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12 Percent of all Sheltered Homeless Adults are Veterans

HUD Releases 4th Annual Homeless Assessment Report

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has issued its 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, a national study that explores changes in homelessness nationwide. HUD's assessment concludes that while overall homelessness in America held fairly steady from 2007 to 2008, the number of homeless families, particularly those living in suburban and rural areas, increased.

In addition to the annual report, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced that HUD will, for the first time ever, begin measuring homelessness on a quarterly basis to gain a better understanding of the impact of the current economic crisis on homelessness. The first "Homeless Pulse Project" for the first quarter of 2009 is now available.

CATHOLIC VETERANS SUPPORT THE MOJAVE DESERT VETERANS MEMORIAL

ALEXANDRIA, VA - Today, the Catholic War Veterans of the United States offer our unwavering support of the legal efforts to defend the veterans memorial site known as the “Mojave Desert Veterans Memorial” in California.

The memorial monument in question was erected in 1934 by United States military veterans of World War I to honor and remember their fallen comrades, and for all veterans who have given their life in war. In keeping with long standing historical tradition, the veterans chose to erect a simple white cross as the centerpiece for their memorial atop the rocks where they saw a distinct discoloration representing a WWI “Doughboy” figure.

VA Versus IRS

by Debbie Burak

As the backlogged number of unprocessed VA claims is knocking on the door of 1 Million, one has to wonder is anybody really at home. Is anyone really trying to find "the" solution of how to fix and bring this broken agency up to the standards our veterans and their families deserve?

I had high hopes for the new VA administration, but to date, have not been impressed. Every day there is yet another story about a Regional Office that has been caught shredding and changing dates on applications, or boxes of unopened applications are being discovered.

There are not enough fingers to cover the holes in this dam.

U.S. Department of Defense Announces Latest Contract Awards: 7-11-09

Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., was awarded a $262,500,000 contract for the long lead parts and material procurement for the 4th Space Based Infrared Systems Geosynchronous Earth Orbit Satellite and the 4th Highly Elliptical Orit Payload. At this time $137, 125,000 has been obligated. Space Based Infrared Systems Wing, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA8810-08-C-0002).

Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, Electromagnetic Systems Laboratory, San Jose, Calif., was awarded a $71,147,842 cost plus incentive fee contract to provide MQ-1 unmanned aerial system communication intelligence airborne signals intelligence payload -1 C scaled sensors for the Predator unmanned aerial system. At this time, $69,851,657 has been obligated at this time. Reconnaissance Systems Wing, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is the contracting activity (FA8620-08-C-3004).

Wisc Village Cops Steal Iraq Vet's Flag on July 4th

Iraq War veteran Vito Congine Jr. knows one hell of a lot more about freedom, war and distress than some bone-headed cops from Crivitz, Wisconsin.

From Zach W. in Blogging Blue in the Badger State (Wisconsin):

A U.S. flag being flown upside down as a protest in a northern Wisconsin village was seized by police before a Fourth of July parade and the businessman who flew it, who happened to be an Iraq war veteran, is now claiming police officers trespassed and stole his property.

I Sent This E-mail to My Congressman, My Senators and The President This Evening.

I am a totally disabled, individually unemployable veteran who is a retired Coast Guard warrant officer. I live in Alexandria, Virginia. I do not under any circumstances support General McChrystal's request to increase funding or troop strength in Afghanistan. The Washington Post has reported he wants both increased or we cannot win. Win what? What is the objective? None of us know.

We do not want another Viet Nam. This entire escalation looks exactly like that did. I do not in any way support a huge escalation of troops or funds for Afghanistan. There is no clearly defined mission. There is no game plan. There is no end game. There is nothing that even resembles something that Americans should lose their lives over....this is a military exercise using kids of the non-elites as soldiers. No. I do not support this.

When the business elites that run this country are willing to send their kids to fight and die I might reconsider. Until that time, this is not important enough for me to support. I urge you NOT to support any bill that comes to the floor of the House or Senate that asks for increasing money or troop levels for the war in Afghanistan under the present muddy and unclear parameters laid down for "victory".

CWO3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)

Here We Go Again! Top American General Asks For More Troops and More Billions for Afghanistan.

General Quarters! Battle Stations! Young Americans who might soon face death in Afghanistan need you to contact your Congress person this weekend. Do not wait. Lives are at stake here.

The top American general in Afghanistan is asking for many more troops and more billions of dollars right now or else we cannot win! I have a question. What exactly is it that winning means? Win what?

American veterans need to get hold of their Congress person immediately to register either support or non support for this idea. Send an email this weekend to Congress. Don't wait! Very soon, huge numbers of Americans will be dying in Afghanistan if this goes through. You need to decide if you support this or not. American lives and American values depend on you contacting your person in Congress now. This smells a lot like the early days of involvement with Viet Nam to me. You have to decide now whether we should go there again or not. Contact Congress with your view this weekend.

Here is the news article from today's Washington Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/10/AR2009071002975.html?hpid=artslot

CWO3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)

A CHALLENGE TO "NEOCON" PTSD DENIALISTS

PTSD Is a Valid Diagnosis: Who Benefits From Challenging Its Existence?

Rachel Yehuda, PhD and Alexander C. McFarlane, MD
Psychiatric Times. Vol. 26 No. 7

Dr Yehuda is director of the PTSD Program at James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the Bronx, and professor of psychiatry at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. Dr McFarlane is professor of psychiatry and head of CMVH University of Adelaide Node at the Centre for Military and Veterans’ Health at the University of Adelaide, Australia.

Acknowledgments: This work was supported by funding from Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense, and NIMH.

EDITORS NOTE: The American Enterprise Institute is challenging the existence of PTSD based on an agenda supporting cuts in veterans funding thru attacks on veterans themselves and the medical community. Many who joined the VA under the Bush administration back the AEI and their twisted outlook on medicine and veterans.

PTSD filled a nosological gap by providing a way to characterize the long-lasting effects of trauma exposure.1 This led to a plethora of previously lacking scientific observations. Now the existence of PTSD is being called into question because some of the original assumptions that helped make the case for it have proved to be incorrect.2-4 However, it is possible to update some of the flawed assumptions of PTSD without rescinding the diagnosis. There is no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

House Passes Advance Appropriations for Veterans Health Care in Veterans Funding Bill

Enactment of veterans’ funding bill will amount to a 58% increase in the past 2.5 years under Democratic leadership

Washington, D.C. – House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) released the following statement upon House passage of H.R. 3082, the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs spending bill:

“Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3028, a bill to fund the Department of Veterans Affairs for Fiscal Year 2010. The bill provides $108.9 billion, the same as the President’s request and $14.5 billion above 2009, for veterans medical care, claims processors, and facility improvements. This is the third budget in a row that exceeds the request of the Independent Budget, which is formulated by a coalition of veterans’ organizations!

Milwaukee VA Gains New Spinal Cord Treatment Center

Milwaukee VA Hospital Gains New Spinal Cord Treatment Center

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded a $26.9 million contract to design and build a free-standing spinal cord injury center at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center.

The contract was awarded to the C3T Construction Company of Milwaukee, a service-disabled, Veteran-owned small business. The 67,000-square-foot building will have a connecting tunnel, providing access to the hospital and replace a smaller unit in the main hospital building. Design and construction of the center will overlap and the project is expected to be finished in less than two years.