Rao bulletin 15 April 2016 html edition this bulletin contains the following articles
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- Obit: Hector A. Cafferata ► 12 APR 2016
- Retiree Appreciation Days ► As of 12 Apr 2016
- Vet Hiring Fairs ► 16 Apr thru 14 May 2016 The U.S. Chamber of Comme
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- Fort Leonard Wood, MO - Fort Leonard Wood Transition Summit
- Veteran State Benefits Discounts ► New Hampshire 2016
- Vet State Benefits Discounts – NH ”
- * Vet Legislation *
- Path Act ► S.185 | Antibiotic Drug Access
- Vet Groin Injury Legislation ► H.R.4892 | Loss of Use Compensation
- Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act ► H.R.3870 | Passage Unlikely
Crow tribal historian Joe Medicine Crow in 2001, in Garryowen, Mont (left) and looking at his 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom after President Obama placed it around his neck. But life on the Crow Reservation in the early 20th century was also steeped in hardship. The tribe was down to about 2,000 members, devastated by disease and hunger, not to mention the loss of children at harsh boarding schools that attempted to strip them of their heritage. In his memoir, Medicine Crow recalled how his relatives stole cattle to survive. “We were down to our lowest ebb,” he said of that time. According to Linfield Magazine, Medicine Crow believed that school was his means to reverse the tide. He recalled how another Crow chief, Plenty Coups, had told him that education would make him a white man’s equal, the lack of it “will make you his victim.” “That to me was a personal challenge,” Medicine Crow told the magazine in 2009. “I wanted to prove to people, not only to Indian people but people in general, that an Indian is capable of becoming a good college student. People said that Indians are just too dumb, they are not capable of getting a college education. I wanted to disprove that.” Crow graduated from Linfield College, a liberal arts school in Oregon, and in 1939 he got his master’s in anthropology from the University of Southern California — the first person from his tribe to earn a graduate degree. His thesis: “The Effects of European Culture Contacts upon the Economic, Social, and Religious Life of the Crow Indians.” After graduating, Medicine Crow went to work at a Native American school in Oregon. But then came the attack on Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war, and by 1943 Medicine Crow had enlisted in the Army. “We were a war-faring people,” he told the Billings Gazette. “Naturally, I thought about the famous warriors when I went to Germany…. I had a legacy to live up to.” Plains Indians won honor by counting “coups,” or acts of bravery in battle. The most illustrious coup was to touch an enemy and escape unharmed — something that Medicine Crow wasn’t intending to do when he helped raid a German village. But then he (literally) bumped into a German soldier while scouting in an alley. “I swung my rifle to knock his rifle off his hands,” he told filmmaker Ken Burns for the documentary “The War.” “All I had to do was pull the trigger.” Instead, Medicine Crow dropped his own weapon and “tore into” the other man. After a moment’s tussle, he grabbed the man’s neck. “I was ready to kill him,” he said. And then the German yelled, “Mama.” “That word ‘Mama,’ opened my ears. I let him go.” When Medicine Crow came home from the war in 1946, he recounted that incident and his other exploits in Europe to Crow elders, not realizing they added up to anything more than a few stories. “You have completed the four deeds,” they told him. He chuckled as he recalled the moment when it dawned on him, “So I guess you’re looking at the last Plains Indian war chief,” he said in “The War.” In 1948, Medicine Crow was appointed tribal historian and anthropologist. He had an impeccable recall of stories he’d been told as a child, and he served as the last living link to the Crow’s pre-reservation way of life and history. He served on historical and educational commissions, authored nearly a dozen books on Crow culture, and wrote a history of the Battle of Little Bighorn based on the memories of his great uncle, Custer’s Crow scout, who tried to warn the general that he was about to be ambushed but who was ignored. Medicine Crow had tried to incorporate that history when he was recruited to help write “They Died With Their Boots On,” the 1941 Errol Flynn film about the battle, but he was likewise dismissed by the movie’s white producers. “I said, ‘Some day I’m going to write my own Custer production and tell it like it is,'” Medicine Crow told the magazine True West in 2009. In 1964, he did; that script is used in reenactments of the battle today. For much of his life, Medicine Crow served as an emissary between the Crow community and the white world. As a child, he translated for his great uncle, White Man Runs Him, when white reporters came to interview him about the Battle of Little Bighorn. He lent his voice and his memories to countless exhibits on Native American culture at museums around the country. He spoke at colleges and conferences and a United Nations summit. “There is a middle line that joins two worlds together,” he told Linfield Magazine. “I walk that line and take the best from each and avoid the worst. I’ve lived a good, well-balanced way of life. I encourage my grandchildren and young Crow Indians to do the same and they will be happy.” Medicine Crow used his platform to speak for his people. In 2008, when then-Sen. Barack Obama was making a campaign stop at a veterans’ center in Billings, Mont., Medicine Crow confronted the candidate. “When you get to the White House,” he said, according to the Cody, Wyo., Enterprise, “remember we Indian people since 1492 have been at the bottom of the ladder in America. We want you to bring us up to level … recognize us as first-class citizens.” The next year, President Obama would award Medicine Crow the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. During the ceremony, Obama said that Medicine Crow was “a good man, a ‘bacheitche’ in Crow,” according to the AP. “[His] life reflects not only the warrior spirit of the Crow people,” he continued, “but America’s highest ideals.” [Source: The Washington Post | Sarah Kaplan | April 4, 2016 ++] ******************************** Obit: Hector A. Cafferata ► 12 APR 2016 The Congressional Medal of Honor Society announces that Private First Class Hector A. Cafferata, Jr., Medal of Honor recipient, passed away Tuesday evening, April 12, 2016, in Venice, Florida at the age of 86. Private Cafferata was born on November 4, 1929 in New York City, New York. Cafferata played semi-pro football and was working at the Sun Dial Corporation when he enlisted in the Marines in 1948. He was serving as a Private in the First Marine Division at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in 1950 when all other members of his team became casualties during an attack. Cafferata waged a lone battle against the enemy. Making himself a target, he maneuvered to deliver fire, forcing withdrawal of the onrushing force. Then, during another enemy onslaught, Cafferata seized an enemy grenade and hurled it free of his comrades before it detonated, sustaining injuries but saving the lives of his fellow Marines. He continued fighting until stopped by a sniper’s bullet. He was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry S. Truman at a White House ceremony on November 24, 1952.  
Cafferata in 2010 Hector A. Cafferata, Jr. is survived by his wife Doris and four children. Funeral services are pending. There are 76 recipients alive today. [Source: Veteran News | Donnie La Curan | April 14, 2016 ++] ******************************** Retiree Appreciation Days ► As of 12 Apr 2016 Retiree Appreciation Days (RADs) are designed with all veterans in mind. They're a great source of the latest information for retirees and Family members in your area. RADs vary from installation to installation, but, in general, they provide an opportunity to renew acquaintances, listen to guest speakers, renew ID Cards, get medical checkups, and various other services. Some RADs include special events such as dinners or golf tournaments. Due to budget constraints, some RADs may be cancelled or rescheduled. Also, scheduled appearances of DFAS representatives may not be possible. If you plan to travel long distances to attend a RAD, before traveling, you should call the sponsoring RSO to ensure the RAD will held as scheduled and, if applicable, whether or not DFAS reps will be available. The current updated schedule for 2016 is available at:
Note that this schedule has been expanded to include dates for retiree\veterans related events such as town hall meetings, resource fairs, stand downs, etc. To get more info about a particular event, mouseover or click on the event under Event Location. (NOTE: Attendance at some events may require military ID, VA enrollment or DD214. "@" indicates event requires registration\RSVP.) For more information call the phone numbers indicated on the schedule of the Retirement Services Officer (RSO) sponsoring the RAD. To quickly locate events in your geographic area just click on the appropriate State\Territory\Country listed at the top of the schedule. They will look like this: AK AL AR AS AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA GU HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA PR RI SC SD TN TX UT VA VI VT WA WI WV WY Belgium Germany Italy Japan Korea Netherlands Thailand [Source: RAD List Manager | Milton Bell | April 12, 2015 ++] ******************************** Vet Hiring Fairs ► 16 Apr thru 14 May 2016 The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s (USCC) Hiring Our Heroes program employment workshops are available in conjunction with hundreds of their hiring fairs. These workshops are designed to help veterans and military spouses and include resume writing, interview skills, and one-on-one mentoring. For details of each you should click on the city next to the date in the below list. To participate, sign up for the workshop in addition to registering (if indicated) for the hiring fairs which are shown below for the six weeks. For more information about the USCC Hiring Our Heroes Program, Military Spouse Program, Transition Assistance, GE Employment Workshops, Resume Engine, etc. visit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s website at http://www.hiringourheroes.org/hiringourheroes/events . Orlando, FL - Orlando Hiring Fair Details Register April 16 – 9:00 am to 1:30 pm San Diego, CA - San Diego Military Community Transition Summit Details Register April 20 - 4:00 pm to April 21 - 4:00 pm New York, NY - New York City Hiring Fair Details Register April 21 - 8:30 am to 1:30 pm Arlington, TX - Arlington Hiring Expo with Texas Rangers Details Register April 25 - 9:30 am to 2:00 pm Fort Bragg, NC - Fort Bragg Transition Summit Details Register April 27 - 9:00 am to April 28 - 4:30 pm Arlington, VA - Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Senior Leadership Networking Reception Details Register April 28 - 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm Pittsburgh, PA - Pittsburgh Hiring Expo with Pittsburgh Pirates Details Register May 3 - 11:00 am to 2:00 pm San Diego, CA - Caregiver Flexible Workplace Conference Details Register May 4 - 8:45 am to 12:00 pm San Diego, CA - San Diego Wounded Veteran & Caregiver Employment Conference Details Register May 5 - 8:30 am to 2:30 pm Fort Leonard Wood, MO - Fort Leonard Wood Transition Summit Details Register May 10 - 1:00 pm to May 11 - 4:00 pm [Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Assn April 13, 2016 ++] ******************************** Veteran State Benefits & Discounts ► New Hampshire 2016 The state of New Hampshire provides several benefits to veterans as indicated below. To obtain information on these plus discounts listed on the Military and Veterans Discount Center (MCVDC) website, refer to the attachment to this Bulletin titled, “Vet State Benefits & Discounts – NH” for an overview of the below those benefits. Benefits are available to veterans who are residents of the state. For a more detailed explanation of each of the following refer to http://www.nh.gov/nhveterans & http://militaryandveteransdiscounts.com/location/new-hampshire.html
[Source: http://www.military.com/benefits/veteran-state-benefits/new-hampshire-state-veterans-benefits.html Apr 2016 ++] * Vet Legislation * 
Vet Omnibus Bill ► 2016 | Passage by Memorial Day Anticipated The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee chairman says he’s confident Congress can still pass a veterans omnibus bill by Memorial Day, despite a brewing fight over new accountability measures for VA employees. Details of the massive reform measure still have not been made public. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) said he spoke 5 APR to committee Democrats and the White House to build support for his omnibus draft, which will include not only the employment rules but also changes to the VA Choice Card program, new caregivers support, and a host of other issues. “We have a great bill,” Isakson said. “Hopefully the president will get on board. If anybody needs it, he needs it, and our veterans deserve it. I’m optimistic, more so after our conference call.” Isakson anticipates unveiling the draft legislation within days. While veterans advocates will comb through the plan's numerous details, most eyes will be focused on the accountability piece. In recent months, VA officials have asked Congress to switch the department’s senior executives to Title 38 status, a technical change which would allow more flexibility in hiring, pay and firing rules. The Senior Executive Association has loudly protested this move, saying it would undermine those executives’ appeal rights and unfairly scapegoat them for the department’s numerous problems. Meanwhile, House Republicans have said those proposals don’t go far enough. House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) has been pushing his own “VA Accountability Act” as a necessary addition to Isakson’s omnibus. That plan, already passed by the House along party lines, would make it easier to fire or demote any VA employee, not just the few hundred executives covered under the VA proposal. But House Democrats and the White House have strongly opposed that measure, calling it an attempt to undermine federal employment protections. Miller last week sent a letter to Isakson saying leaving the House-passed bill out of the omnibus would allow VA to continue to “coddle and protect corrupt and incompetent bureaucrats” instead of fixing the problem. On Tuesday, Isakson brushed off that criticism and said he also has concerns with Miller’s proposal. “I’m not going to get into our accountability section until we’re ready to unveil,” he said. “We’ve done a much more comprehensive look at it, to target the real problems and the real areas for accountability. “Anybody can write a letter. We’re going to produce legislation and work with the house to get a joint bill together that solves everybody’s problems when it comes to accountability.” Isakson also said he’s confident he can craft legislation that the White House will support, unlike the Miller bill. But the final measure still will have to be passed by the House before it can become law, and Miller will play a key role in shepherding the legislation through that chamber or defeating it. Isakson downplayed the idea of conflict between the two committees, calling Miller’s public lobbying on behalf of his own proposal “nothing personal.” House lawmakers return to Capitol Hill from their spring recess 11 APR. Isakson would not say whether his omnibus draft will be waiting for them when they arrive. [Source: Military Times | Leo Shane | April 6, 2016 ++] ******************************** Path Act ► S.185 | Antibiotic Drug Access The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a mark-up 6 APR to consider the PATH Act, sponsored by Senators Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) and Michael Bennet (D-CO). This legislation would create a new drug approval pathway to streamline access, bolster innovation, and encourage development of potentially life-saving antibiotic drugs for patients. In advance of the Senate markup, NAUS, together with a number of other military and veterans advocacy groups, sent a letter supporting action on the PATH Act to members of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. NAUS is pleased to see this bill move forward. It will help in the development of new antibiotics for military service members and seriously ill patients with unmet medical needs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 2,000,000 antibiotic-resistant infections occur in the United States each year and 23,000 Americans die as a result. Military service members are at particular risk. They now survive once-deadly combat wounds only to become victims of untreatable, deadly superbugs. Too many of our shipmates and soldiers have died because of these superbugs and, without swift action, more will meet the same fate. “Superbugs”—or bacteria that are substantially resistant or unresponsive to any existing and available antibiotic—are an increasingly urgent public health threat, both at home and abroad. While antibiotic-resistant bacteria kills thousands of Americans each year, less than ten new antibiotics have made it to market since 2000. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria is also a significant concern to our troops, affecting more than a third of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, according to the Department of Defense. In an effort to address some of the significant regulatory obstacles hindering antibiotic development and patient access to life-saving treatments, the Promise for Antibiotics and Therapeutics for Health (PATH) Act would permit the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve an antibacterial drug for a limited patient population upon determining that the drug treats a serious or life-threatening condition and addresses an unmet need. In addition, the bill includes several provisions to guide appropriate use of antibiotics approved under this pathway, such as labeling and promotional material requirements. [Source: NAUS Weekly Update | April 08, 2016 ++] ******************************** Vet Groin Injury Legislation ► H.R.4892 | Loss of Use Compensation A House bill would pay injured veterans who lose their reproductive organs in combat or a service-related accident $20,000 to start a family or use however they want. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) introduced legislation 11 APR that would compensate veterans for the “loss or loss of use of creative organs,” to help veterans who can't have children as a result of a service-connected condition. Under the bill, veterans would receive $10,000 in two lump-sum special compensation payments — funds over and above the disability compensation the veteran receives — to be used "at the veteran's discretion." According to Miller, chairman of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, the legislation is designed to give former troops with devastating injuries the funds needed for medical treatment or adoption services. “If a veteran does decide to use this benefit to start a family of their own, the real winners would be the children. Who better to raise America’s next generation than the bravest of our current generation? But no matter how each affected veteran might utilize this benefit, one thing is clear: they earned it,” said Miller, introducing HR 4892. Nearly 1,400 troops in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars experienced injuries to their pelvises, groins or spinal cords that make it difficult or nearly impossible to have children without medical assistance. Others have been injured in accidents that have rendered them infertile as a result of paralysis or traumatic brain injury. The Defense Department covers the cost of in vitro fertilization and other fertility services for some wounded troops while they remain on active duty and also covers the cost of medications, such as erectile dysfunction medicines, for troops with head injuries that affect fertility. VA covers fertility assessments, counseling and some treatment, such as surgeries, medications and intrauterine insemination for female veterans and surgeries, sperm cryopreservation and sperm retrieval for males. But VA does not cover in vitro fertilization or fertility services for nonveteran spouses. Miller introduced a bill last year that would have required VA to cover advanced fertility services, including IVF, for veterans whose injuries to reproductive organs or spinal cords hindered their ability to father or bear children. That bill would have allowed VA to cover the costs of up to three in vitro fertilization cycles for affected veterans. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) has pushed since 2012 for the Veterans Affairs Department to cover fertility services, including surrogacy, for injured veterans. Her legislation, the Women Veterans and Families Health Services Act, S.469, was introduced last year but did not make it out of committee. Murray said 12 APR that she will continue pressing for VA to cover IVF and other services for injured personnel, and she had harsh words for Miller's latest proposal, that sidesteps any requirement that VA pay for fertility services, which some members of Congress oppose. “Fulfilling our promise to take care of our veterans shouldn’t be a partisan issue, which is why I’m so disappointed by continued half-measures like this. Simply put, this latest proposal falls far short of covering the care a veteran and their spouse needs to fulfill their dreams of starting a family," Murray said. [Source: Military Times | Patricia Kime | April 12, 2016 ++] ******************************** Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act ► H.R.3870 | Passage Unlikely Congress is considering a bill that would create a special “atomic veteran” designation for the men and women who worked to clean up nuclear waste from a South Pacific atoll nearly 40 years ago, a move that Maine veteran Paul Laird says was a long time coming. But Laird, a 59-year-old from Otisfield who served with the U.S. Army’s 84th Engineer Battalion on Enewetak Atoll and who is a three-time cancer survivor, said that the bill has only a slim chance of becoming law — and that is not acceptable to him. As of now, only 30 co-sponsors have officially signed on to the bill, which is a number the Mainer said does not seem like enough. “We are not seeing people jump up and down to get onboard,” he said earlier this month. “We’re a little disappointed. We’re trying however we can to get the word out, but people just don’t seem to think it’s very important.” The bill, H.R. 3870, is called the Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act, and was introduced last November by U.S. Rep. Mark Takai (D-HI). It was referred to the House subcommittee on health on 6 NOV and has not advanced any farther on its legislative path. The website GovTrack.us, which follows Congress, only gave the bill a 5 percent chance of getting out of committee and a 1 percent chance of being enacted into law. Veterans such as Laird and Jeffery Dean of Belfast want to be designated as so-called atomic veterans so that if they are diagnosed with one of several specific cancers or nonmalignant conditions they can be entitled to compensation or free medical care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. With this designation, they would not have to prove their cancers were caused by radiation and would likely have an easier time getting a disability rating from the VA. Laird and Dean were among approximately 6,000 American soldiers tasked with rehabilitating the atoll between 1977 and 1980 before it was returned to the people of the Marshall Islands. The tiny island was the scene of more than 40 nuclear tests from 1948 to 1958, and when the two Mainers were among those told to clean it up with little protective gear, they believe they became contaminated with radioactive dust. “The stuff was like baby powder,” Laird said of the contaminated soil he moved with a bulldozer and bucket loader. “When you dumped it in the back of the truck it would just go poof. The first weeks I was there I begged for a dust mask. They said they were on back order and just wrap your T-shirt around your nose.”   
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