VFW Washington Weekly

June 24, 2011

In This Issue:
1. Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal
2. Senate Defense Bill Includes Tricare Increases
3. More Eligible for TSGLI Payments
4. U.S-Russia Joint Commission Update
5. WWII Airman Identified
6. Five WWII Crewmembers Identified

1. Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal: President Obama announced Wednesday evening his plan to withdraw 10,000 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2011, and 23,000 more by the end of summer 2012. The majority of the remaining 68,000 troops — more than double the number when he took office— could also be home by 2014 depending on conditions on the ground, which is the key factor the VFW will look for the president to follow as he moves forward with withdrawal plans. Afghanistan is America's longest war and has resulted in 1,500 combat deaths and billions of dollars to fight, primarily because it's a landlocked country where the Pentagon says even the cost to transport fuel averages $400 per gallon. Pundits on both sides of the issue agree that any progress made in Afghanistan is fragile at best, that al Qaeda has been mostly defeated, and that America cannot continue to help the country forever. As the president said, "It is time to focus on nation building here at home." Read his announcement at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/06/22/remarks-president-way-forward-afghanistan.

2. Senate Defense Bill Includes Tricare Increases: The Senate Armed Services Committee-passed version of the National Defense Authorization bill would provide $530 billion to the Defense Department to fight the ongoing wars, as well as for force modernization, equipment replacement, and for personnel programs that would include a 1.6-percent across-the-board military pay raise, educational funding, and improved research and treatment of traumatic brain injury and psychological health conditions. To the VFW's great disappointment, the Senate committee agreed to the House-passed proposal to increase Tricare premiums for working age retirees by 13 percent this year, and link future increases to annual cost-of-living adjustments. VFW opposes any increases in TRICARE fees and will continue to urge senators to drop the provision from their package when it comes up for a full Senate vote in the coming weeks. To contact your senators, go to http://capwiz.com/vfw/issues/alert/?alertid=50425506. For full committee coverage, go to http://armed-services.senate.gov/.

3. More Eligible for TSGLI Payments: Servicemembers who suffered traumatic injuries between Oct. 7, 2001, and Nov. 30, 2005, could be eligible for as much as $100,000 under the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Traumatic Injury Protection (TSGLI) program, according to the VA. Previously, servicemembers had to have served in Operations Enduring Freedom or Iraqi Freedom between these dates to have been eligible—those who suffered qualifying injuries from Dec. 1, 2005, forward were already eligible. Now all troops, regardless of where the injury occurred, could qualify for TSGLI if they suffered a qualifying injury, such as loss of limb or sight, brain injury or burns. Payments for the newly eligibility group will not begin until Oct. 1, but eligible individuals may file for the benefit immediately. The traumatic insurance supplement was a tremendous VFW legislative victory back in April 2005, when the proposal went from bill to law in 27 days. For more information on eligibility or to apply, go to www.insurance.va.gov/sgliSite/TSGLI/TSGLI.htm.

4. U.S-Russia Joint Commission Update: The VFW was extremely pleased to learn that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had appointed Yekaterina Priezzheva as the new cochairman of the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs. The June 17 decision came less than three weeks after the VFW led an effort to ask for his personal support of the Joint Commission, which was created in 1992 by Presidents George H.W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin to help determine the fates of missing American and Russian soldiers, but was effectively shut down in 2004. "As we wrote to President Medvedev, recovering our fallen is a humanitarian gesture that honors a soldier's promise on the battlefield," said VFW National Commander Richard Eubank, who last fall became the seventh consecutive VFW national commander to travel to Russia to meet with their veterans, politicians and government officials to urge their support of the Joint Commission. "I am extremely proud of the VFW for the leadership role we played to help bring the Russians back to the table," he said. Read the VFW press release at http://stage.vfw.org/News-and-Events/Articles/Medvedev-Appoints-Russian-Cochairman-to-Joint-POW/MIA-Commission/.

5. WWII Airman Identified: The Defense POW/MIA Office announced the identification of remains belonging to Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Marvin J. Steinford, of Keystone, Iowa. On March 24, 1945, Steinford was one of 10 crewmembers to bail out of a crippled B-17G Flying Fortress over Hungary. He and another crewmember were struck by small arms fire while parachuting into a firefight between Soviet and German forces. The remains of the other crewmember were found where he was buried by villagers. The other eight crewmembers were captured by the Germans and released at the end of the war. No details on the whereabouts of Steinford would be known until 2003, when a member of the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs met with Hungarian officials about missing Americans in former Soviet bloc countries. Read more at http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14590.

6. Five WWII Crewmembers Identified: DPMO also announced the identification of remains belonging to five Army Air Forces airmen, who had previously been buried as unknowns. They are Capt. Leonard E. Orcutt, of Alameda, Calif.; Tech. Sgt. Louis H. Miller, from Philadelphia; Staff Sgt. George L. Winkler, from Huntington, W.Va.; 2nd Lt. Harry L. Bedard, from Minneapolis; and 2nd Lt. Robert S. Emerson, of Norway, Maine. On April 3, 1945, Orcutt and his crew took off in their B-25J Mitchell bomber from Palawan Field, Philippines. The pilot of another aircraft reported seeing Orcutt’s plane stall out and crash in a swampy area. There were no survivors. Read more at http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14595.

VFW to Sponsor Army Reserve's Best Warrior Competition Awards Dinner

KANSAS CITY, Mo.–The Veterans of Foreign Wars National Headquarters is proud to announce its sponsorship of the 2011 Army Reserve’s Best Warrior Competition Awards Dinner June 24. VFW will award various winners of the competition prizes, including iPads, Xbox Kinects, iPods, handycams and gift cards to Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

The Army Reserve’s Best Warrior Competition was held June 19-24 at Fort McCoy, Wis. The two overall winners will be selected as the Army Reserve’s Soldier and Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year and will go on to represent Army Reserve at the Department of the Army “Best Warrior” Competition, to be held in October 2011, at Fort Lee, Va. Approximately 50 soldiers from the 206,000-strong Army Reserve were selected to compete.

The soldiers spent the week on a variety of challenges. They took the Army Physical Fitness Test consisting of push-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run; completed a written examination on general military topics; fired M-4 rifles; negotiated day and night Urban Warfighting Orienteering courses; and proved their mettle in other tests of skill such as hand-to-hand combat, first aid, and weapons assembly.

Their military backgrounds and experience represent the entire spectrum of the Army Reserve. Many have deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. Their career fields include military police, healthcare, mechanics, human resources, intelligence, chaplain assistant and engineering. They also represent a wide cross-section of America, hailing from various states across the country.

For more information, visit the “Best Warrior” website at: http://www.usar.army.mil/arweb/bestwarrior2011/Pages/default.aspx.

VFW's Tornado Relief Efforts Surpasses $100,000

KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 21, 2011 - The VFW National Headquarters is pleased to announce it has now disbursed more than $100,000 in financial aid to military families victimized by the hundreds of deadly twisters that have swept across the nation so far this year.

VFW state departments spread word of the VFW Unmet Needs program in storm-stricken areas throughout tornado season, and applications for financial assistance poured in. The Unmet Needs program responded and was able to lessen the burden for many military families.

Tornado relief was given to families living on military bases across the nation that were damaged, including Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas.

Military families living off-base also received help. Grants were administered to families in Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Aid was also sent to Joplin, Mo. to assist Guard and Reserve families following the devastating EF-5 tornado that struck the town on May 22.

Created in 2004, the program was established to assist military service members and their families who face unexpected financial difficulties as a result of their service to our country. Due to the magnitude of the damage and the thousands of military families affected by the storms, Unmet Needs was able to help though the assistance was not needed as a direct result of their service to the country.

“VFW is here to help our service members and their families, and these storms have been devastating to so many of them. The Unmet Needs program is here to help them cope with the damage and the financial hardship they now face,” said Mike Penney, Director of VFW’s National Military Services.

VFW’s Unmet Needs program delivers the financial assistance is in the form of grants, so recipients never have to repay the money.

To learn how you can support VFW Unmet Needs, contact us at 816-968-2784.

Medvedev Appoints Russian Cochairman to Joint POW/MIA Commission

VFW thanked for its critical support

WASHINGTON June 20, 2011 — The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is extremely pleased that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has appointed Yekaterina Priezzheva as the new cochairman of the U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on POW/MIAs. The Friday announcement came less than three weeks after the VFW and six other veteran and POW/MIA family organizations wrote to ask for his personal support of the Joint Commission.

The U.S.-Russia Joint Commission was created in 1992 by Presidents George H.W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin to help determine the fates of missing American and Russian soldiers. In 2004, however, the Russian government eliminated their cochairman's position, which effectively shut down the Joint Commission, to include America's access to Russia's central military archives — a potential treasure trove of information regarding missing Americans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War.

"Much has been accomplished since you and President Obama exchanged diplomatic notes in July 2009 to revitalize the Joint Commission," wrote the executive directors of the VFW, American Veterans, Disabled American Veterans, Jewish War Veterans, National League of POW/MIA Families, The American Legion, and Vietnam Veterans of America.

"General Major Aleksandr Kirilin was appointed as acting cochairman; U.S. researchers were allowed back into the Central Military Archives as well as continued to have access to potential eyewitnesses; and American forces continue to provide Russian loss coordinates when discovered in Afghanistan. What is missing is a full-time Russian cochairman to help lead your presidential commission."

As head of the Russian defense ministry's education department, Priezzheva's appointment, along with more than 30 other Russian commissioners, is being viewed positively by the U.S. side of the Joint Commission because it signals the future viability of a presidential organization whose only purpose is to return fallen soldiers to their families.

In a letter of appreciation sent today, the American cochairman, retired Air Force Gen. Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong, thanked the seven organizations for the important role they played to restore Russian cooperation, as well as to help ensure the U.S. side of the Joint Commission was adequately resourced and empowered to move forward.

"We simply could not have prevailed without your critical support," he wrote.

"I am extremely proud of the VFW for the leadership role it played to help bring the Russians back to the table," said VFW National Commander Richard L. Eubank, who last fall became the seventh consecutive VFW national commander to travel to Russia to meet with their veterans, politicians and government officials to urge their support of the Joint Commission.

"As we wrote to President Medvedev, recovering our fallen is a humanitarian gesture that honors a soldier's promise on the battlefield," said Eubank. "I thank the Russian president for his support of military families everywhere."

VFW Washington Weekly

June 17, 2011

In This Issue:
1. House VA Committee Hearings
2. VA Funding Bill Cleared
3. VFW Joins Minority Leadership Roundtable
4. Korean War MIA Identified
5. Vietnam War MIA Identified

1. House VA Committee Hearings: The House VA Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on Monday in response to a recent GAO report on sexual assaults at VA facilities. Testifying on behalf of the VFW was Marlene Roll, the Director of New York’s Erie County Veterans Service Agency and a member of VFW’s National Women Veterans’ Committee. She told committee members that VA must move swiftly to address the many problems identified in the report. She also said the VA does not have a clear and consistent definition of sexual assault. VFW regards sexual assault as a zero tolerance issue. Read the VFW press release with links to testimony at http://www.vfw.org/News-and-Events/Articles/VFW-CALLS-SEXUAL-ASSAULT-A-ZERO-TOLERANCE-ISSUE--/.
· On Tuesday, the Health Subcommittee held a hearing on gaps in VA’s mental health system that remain in the military community, as well as the problems that exist in the VA system when it comes to dealing with the mental wellness of servicemembers. The committee heard testimony from Daniel J. Hanson, an OIF veteran from Minnesota, who spoke of the many difficult personal challenges he experienced after separating from the Marines. Read more on the House VA Committee website at http://veterans.house.gov/

2. VA Funding Bill Cleared: The House passed a $128 billion (FY 2012) Military Construction/VA Appropriations bill this week which provides VA $2.4 billion more than last year. It also includes $52.5 billion in Advanced Appropriations for FY 2013 medical care, and a VFW-supported amendment that would provide $20 million to expand VA’s suicide prevention social media outreach program. VFW is disappointed that the bill is $2 billion less than what the four Independent Budget coauthors recommended for VA construction funding. We are concerned that the shortfall will further delay the many projects currently under construction, as well as those being planned. We look to the Senate to increase major and minor construction accounts when they take up the bill in the coming weeks. For a summary of the bill, go to http://appropriations.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=246466.

3. VFW Joins Minority Leadership Roundtable: On Wednesday, VFW National Legislative Director Ray Kelley joined House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other congressional and military/VSO leaders to discuss veterans’ issues at the U.S. Capitol. During his remarks, Kelley called on Pelosi and her colleagues in the House Minority to push for the passage of the Hiring Heroes Act, H.R. 1941, which was recently introduced in the House by Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) as a companion bill to S. 951, introduced by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA). The VFW strongly supports the Hiring Heroes Act, which would extend Chapter 31 (VocRehab) benefits for disabled veterans who have exhausted unemployment benefits, streamline the federal hiring process for separating servicemembers, and make Transition Assistance Program attendance mandatory. Tell your representatives in Congress to support the Hiring Heroes Act by visiting http://capwiz.com/vfw/issues/alert/?alertid=48351501.

4. Korean War MIA Identified: The Defense POW/MIA Office announced the identification of remains belonging to Army Cpl. A.V. Scott, 27, of Detroit. On Feb. 12, 1951, Scott’s unit, the 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, was supplying friendly forces approximately 70 miles east of Seoul, South Korea, when Chinese Communist units attacked the area and forced a withdrawal. Scott was captured by enemy forces and later died in a North Korean POW camp. Read more at http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14566.

5. Vietnam War MIA Identified: TheDefense POW/MIA Office also announced the identification of remains belonging to Air Force 1st Lt. David A. Thorpe of Seneca Falls, N.Y. On Oct. 3, 1966, Thorpe’s C-130E cargo aircraft, with four other men aboard, failed to arrive at Nha Trang AB following their departure from Tan Son Nhut AB in South Vietnam. Read more at http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=14582.

VFW Calls Sexual Assault a Zero Tolerance Issue

{Picture:VFW National Women Veterans' Committee member Marlene Roll (left) and House VA Subcommittee on Health Chairwoman Ann Marie Buerkle (R-N.Y.)}

WASHINGTON June 14, 2011 — The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. presented testimony yesterday afternoon before the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health about the recently released Government Accountability Office report on sexual assaults at VA facilities. Also testifying were representatives from the VA, the GAO, and three other veterans' service organizations.

"Every confirmed instance of sexual assault must be dealt with swiftly and to the maximum extent of the law," said Marlene Roll, director of New York's Erie County Veterans' Service Agency and a member of the VFW's National Women Veterans' Committee. "VA employees and veterans who commit or know of these acts must be held accountable."

The June 7 GAO report was based on visits to five of VA's 152 medical centers, and interviews with four of their 21 Veterans Integrated Service Networks, in which 284 alleged assaults occurred between January 2007 and July 2010. Included were 67 rapes and other assaults by patients against patients, patients against staff, and staff against patients.

According to Roll, a veteran of the first Gulf War from Alden, N.Y., the VA must swiftly address the many problems identified by the GAO in its report. They must clarify what constitutes sexual assault, because the lack of a clear and consistent VA-wide definition has allegedly led to many events not being reported or resulted in no action on those events that were reported.

"This is an appalling abdication of a solemn responsibility, and it must stop immediately," she said. "This is a zero tolerance issue in the military world and in the civilian world; it must be so in the VA world, too."

"This is not the way to run a health care system," said Subcommittee Chairwoman Ann Marie Buerkle (R-N.Y.), "and it is certainly no way to treat the men and women who have sacrificed so much on our nation’s behalf.”

Roll said total leadership is now essential from everyone within VA. She said VA Secretary Eric Shinseki and his senior executive staff are sincerely involved, and that the VFW knows they will do everything within their power to end sexual assaults in the VA workplace.

"Yet the solution to stamping out this problem is not in Washington," she said. "The solution is in the field in every network director, medical center director, clinic director, and their senior staffs, frontline supervisors and in every employee. The GAO report identifies a shared problem that reflects upon the integrity of the entire VA. Its eradication can only lie in a total commitment by those very same employees at every level."

To read the VFW's testimony, as well as statements made by subcommittee members, go to the House VA Committee website at http://veterans.house.gov/hearing/preventing-sexual-assaults-and-safety-incidents-us-department-veterans-affairs-facilities.

VFW outrages by Sexual Assaults at VA

WASHINGTON June 8, 2011 — The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is outraged by news that America's disabled veterans could become a victim of sexual assault when they visit a Department of Veterans Affairs facility.

According to a report released yesterday by the Government Accountability Office, 284 alleged assaults occurred at the VA between January 2007 and July 2010. Included were 67 rapes, 185 cases of inappropriate touching, and other assaults between patients against patients, patients against staff, and staff against patients.

"It is inexcusable for security equipment and incident reporting procedures to be so broken down that patients and staff alike may fear for their personal safety," said VFW National Commander Richard L. Eubank, a retired Marine and Vietnam combat veteran from Eugene, Ore.

"What matters now is for the VA to immediately clean its own house and to hold everyone accountable for their actions," he said. "We have far too many veterans — especially women veterans — who need for the VA to be a place of healing and not a threat."

The GAO report was based on visits to only five of VA's 152 medical centers, and interviews with only four of VA's 21 Veterans Integrated Service Networks, or VISNs. This led House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (D-Fla.) to ask "How widespread is this problem?"

The VFW national commander fully agrees, and now expects Congress to increase its oversight of the matter through more hearings and legislation, such as H.R. 2074, introduced by Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R-N.Y.).

"All veterans and employees need to be treated with the utmost respect in every facility," said Eubank. "This is a zero tolerance issue, and nothing less is acceptable to the VFW."

To read the full GAO report, entitled, "VA Health Care: Actions Needed to Prevent Sexual Assaults and Other Safety Incidents," go to http://www.gao.gov/.