  

Posted by Bill Moran at 16:02:03 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Navy Petty Officer Mike Monsoor

Navy Petty Officer Mike Monsoor

PO2 (EOD2) Mike Monsoor, a Navy EOD
Technician, was awarded the Congressional
Medal of Honor posthumously for jumping
on a grenade in Iraq , giving his life to save
his fellow SEALs.

During Mike Monsoor's funeral in San Diego,
as his coffin was being moved from the hearse
to the grave site at Ft. Rosecrans National
Cemetery , SEALs were lined up on both sides
of the pallbearers route forming a column of
twos, with the coffin moving up the center.  
As Mike's coffin passed, each SEAL, having
removed his gold Trident from his uniform,
slapped it down embedding the Trident in the
wooden coffin.

The slaps were audible from across the cemetery;
by the time the coffin arrived grave side, it looked
as though it had a gold inlay from all the Tridents
pinned to it.  This was a fitting send-off for a
warrior hero.

This should be front-page news instead of
the crap we see every day.

Since the media won't make this news, I choose
to make it news by forwarding it onto you guys.
I am proud of our military and the men and
women who serve in it.  They represent the highest
and finest values of this country.   

The media never reports this type thing -
please forward it to a few of your friends...
   God bless the men and women in our Military.

For more details and pictures go to:

www.snopes.com and search for Navy Petty
Officer Mike Monsoor

Posted by Bill Moran at 07:31:31 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Monday, July 28, 2008

American Legion Caps

AMERICAN LEGION CAPS

AMERICAN LEGION CAPS CAN BE ORDERED

THROUGH THE POST ADJUTANT AT A COST

OF $38.00 EACH.  ($3.00 INCREASE)

IF YOU WISH TO ORDER A CAP GIVE THE

ADJUTANT YOUR HAT SIZE.  IF YOU PAY

IN ADVANCE EMBLEM SALES WILL SHIP

YOUR CAP DIRECTLY TO YOUR RESIDENCE.

WE WILL NO LONGER KEEP AN EXTRA

SUPPLY OF CAPS IN THE OFFICE.

HOWEVER:  I PRESENTLY HAVE THE
FOLLOWING CAPS ON HAND AND I
WILL SELL THEM AT THE COST TO US
$35.00 EACH.

SIZE:
7  -  3 ON HAND

7 1/2  -  2 ON HAND

7 3/4  -  3 ON HAND

8  -  1 ON HAND 

Posted by Bill Moran at 10:57:21 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Bronze Star Medal award WWII Veteran

"Hap" Giarrusso entered military service on
30 November 1942, at Camp Beauregard
Louisiana.  He trained and was certified as a
Light Machine Gunner prior to transferring to
the European Theater of action.

"Hap" srved with the 3154th Company of the
604th Ordnance Battalion.  He participated
in the battles and campaigns of Northern
France and the Rhineland.

During this period he earned, and was awarded,
the coveted Combat Infantryman Badge - -
evidence of his outstanding performance as a
soldier in combat.

This award of the Bronze Star (BSM) is predicated
on his being the recipient of the Combat
Infantryman Badge (CIB). 

The U. S. Congress, after World War II, decided
and decreed that earning CIB Merited the award
of the Bronze Star.

Other decoration and citations authorized for Mr.
Giarrusso are the medals for Northern France and
Rhineland campaigns, the Good Conduct Medal, and the
World War II Victory Medal.

He was honorably discharged from the Army on
10 January 1946 from Camp Shelby, Mississippi.

"Hap" is a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars
Post 3253, and American Legion Post 139 both
posts in Bay St. Louis.

He served in many capacities in both posts, but the
highlight of his membership in them is the three
successive years that he served as Commander,
American Legion Posst 139.
Posted by Bill Moran at 08:15:18 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Swimming Pool

THE LEGION SWIMMING POOL

WILL OFFICALLY CLOSE FOR

THE SEASON ON LABOR DAY

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2008

AT 9:00 PM.
Posted by Bill Moran at 16:26:50 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Monthly News Letter

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

THE MONTLY NEWS LETTER (BULLETIN)

GOES TO THE PRINTER ON THE 20TH

DAY OF EACH MONTH.  IF THE 20TH

FALLS ON A WEEKEND IT GOES TO

PRESS ON MONDAY.  NO EXCEPTIONS.

SO IF YOU HAVE AN ITEM FOR THE

BULLETIN, PLEASE SEND IT TO

LEGIONPOST139@AOL.COM NLT

THE 19TH OF THE MONTH.
Posted by Bill Moran at 10:53:37 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Monday, July 21, 2008

Generation Kill - Marines Official Response

The information below is provided to you as an official Marine Corps response
 regarding this series.  We ask that you distribute this comment to your
constituents as you deem appropriate.
 
From: Acting Director, Division of Public Affairs, Headquarters Marine Corps

The recent airing of the first episode of HBO's "Generation Kill" has generated
numerous inquiries regarding Marine Corps support of the series.  The Marine
Corps did not provide any official support to the filmmakers.  The series is based
on the book by the same title by Evan Wright, a former Rolling Stone magazine
reporter who was embedded with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion at the start of
Operation Iraqi Freedom.  While there are certainly aspects of the film that are
accurate, it is at its heart a commercial production.  It's raw and has elements
that are very much out of synch with the core values our nation rightly expects
of its Marines. Viewed as a whole, in my estimation, it does not accurately
portray the honor and professionalism of our Corps of Marines.

Major David Romley
Director, Community Relations
Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
3000 Pentagon Rm 4A532
Washington, DC  20350-3000
 
Posted by Bill Moran at 16:01:03 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Installation of Officers

I WISH TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY

TO THANK EVERYONE FOR THEIR

DONATIONS TO THE HANCOCK COUNTY

FOOD PANTRY.  THE POST DELIVERED

TWO LARGE BOXES OF CAN GOODS TO

THE FOOD PANTRY. 

THANKS FOR YOUR EXCELLENT PARTICIPATION.
Posted by Bill Moran at 10:24:43 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Saturday, July 19, 2008

Attention All WWII Veterans

IF YOU ARE A WWII VETERAN AN
A RECIPIENT OF THE COMBAT
INFRANTRYMAN BADGE (CIB).

THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS,
AFTER WWII, DECIDED AND DECREED
THAT EARNING CIB MERITED THE
AWARD OF THE BRONZE STAR.

IF YOU WERE AWARDED THE CIB,
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL COUNTY SERVICE
OFFICER TO PROCESS THE NECESSARY
PAPER WORK FOR THE AWARDING OF
THE BRONZE STAR.
Posted by Bill Moran at 12:06:48 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |
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