On this day in 1965 Viet Cong ambushed Company A of the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, led by U.S.M.C. Lt. Frank Reasoner of Kellogg, Idaho. The Marines had been on a sweep of a suspected Viet Cong area to deter any enemy activity aimed at the nearby airbase at Da Nang. 
Category: Veterans
-
#History 1st #Marine Wins #Medal of #Honor
-
#FloridaShooting I’d Run #POTUS
Words spoken by your President – Donald Trump
“You don’t know until you test it, but I think, I really believe I would have run in there even if I didn’t have weapon.” stated Trump. The same one who thinks:
1. “We’re not bombing. We’re not doing much. We have a president that thinks ISIS has been contained. We have a president that doesn’t know what’s happening. So when you say we’re bombing, we’re not bombing.”
2. The Generals have been reduced to rubble…They have been reduced to a point where it’s embarrassing to our country…
3. “The other thing with the terrorists is you have to take out their families, when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families. They care about their lives, don’t kid yourself. When they say they don’t care about their lives, you have to take out their families.”
4. “Torture works. Ok, folks?” You know, I have these guys – ‘Torture doesn’t work!’ – believe me, it works. And waterboarding is your minor form. Some people say it’s not actually torture. Let’s assume it is. But they asked me the question, ‘What do you think of waterboarding?’ Absolutely fine. But we should go much stronger than waterboarding.
5. “It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond.” (regarding Vladimir Putin
6. “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”
7. “…My primary consultant is myself, and I have a good instinct for this stuff”
8. “These people are cowards. They’re not going to walk into a school if 20% of the teachers have guns — it may be 10% or may be 40%. And what I’d recommend doing is the people that do carry, we give them a bonus. We give them a little bit of a bonus,” Trump said. “They’ll frankly feel more comfortable having the gun anyway. But you give them a little bit of a bonus.”
9. “I’m very pro-choice,” Trump says. “I hate the concept of abortion. I hate it. I hate everything it stands for. I cringe when I listen to people debating the subject. But you still — I just believe in choice.” Later in an interview with Tapper –
TAPPER: Let me ask you about a few social issues because they haven’t been issues you have been talking about for several years. I know you’re opposed to abortion.
TRUMP: Right. I’m pro-choice.
TAPPER: You’re pro-choice or pro-life?
TRUMP: I’m pro-life. I’m sorry.
What am I #Concerned about: I must ask myself what would I do, I ponder what would have President Obama done. Who are “these” people he is referring to, did you know more than one-third of the shootings—34 percent—involved a shooter who was prohibited from possessing firearms?
If teachers get bonuses for carrying a weapon what will substitutes get considering a teacher‘s salary average about 3 times as much? Will Substitutes be required to carry a weapon, if we can’t control the women and men who are having relationships with children how will we manage the emotions of adults with weapons in certain school districts?
10. “Two Corinthians, 3:17, that’s the whole ballgame,” Trump said. (The relevant verse: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”)
I do not believe the Spirit of the Lord resides (with Trump at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC) however I do believe that God is not foolish and would not leave us nor forsake us. I remember another instance where all went awry for a man named Job and He stood on what he knew to be true, regardless of what his friends and family thought. Job was victorious and I am 1000% sure we can and will be victorious through these difficult times as well.
Source: Thirdway.com By Sanaa Khan
Source: CNN
Source: The Federalist
Source: The Washington Post
Source: Teacher Portal
Source Everytown Analysis -
#Veterans – Female Soldiers Forgotten Heroes
Since opening their doors in 2002, Homes for the Brave has provided housing, vocational training, and life skills coaching to help individuals leave homelessness behind. To date, they have worked with more than 1,100 men and women, most of whom are Veterans.
Would you consider donating to help FSFH achieve their mission – your donations are key to the success of each homeless Veteran. Female Soldiers:Forgotten Heroes (FS:FH) is a transitional housing program for homeless Veterans and their young children. Some of of the goals of FS:FH are to: Empower homeless female Veterans, help them obtain employment, acquire permanent housing, and give back to their community.
Click here to view the website.
-
New Online Tool Will Provide #Veterans With Customized Instructions for #Discharge Upgrade Process
WASHINGTON — The Department of Defense (DOD), through a joint initiative with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), has launched a new web-based tool that will provide customized guidance to Veterans who desire to upgrade or change the conditions of their military discharge.
By answering a few short questions, Veterans will receive information on the specific armed services board to contact, the form/s to fill out, special guidance applicable to their case, where to send their application and helpful tips for appealing their discharge.
“This new tool and partnership with DOD is one of many VA initiatives offered to Veterans who believe they may have been unfairly discharged or received an unfair discharge characterization,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin. “Veterans who believe their discharge was unjust, erroneous or warrants an upgrade are encouraged to use the tool and then apply for review.”
DOD officials also praised the new innovative tool.
“We are thrilled to have partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs in developing this wonderful and easily accessible tool,” said Mr. Robert Wilkie, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. “We support our Veterans, whether they served recently or long ago, and we are excited to introduce a tool that will individualize the guidance for those who desire an upgrade or change in their military discharge.”
The military has estimated that tens of thousands of Veterans with less than honorable discharges are especially likely to have unjust discharges deserving of upgrades. These are Veterans who were discharged due to incidents relating to post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury or sexual orientation. Fragmented and confusing information has historically deterred Veterans from obtaining crucial information and — in many cases — necessary benefits.
The discharge upgrade tool is available at here .
-
Homes For The Brave – Veterans
Have you ever been so tired you couldn’t pray?
Have you ever been so cold a little heat didn’t help?
Have you ever lost all that you owned?
Has your pride ever got in the way of healing?
Have you ever looked for healing for your emotional pain in a bottle?
Have you ever looked for your physical pain in a wax paper bag?
Did you hide from your family by golfing?
Did you disappear at the dinner table by being on your phone?
Do you have extra work to do every weekend you’re supposed to pick up your children from your ex’s house?
Do you forget to send the child support payment every time she pulls up with her new beau?
We’ve all had a moment where life’s issues became so overwhelming that we took the shortcut route to “a” solution – well there are some folk who found themselves on the streets after they had given all they had after serving their time in the #ArmedForces.
Help a #Veterans get to the dinner table; to the mall; to the dentist; to a doctor appointment; to therapy; or to the front door of an apartment or home.
Visit Homes For The Brave and make a small donation by purchasing an item or 2 or 3.
Female Soldiers Forgotten Heroes
Happy Holidays!!
-
Military Disability Ratings Help
Please feel free to follow the links below for assistance in your disability rating.
The DoD Disability Process – When a service member develops a medical condition that may make him/her Unfit for Duty, he/she begins the DoD Process.
VASRD – The Veteran Affairs Schedule for Rating Disabilities is a federal regulation that lists detailed requirements for assigning Military Disability Ratings to conditions for Military Disability
Is Your Rating Wrong – If you have carefully reviewed the site and feel that your case was not determined correctly during the DoD Disability Process or the VA Disability Process, or you think you deserve a higher Military Disability Rating, here’s what to do.
Thank you for your service,
Always Faithful USMC – Semper Fi
I am a Former US Marine -
#Veterans Have 24/7/365 Hotline
WASHINGTON — Today the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that the White House VA Hotline, first launched in June as part of President Donald J. Trump’s commitment to reforming VA, is now fully staffed with live agents working to serve Veterans 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.
The hotline, which became 24-hour operational in mid-October, is now staffed by a team consisting of 90 percent Veterans or employees who have a Veteran family member, and is in response to Veterans’ requests to talk to agents who could relate to their experiences.
“The White House VA Hotline provides our nation’s Veterans with a direct, dedicated contact line that allows them to interact with highly trained, live agents to answer their needs and concerns,” said VA Secretary David J. Shulkin.
“Since the initial launch of the hotline in June, we listened to our Veterans, who indicated that they prefer speaking with other Veterans and Veteran family members, and we adjusted our hiring based on that feedback,” added Shulkin.
“We’re proud that the hotline is now staffed 24/7 by a team of mostly Veterans or Veteran family members who have direct knowledge of their particular concerns and can use their experience to address them in the best way possible with the resources of the VA. This represents a true win-win for Veterans and their loved ones.”
Since 24/7 coverage began in October, the hotline has served more than 10,000 callers.
Hotline agents answer inquiries, provide directory assistance, document concerns about VA care, benefits and services, and expedite the referral and resolution of those concerns. Agents undergo regular updates and training on VA services based on hotline trends and are assisted by newly implemented tracking software to help VA capture and improve its response, referral and resolution processes to best support Veterans.
The hotline can be accessed at 855-948-2311 and is VA’s first non-clinical, non-emergency around-the-clock call center. It provides Veterans a supplemental option to report issues if they are not being addressed through VA’s normal customer service channels.
The hotline’s agents are located at a VA facility in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Agents have access to a multitude of resources and contact information to help Veterans. The hotline also generates real-time reports to VA experts who can help address the specific issues of Veterans as well as make better-informed decisions on where program improvements are needed
-
#SemperFi – #GIBill
Statement by VA Secretary David J. Shulkin – Passage of the Forever GI BillCongress has spoken with a strong voice in support of our Veterans this afternoon. The Forever GI Bill expands the success our Veterans have had with the GI Bill providing opportunities that otherwise would not be possible.
In particular, it restores benefits to Veterans who were impacted by school closures since 2015 and has special benefits for our reservists, surviving dependents, and Purple Heart recipients. This nation is stronger when our Veterans are studying and working next to their civilian counterparts. Passage of this bill is a win for Veterans and their families.
What an amazing concept to extend the GI Bill especially to Purple Heart recipients – How old were the last 20 purple heart recipients? I can tell because the link doesn’t work – Worlds Largest Online Veterans Database
-
Crackerbarrel
Cracker Barrel and Operation Homefront are partnering up in April to offer a wonderful event to our Military and Veteran Families! Cracker Barrel’s Easter Heat ‘n Serve Meals is coming to Concord, NC on April 14th! Families that register to attend the event will receive the following: You must register for this event to participate.
- 1 Spiral Sugar Ham
- 1 32oz Roasted Turkey Gravy
- 1 Tray of Yeast Rolls with Butter Packets
- 1 Pan of Blackberry Cobbler
- 1 Gallon of Sweet Tea
- 1 5lb-Pan of Mashed Potatoes
- 3 Sides – Mac N’ Cheese, Carrots & Green Beans
These meal kits offer enough food to feed 6-10 people a wonderful Easter dinner. Before registering, please keep in mind that you must be able to go to the event location at your designated time on April 14th, in order to pick up your items. No one other than the individuals registered can pick up your items for you. You also must bring valid ID. There will be no alternate date or time offered to pick up your meal kits. If you will be unable to pick up a kit on April 14th, please DO NOT register for the event.
In order to attend and receive a meal kit for your family, you must register at https://events.operationhomefront.org
- Once there, please click on “Military Family Login.”
- If you are a returning user, please enter your login information.
- If not, please click on “Create New Profile” in the top right corner.
- Once you have completed your family profile, you will be able to register for the event.
- Log back into your “Military Family Login” and Click “My Registrations” to see the registration in the “Upcoming Events” section. Click “Register Now!” If the event is available in your area.
Complete the registration form and click Submit
-
Amazon is creating an apprenticeship program to train veterans for tech jobs
Amazon and the U.S. Department of Labor have signed an agreement to create a registered apprenticeship program to train veterans for tech jobs at the online..
Source: Amazon is creating an apprenticeship program to train veterans for tech jobs
