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August 25, 2021

 

Veterans groups demand meeting with Biden about aiding Afghan allies Organizations representing US veterans want an audience with President Joe Biden to ensure there’s a plan in place to evacuate allies and partners from Afghanistan. READ MORE

Study finds link between coronavirus infection and suicidal thoughts in veterans Among the nearly 3,100 veterans who took part in the study, the prevalence of suicidal thoughts fell from 10.6% prior to the pandemic to 7.8% 10 months into it, bucking predictions that coronavirus lockdowns and limits on travel and gatherings could leave veterans feeling lonelier and increase suicidal behaviors among them, the study said. READ MORE

Former Airborne medic found Paralympic inspiration treating wounded Iraq, Afghanistan vets After being diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, former Army medic Kelly Elmlinger's leg was amputated below the knee. That same year, she completed her first triathlon. READ MORE   Korean War foundation waits on long-overdue names from DOD for remembrance wall The Korean War Veterans Memorial Foundation, which spearheads the effort, has raised the entire $20 million needed for the wall, which will be built within the existing Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall. READ MORE   VA secretary reiterates need for coronavirus vaccines as veteran cases, deaths rise Coronavirus cases among Department of Veterans Affairs patients have more than tripled in the past three weeks, and at least 638 veterans have died in the latest surge, according to VA data. READ MORE

2 US lawmakers' Kabul trip prompts questions, condemnation Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Mich., flew in and out on charter aircraft and were on the ground at the Kabul airport for several hours, stunning State Department and U.S. military personnel who had to divert resources to provide security and information to the lawmakers. READ MORE   Congressional Gold Medal winner Fred Cheong Lee, who drew battlefield maps for Patton, dies at 96 Fred Cheong Lee, of Beaverton, who in 2019 was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his service in World War II during a time of severe discrimination against Chinese Americans, died at 96. READ MORE   New Mexican World War II veteran, POW camp survivor dies at 101 Bill Overmier was among the few remaining World War II soldiers who lived through the POW experience in the Pacific. READ MORE   Former Marine, soldier traveling to raise awareness of veteran suicides helps save kidnapping victim A GoFundMe page maintained by Darren Hafford, a Dallas resident and veteran of the Army and the Marine Corps, says he's nearing the end of a fundraiser he began July 4 in Austin, Texas. Hafford plans as part of that fundraiser to do 50 push-ups at all 50 U.S. capitols in 50 days to raise awareness and funding to fight the suicide of combat veterans, according to the GoFundMe page. READ MORE   USS Constitution honors Vietnam War veterans in harbor tour Old Ironsides, as the warship is known, took more than 300 military veterans on a three-hour tour of the harbor to honor their service. The trip was arranged as part of the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration, an effort to thank Vietnam War veterans and their families. READ MORE   Pearl Harbor Medal of Honor recipient to get hometown burial after 80 years Francis Flaherty earned America’s highest honor for military valor in action on Dec. 7, 1941, while serving as a Navy ensign aboard the USS Oklahoma during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. On Saturday, Flaherty will be laid to rest in Charlotte, Mich. READ MORE

 

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