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Vet Hiring Fairs ► 1 Apr thru 31 May 2014
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Vet Hiring Fairs ► 1 Apr thru 31 May 2014 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 click on the link next to the date in the below list. If it will not open refer to www.uschamber.com/hiringourheroes/events. To participate, sign up for the workshop in addition to registering for the hiring fairs which are shown below for the next 8 weeks. For more information about the USCC Hiring Our Heroes Program, Military Spouse Program, Transition Assistance, GE Employment Workshops, Resume Engine, etc. visit the USCC website at http://www.uschamber.com/hiringourheroes/events. Veterans Hiring Fair April 1, 2014 – Lincoln, NE April 2, 2014 – Philadelphia, PA April 8, 2014 – St Louis, MO April 8, 2014 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL April 9, 2014 – Washington D.C. at the Verizon Center April 10, 2014 – Fort McCoy, WI April 16, 2014 – Hamden, CT April 16, 2014 – New Orleans, LA April 17, 2014 – Los Angeles, CA April 22, 2014 – Celina, OH April 23, 2014 – Dearborn, MI April 24, 2014 – Evansville, IN April 29, 2014 – Chicago, IL April 30, 2014 – Trenton, NJ April 30, 2014 – Cheyenne, WY April 30, 2014 – Fayetteville, NC May 7, 2014 – Birmingham, AL May 7, 2014 – Kansas City, MO May 8, 2014 – Salisbury, MD May 8, 2014 – Rochester, NY May 12, 2014 – Arlington, TX May 13, 2014 – Rochester, MN May 13, 2014 – Tampa, FL May 14, 2014 – Military Spouse Hiring Fair and Career Forum Lackland Air Force Base, TX May 14, 2014 – Camden, NJ May 15, 2014 – Military Spouse Hiring Fair and Career Forum Whidbey Island, WA May 15, 2014 – Ogden, UT May 21, 2014 – Boston, MA May 22, 2014 – Fort Wayne, IN May 22, 2014 – Riverside, CA May 22, 2014 – Memphis, TN May 28, 2014 – Tulsa, OK May 28, 2014 – Martinsburg, WV May 28, 2014 – Fargo, ND May 29, 2014 – Military Spouse Hiring Fair and Career Forum Joint Base Myer Henderson Hall May 29, 2014 – Cincinnati, OH Note: A key tactic that most job-seekers overlook when attending a job or career fair is to Stop at every table! One mistake we all make on occasion is to generalize. For example, people assume that health-care companies are only hiring health-care workers, or that insurance companies only need agents. So when they encounter these tables or displays, they typically say nothing and keep moving. Also, sell yourself! Be an extrovert and your own agent! Finally, your mission is fact-finding and networking. By spending time at each table, one learns to overcome stereotypes that lead to erroneous assumptions [Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Assn 31 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* WWII VETS 59 ► Mayer~Frederick A The White House announced presentation of the Medal of Honor on March 18, 2014, to 24 Army veterans from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, whose Distinguished Service Crosses are being upgraded to Medals to Honor to rectify past discrimination. The OSS society believes Office of Strategic Services (OSS) veteran Lt. Frederick A. Mayer should have been included among these Medal of Honor recipients. Mayer, a Jewish refugee from Germany and a naturalized American citizen, was recruited by the OSS, the World War II predecessor to the CIA and the US Special Operations Command, and volunteered to lead Operation Greenup, one of the most daring and successful missions behind German lines. His remarkable bravery was told in the award-winning documentary The Real Inglorious Bastards, and in Patrick O'Donnell's book, They Dared Return: The True Story of Jewish Spies Behind the Lines in Nazi Germany. 
2nd LT Frederick Mayer Mayer was nominated for the Medal of Honor on September 17, 1945, for "knowingly and willingly (risking) his life almost daily" and gathering "secret intelligence of great value to the United States" during the two months he was behind enemy lines, often dressed in a German officer's uniform. After obtaining valuable intelligence about Nazi troop movements into Northern Italy and supplying the Army Air Corps with information that enabled it to bomb the Brenner Pass and destroy 26 German trains containing troops and munitions, he was captured by the Gestapo and tortured for three days. In one of the war's greatest bluffs, he convinced a top Nazi to surrender Innsbruck, Austria, and all German forces in the area. Mayer then met the advancing American Army, crossing German and American lines in a combat zone at great risk to his life, to inform the Americans of the surrender - saving countless lives on both sides. The War Department rejected the nomination and recommended that he receive the Legion of Merit instead. His commander, who "did not believe that the Awards and Citations Board was familiar with the circumstances of the case," then asked the Army "that a new recommendation be submitted for the … Medal of Honor or at least for the Distinguished Service Cross." This request was also rejected. Had Fred Mayer received the Distinguished Service Cross, it is very likely he would have been included among the 24 Medal of Honor recipients whose names were released by the White House on February 21, 2014. Senator Jay Rockefeller read a statement about Mayer in the US Senate on April 25, 2013 which is in the congressional Record at and sent a letter about him to President Obama. Senator Rockefeller also filed a request last year for Mayer's Medal of Honor nomination to be reviewed. The Army refused to reconsider its earlier decision not to award Mayer the Medal of Honor or the Distinguished Service Cross. The Senator’s statement is at https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47108595/Congressional_Record_Statement.pdf.
[Source: http://www.military.com/benefits/content/veteran-state-benefits/virginia-state-veterans-benefits.html Mar 2014 ++] *Vet Legislation* 
DoD Suicide Policy Update 03 ► SAV Act Introduced in Senate A new bill aimed at improving suicide prevention for veterans was introduced in the U.S. Senate on 28 MAR, as nearly 2,000 flags were planted within view of the Capitol — each one representing a current or former servicemember who had committed suicide so far this year. Sen. John Walsh (D-MT) introduced the, Suicide Prevention for America’s Veterans Act (S.2182) which includes provisions extending combat eligibility for health care from five years to 15 years, and establishing a process for reviewing potentially wrongful discharges and reversing those which may have been caused by mental health issues. Persons who served in a theater of combat operations after November 11, 1998, and were discharged on or after January 28, 2003, currently have special eligibility to enroll in the VA health care system for five years from your date of discharge or release, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA estimates that 22 veterans from current and previous wars die by their own hand each day. In an Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America survey of its membership this year, 47 percent said they knew a veteran of the two post-9/11 wars who had attempted suicide. "That's an epidemic that we cannot allow to continue," said Walsh, the first Iraq War combat veteran elected to the Senate. "I think we all know a friend, a family member, a neighbor, a colleague that has been affected by this terrible tragedy." In an effort to visualize the number of troops who have committed suicide, IAVA members and supporters planted 1,892 flags on the National Mall, hoping that the field of red, white and blue would bring the problem to the attention of those strolling the grassy expanse.  
"I'm hoping it'll just be a powerful visual for the scope of this issue," said Jeff Hensley, a Navy veteran of 21 years and IAVA member who was planting flags. "(For) most of us that are veterans and are closely connected with veterans … it's personal to us. But outside of our community, I don't think the rest of the country really understand. Seeing something like this, it brings it home to the average person who may not have a direct connection." The event was part of IAVA's annual "Storm the Hill" campaign, which brings veterans to Washington to meet with leaders on veterans policies. Suicide prevention tops IAVA's 2014 agenda, and the group is pushing for the SAV Act to be passed by Memorial Day. "It's going to provide urgent care for people that these folks have been fighting for, that the folks representing by the flags … could not get," said Paul Rieckhoff, IAVA founder and CEO. Rieckhoff urged Democratic and Republican lawmakers to work together on what he called a national priority. "It's a public health challenge. It's a security imperative, it's a moral imperative," he said. For Hensley, who was among the "stormers," the bill - which was designed by the IAVA based on veterans' needs - offers a number of provisions that are promising for improving access and quality of care. "It's one thing to go out and reach out for help, it's another thing to actually get help that is informed and based on best practices," said Hensley, a counselor at an equine-assisted therapy program for veterans in Texas. "It really can make a difference." The bill also calls for increasing mental health professionals in the VA, ensuring training for mental health providers, improving suicide prevention programs, decriminalizing suicide attempts, and more collaboration between the VA and Defense Department. IAVA is hoping to connect one million veterans to suicide prevention resources this year. "If they can get help, it can prevent that," Hensley said. "It can change the entire trajectory of somebody's life. I think of the 8,000 veterans killing themselves every year, then I think what difference it could have made if they had gone on, got that little bit of help, changed the course of their lives and had so much more to offer to all of us. It's just a waste." [Source: Stars and Stripes | C.J. Lin | 27 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* Medicare Reimbursement Rates 2014 Update 07 ► Bill Clears House The House on 27 MAR passed by voice vote a one-year “Doc Fix” that would avert a 24 percent cut 1 APR in payments to physicians who treat Medicare and TRICARE patients. The bill’s passage (H.R.4302) came suddenly, after House leaders had announced an agreement with the Senate on enactment of the Doc Fix. [Source: NAUS Weekly Update 28 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* TSGLI Update 06 ► Proposed $100K Cap Removal Two lawmakers have introduced a bill that would eliminate the $100,000 cap on payments to wounded warriors for multiple, severe injuries under the Traumatic Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance program. But one big unanswered question is whether the proposed legislation would apply retroactively for those who previously received multiple severe wounds, or only to future service members who may suffer such wounds. The current law governing the TSGLI program is retroactive to 7 OCT 2001. “We’re continuing to discuss” retroactivity, said Drew Pusateri, spokesman for Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, who is sponsoring the bill with Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL). Under current law, lump-sum TSGLI payments, which vary by injury, start at $25,000 and run to a maximum of $100,000 for injuries related to a single traumatic event. The loss of a hand, a foot, and eyesight, for example, each qualify for payment of $50,000. But if a service member suffered all three injuries in one incident, the maximum payment would be $100,000. From its inception, TSGLI has covered both on- and off-duty injuries — for example, injuries suffered in a car accident or mowing the lawn at an off-base home. The proposed bill would not change that aspect of TSGLI, but it would provide higher uncapped payments only for losses incurred under specific conditions: during armed conflict; in training under conditions simulating armed conflict; hazardous service; or a traumatic event caused “through an instrumentality of war.” The bill is the Taylor Morris Act, named for a quadruple amputee from Iowa who was injured in a roadside bomb blast in 2012 in Afghanistan while serving as a Navy explosive ordinance disposal technician. In a statement issued by Braley’s office, Morris said he had no idea how drastically his life was about to change. “With multiple surgeries and years of rehabilitation, I was looking at a lifetime of costs,” he said. “I was so very fortunate to receive help from so many people across the United States. But not every person who is critically injured has the same support. This bill [would] help ease the burden of at least one aspect of recovery.” “The fact that more service members are surviving severe injuries due to immediate medical treatment is a great development,” Braley said. “But this cap just isn’t fair to our injured veterans and needs to be eliminated.” To qualify for TSGLI payments, troops must already be insured under the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance program and pay an extra $1 a month in premiums. Since the TSGLI program was enacted in late 2005, the Veterans Affairs Department has approved 14,514 claims and paid out almost $812 million. About 57 percent of the paid claims have involved combat injuries suffered in a war zone. [Source: AirForceTimes | Karen Jowers | 25 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* DECA Budget Cuts [07] ► Commissary Sustainment Act Another legislative proposal has been introduced to ward off cuts in commissary funding — at least until the commission that is studying all military compensation completes its work. Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA) introduced the “Military Commissary Sustainment Act” (H.R.4017), which would prohibit the Defense Department from reducing the amount of monthly funds for operating the commissary system in fiscal 2015 below the average monthly amount used in fiscal 2014, until the date of the report of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission. That congressionally mandated commission is scrutinizing all pay and compensation benefits for active duty and retired members, to include the commissary system, and is set to issue a report in early 2015. The bill is identical to one introduced in the Senate by another Virginia lawmaker — Democrat Sen. Mark Warner — and Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) Both House and Senate proposals have been referred to their respective Armed Services committees. The president’s budget included a proposal to eventually reduce funding for commissaries by two-thirds — gradually cutting $1 billion of their current $1.4 billion budget over three years. The cut in the first year would be about $200 million. Over time, the remaining $400 million in annual taxpayer subsidies would fund overseas commissaries and those in remote locations. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel emphasized that no stores would be directed to close. “Such a cut would raise prices and reduce the savings to our military families,” said Forbes, in a new release announcing his legislation. “Reducing commissary services is essentially cutting the pay of those who volunteer to wear this nation’s uniform and is an unacceptable breach of faith with our warriors and their families. My legislation will prevent any such reductions in the coming year, removing yet another burden that our service members and their families would have to face.” Commissaries would have to operate more like military exchanges — where prices are marked up, rather than sold at cost as they are in commissaries. Current law requires items to be sold at cost. Savings in commissaries average 30 percent. [Source: MiltaryTimes | Karen Jowers | 24 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* Oklahoma Vet Legislation ► SB 1604 Blast Injury Treatment Army Capt. Matt Smothermon remembers the week after his injury as a blur. "In the immediate wake of the blast itself it almost felt like I was drunk the entire time," he said. Smothermon was in a vehicle hit by three IED's in Afghanistan. He was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, and when he came home things did not get better. "That drove me down into kind of a cycle of depression, I was unable to emotionally relate to people, I didn't really care about a whole lot of things," he said, "it was miserable, it was really miserable. I hated it, I hated every single moment of it." Along with Smothermon forty thousand veterans in the state with brain injuries could get help for free, if current legislation continues forward. That is if the Oklahoma Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment and Recovery Plan Act of 2014 to establish a revolving fund to provide for treatment. On 19 MAR, Rep. John Bennett (R- Sallisaw), one of the authors of the bill, held up a grocery bag full of pill bottles. "This right here is about 30 to 60 days worth of what someone's gonna get if they have issues relating to traumatic brain injury or PTSD," he said. Veterans and lawmakers stood behind him, to promote hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which Army Capt. Smothermon found through Oklahoma State University when he hit rock bottom. "The lights would suddenly come back on, I could focus," he said, remembering his first treatments. The therapy is not FDA approved. But studies show the 100 percent oxygen chambers trigger the brain's neurons and harness the healing power of oxygen. And advocates say the therapy is better than pills, which can lead to self- treatment and even criminal activity among veterans. Secretary for Military and Veteran's Affairs Major Gen. (Ret.) Rita Aragon says of the 3,000 veterans incarcerated in Oklahoma, more than 80 percent tried to self-medicate their symptoms. The bill that passed unanimously through the Senate would offer treatment free to the 40,000 affected veterans in the state. "The first treatment their photophobia tends to go away, it's that light sensitivity that gives them migraine headaches. By the fifth treatment their headaches are generally under control and by the tenth treatment they can sleep through the night," said Dr. Bill Duncan, the Vice President for Government Affairs for the International Hyperbaric Medical Association. Duncan also runs a clinic in Oklahoma City that uses hyperbaric therapy to treat veterans, police officers, firefighters and victims of crime for free. According to a study in the Journal of Neurotrauma, patients recover 15 IQ points on average after treatment. PTSD is reduced by an average of 30 percent, and depression reduced by 51 percent, which leads to a much lower risk of suicide. Duncan says the program calls for 80 treatments in 150 days. They add up to $25,000 per patient. But he says each injured vet costs the state $60,000 in lost taxes, incarceration and meds. Even so, the bill does not require the state to pay for treatments. Instead, authors plan to fundraise. "If the federal government won't take care of our troops like we're supposed to, than we're going to take care of our own people here in Oklahoma," said Bennett. Smothermon says the treatments gave him a pathway back to his old life. "It's a living tragedy," he said, "so in a very real way it saved my life, gave me my life back." Duncan says it's never too late to treat someone. In fact, his oldest patient was 91 years old. The bill now heads to the state House of Representatives for consideration. [Source: Fox News KOKH-TV | Rebecca Schleicher | 19 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* Florida Vet Legislation Update 05 ► Vet Omnibus Bill Florida wants to be known as the friendliest state for military veterans. It moved a step closer to that goal in MAR when the Legislature approved a bill that will cut college costs for veterans. The measure, part of an "omnibus" package for military-related items, is a welcome step, although it will cost state colleges, universities and career centers an estimated $11.5 million in forgone tuition. The measure would waive out-of-state tuition fees for honorably discharged veterans. This portion of the legislation is named after the late U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young, who represented Pinellas County in Congress for decades. The legislation also would boost scholarship funding for members of the National Guard and Reserves. In conjunction with the federal Montgomery-G.I. Bill and other existing programs, Florida's new tuition break can help veterans further their education. That would be good for them and good for Florida. Attracting veterans -- as well as keeping those already here -- is beneficial because of their contributions to Florida's workforce, economic vitality and quality of life. Furthermore, helping them -- after they've worked hard to serve our country -- is simply the right thing to do. Gov. Rick Scott is expected to sign the measure, which also includes funds for armory renovations and several land purchases near bases (a move designed to protect them from future closure). According to The News Service of Florida, the legislation also expands veteran preference rules for government hiring; allows service members' families to use out-of-state driver's licenses under some circumstances; removes a one-year residency requirement for veterans to be admitted to state veterans nursing homes; and other changes. In fiscal year 2012, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' education-program payment to Florida beneficiaries exceeded $702 million, according to the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics. That's just one of the many ways that veterans positively impact our state's economy. More than 1.5 million veterans live in Florida. Most are war-time veterans, including more than 231,000 veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars and roughly 498,000 Vietnam-era veterans. Additionally, approximately 188,500 military retirees call Florida home. Florida has a large military population with more than 61,000 active-duty military personnel. Another 25,000 civilian personnel are directly associated with the military presence in Florida For a summary of veterans benefits, consult the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs guide. (Online, it can be found at http://www.cctaxcol.com/documents/Veterans_Benefits_Guide.pdf.) Other information is also available at the department's website http://floridavets.org. Even with Florida's effort to make veterans a high priority, they are a population that too often has difficulty accessing the benefits and services that are meant for them. At both the state and national level, we must cure that shortcoming. [Source: Florida Hearld-Tribune article 18 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* Kansas Vet Legislation ► Abolish KCVA H.B.2681 The Kansas House of Representatives took steps to approve a bill 19 MAR placing duties of the Kansas Commission on Veterans Affairs under control of the governor following a state audit identifying potential fraud, weak financial oversight and confusion about management responsibilities. Legislation abolishing the commission July 1 would place jurisdiction over veterans affairs, including the Kansas Soldiers Home in Dodge City and Kansas Veterans Home in Winfield, with an appointee of Gov. Sam Brownback and also would establish a five-member advisory committee on veterans issues. Development of the reform bill — scheduled for final action 20 MAR in the House but yet to be considered by the Senate — followed release of a state audit outlining KCVA central office mismanagement shortcomings and problems with financial controls at the two facilities for veterans. The review was conducted by the Kansas Legislature's division of post audit in May 2013. "We have an obligation of responsibility and accountability, for the way we spend money, to our veterans and our constituents," said Rep. Mario Goico, R-Wichita. "This commission has not done anything to address the post audit report. They are in complete failure to do their job." The Kansas Soldiers Home, for example, was unable to provide an inventory of $7.3 million in capital assets. The Kansas Veterans Home couldn’t produce receipts for purchases and mishandled state procurement card transactions. The KCVA was found by auditors to have responsibility for administration of the retirement facilities, but no Kansas officials recognized that authority. House Bill 2681 recommended by the House Veterans, Military and Homeland Security Committee would make the management shifts and require an annual report on progress to repair problems in the system. The Senate would be responsible for confirmation of the governor's selection of the executive director. "We've had issues with how the KCVA works throughout the years," said Rep. Melanie Meier, D-Leavenworth. "When I was elected I was amazed veterans didn't have a position in the governor's Cabinet. This makes a sub-level Cabinet." ********************************* Vet Jobs Update 145 ► S.2138 & S.2143 New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has introduced two bills to help veterans look for jobs and start small businesses. The Veterans Hiring Act (S.2138) would cut payroll taxes for businesses that hire veterans. The Veterans Entrepreneurship Act (S.2143) would lower the cost of Small Business Administration loan programs designed to help veterans start their own small businesses. It would permanently eliminate fee waivers for veterans applying for SBA Express loans and would focus on pre-deployment financial counseling and emergency assistance. The bill also includes a provision requiring the SBA to identify ways to improve its outreach and services for female veterans. “Despite making up fourteen percent of our military and owning thirty percent of our small businesses, only four percent of veteran-owned small business are run by women,” Shaheen said. “We need to do better. This bill will make important progress in filling in some of the gaps in our current programs.” Shaheen’s office said the unemployment rate for U.S. Iraq and Afghanistan veterans stands at 9 percent, 2.3 percent higher than the national average. [Source: Associated Press article 14 Mar 2014 ++] 
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) ********************************* Vet Legislation Offered in 113th Congress ► As of 39 Mar 2014 For a listing of Congressional bills of interest to the veteran community introduced in the 113th Congress refer to this Bulletin’s “House & Senate Veteran Legislation” attachment. Support of these bills through cosponsorship by other legislators is critical if they are ever going to move through the legislative process for a floor vote to become law. A good indication of that likelihood is the number of cosponsors who have signed onto the bill. Any number of members may cosponsor a bill in the House or Senate. At http: //thomas.loc.gov you can review a copy of each bill’s content, determine its current status, the committee it has been assigned to, and if your legislator is a sponsor or cosponsor of it. To determine what bills, amendments your representative has sponsored, cosponsored, or dropped sponsorship on refer to http: //thomas.loc.gov/bss/d111/sponlst.html. Grassroots lobbying is the most effective way to let your Congressional representatives know your wants and dislikes. Members of Congress are the most receptive and open to suggestions from their constituents. The key to increasing cosponsorship support on veteran related bills and subsequent passage into law is letting legislators know of veteran’s feelings on issues. You can reach their Washington office via the Capital Operator direct at (866) 272-6622, (800) 828-0498, or (866) 340-9281 to express your views. Otherwise, you can locate your legislator’s phone number, mailing address, or email/website to communicate with a message or letter of your own making at http: //thomas.loc.gov/bss/d111/sponlst.html. Refer to http: //www.thecapitol.net/FAQ/cong_schedule.html for dates that you can access them on their home turf. FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF VETERAN RELATED LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN THE HOUSE AND SENATE SINCE THE LAST BULLETIN WAS PUBLISHED:
[Source: http: //www.loc.gov & http: //www.govtrack.us/congress/bills 29 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* Veteran Hearing/Mark-up Schedule ► As of 31 Mar 2014 Following is the current schedule of recent and future Congressional hearings and markups pertaining to the veteran community. Congressional hearings are the principal formal method by which committees collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. Hearings usually include oral testimony from witnesses, and questioning of the witnesses by members of Congress. When a U.S. congressional committee meets to put a legislative bill into final form it is referred to as a mark-up. Veterans are encouraged to contact members of these committees prior to the event listed and provide input on what they want their legislator to do at the event. Membership of each committee and their contact info can be found at http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/committees.tt?commid=svete. Missed House Veteran Affairs committee (HVAC) hearings can viewed at http: //veterans.house.gov/in-case-you-missed-it. Text of completed Senate Veteran Affairs Committee SVAC) hearings are available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/committee.action?chamber=senate&committee=va&collection=CHRG&plus=CHRG:
[Source: Veterans Corner w/Michael Isam 31 Mar 2014 ++] *Military* 
USS Miami (SSN-775) Update 01 ► Deactivation Ceremony The Navy said farewell 28 MAR to the submarine Miami, whose service was cut short when a shipyard employee trying to get out of work set it on fire. The somber deactivation ceremony at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard marked the end of the sub's nearly 24 years of active service. Rear Adm. Ken Perry, commander of the submarine Group Two in Groton, Conn., where the sub was based, acknowledged the seriousness of the event, but told the crowd they were there to celebrate the submarine and its crew's achievements. "This is a tribute. This is a celebration of the ship's performance and the superb contributions to the nation's defense and this is how we're going to treat it. So I expect to see some smiles out there," he said. Cmdr. Rolf Spelker, the sub's current commander, said he came to Portsmouth thinking his assignment was to prepare the ship for service. He said he and crew members are disappointed that instead, their duty was to help inactivate the vessel. "They are no doubt disappointed and saddened that they can't take her out to sea," Spelker said. Perry praised the ship's performance over more than a dozen deployments that included clandestine undersea warfare missions and back-to-back deployments in which it fired cruise missiles in Iraq and in Serbia, cementing its reputation and nickname as "Big Gun." It should have had about 10 years of service left. After the fire, the Navy originally intended to repair the Miami with a goal of returning it to service in 2015. But it decided to scrap the submarine after estimated repair costs grew substantially above a $450 million estimate. Instead, shipyard workers will remove fuel from the nuclear reactor and take it to a repository in Idaho. They will make enough repairs so that the submarine can be towed to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington state, where it will be cut up for scrap. The estimated cost of the inactivation is $54 million. 
A firefighter walks off the USS Miami on May 24, 2012 It was a bitter loss because of the way the submarine was damaged, at the hands of a shipyard worker who set a fire to the vessel in May 2012 while the submarine was undergoing a 20-month overhaul. Seeking an excuse to leave work early, Casey James Fury set fire to a box of rags on a bunk, and the blaze quickly spread throughout the forward compartments of the Los Angeles-class submarine. Fury pleaded guilty and is serving a sentence of more than 17 years in federal prison. It took 12 hours and the efforts of more than 100 firefighters to save the vessel. The fire severely damaged living quarters, the command and control center and a torpedo room, but it did not reach the nuclear propulsion components at the rear of the sub. Seven people were hurt dousing the fire, the Navy said. The Navy launched a series of investigations after the fire that led to recommendations, including installation of temporary automatic fire detection systems while submarines are in dry dock. [Source: Associated Press | Robert F. Bukaty | 28 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* Military Grooming Standards ► Tightening The Army is cracking down on tattoos, dental ornamentation and haircuts in a long-awaited update to uniform and appearance rules that could make it harder to enlist and advance up the ranks. The new rules aren’t yet public, but a 57-page training program the Army posted online at http://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1097843-uniform-policy-leaders-training.html#document about the regulations indicates the service is tightening standards that had been relaxed to allow more people to qualify for service at the heights of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most notably, the new policy comes down hard on tattoos by redefining what “indecent” means, limiting the size and number of tattoos allowed and disallowing ink on the head, neck, wrists and hands. The training program does not specify how the decency standard has been redefined. Soldiers who already have tattoos in off-limits areas will be allowed to stay in the service, but people who want to join up won’t be allowed in if they have ink on their head, face, neck or wrists, or if they have tattoos whose content violates the Army’s new, stricter standards. Enlisted soldiers with too much ink in visible areas won’t be allowed to become an officer. To make sure everybody’s following the rules, commanders will have to document all tattoos above the neckline and below the elbows or knees and file that information — including photos — in their soldiers’ official records. After that, commanders will have to perform annual checks for new tattoos. Those found to have violated the rules “must be processed in accordance” with the new regulation, according to the document. It’s not clear what that processing entails, but it notes that “most of the appearance and grooming chapter are punitive.” That goes for restrictions on grooming, fingernails and jewelry, too. For men, grooming standards remain largely unchanged, save for the addition of three off-limits hairstyles: the Mohawk, the horseshoe and the tear drop. Hair standards for women are laid out in more explicit terms that effectively reduce style options. Ponytails, though, are now allowed during physical training. Also specific to women: colored nail polish is now off-limits. Also new in the revision are rules that ban all manner of dental ornamentation, from gold caps to jewels to unnatural shaping. The rules also prohibit all kinds of willful self-mutilation, such as tongue bifurcation and ear gauging. [Source: Stars & Stripes | Matt Milham | 27 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* Pearl Harbor Remains ► Relatives Want Them Identified Bethany Glenn never met her grandfather, John C. England, a 20-year-old Navy ensign from Alhambra who perished in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. But 73 years after that day of infamy, Glenn has made it her mission to recover the remains of England, who rescued men in the battleship Oklahoma's radio room before he fell. 
Ensign John C. England died aboard the battleship Oklahoma Glenn and the families of 20 other sailors killed at Pearl Harbor say their loved ones are buried as "unknowns" not far from where they died on Dec. 7, 1941. They want the military to exhume the remains and identify them through DNA testing so they can be brought home to be buried alongside their families. A plot awaits England by his parents' graves in Colorado, Glenn said, noting that it had been purchased by her great-grandmother. "She never gave up hope that someday they might find something of him," said Glenn, 45, who lives in Washington state near the Oregon border. The Navy says it doesn't want to disturb the sanctity of the graves. But a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has taken up the families' cause. The dispute grows out of the efforts of Ray Emory, a sleuthing 92-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor who learned what had happened to seamen buried after the attack that brought the United States into World War II. Emory discovered that the remains of 27 sailors on the Oklahoma had been identified in 1949, through dental records, when they were being processed for burial in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, better known as the Punchbowl, in Hawaii. But an anthropologist working with the military declined to sign off on the identification. "They didn't have all the pieces of every person," said Lisa Ridge, an Indiana teacher working to recover the remains of her grandfather. She said the military at the time did not want to turn over partial remains. As a result, the remains were buried as unknowns in five caskets. "They never told the families that these people had been identified," said Tom Gray, a Connecticut man seeking to recover the remains of his cousin. He said Edwin Hopkins, a 19-year-old fireman first class aboard the Oklahoma, "deserves better than a commingled grave marked 'unknown' 4,000 miles away from his family." In 2003, Emory persuaded the military's Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command to exhume one casket. DNA tests identified five sailors and the remains were turned over to their families. The families of 21 other sailors — one family could not be located — are now trying to persuade the military to do the same for their loved ones. At least seven of the sailors lived in California. The Oklahoma, which capsized soon after it was hit by multiple torpedoes, suffered 429 deaths, second only to the battleship Arizona's 1,177. The Defense Department lists 388 of the Oklahoma crew members as unaccounted for. Bob Valley, 81, of Escanaba, Mich., whose 19-year-old brother, Lowell, was killed aboard the Oklahoma, has worked to track down relatives of the 21. Some families didn't want to be bothered. One family told him: "Leave him where he is. Don't disturb him," Valley said. But most of the families are eager to recover the remains, even if they never knew their relative. "I'd like to see him brought home," said Ken Schultz, 58, of the uncle he was named after, Kenneth Jayne. Jayne would be buried alongside family members in Patchogue on Long Island, where a VFW post bears the sailor's name. Families said proper burials would help them achieve closure. Ridge used to dream that her grandfather, Paul Nash, a 26-year-old fire controlman first class aboard the Oklahoma, was wandering the streets of Hawaii suffering from amnesia. "I'd look at pictures from Hawaii and wonder if that guy right there on the street could be my grandfather who assumed another identity because he didn't know who he was," she said. Ridge, like other family members, said she would take any remains of her grandfather she could. "You give me a single tooth, I'm happy," she said. Glenn learned through Valley in 2008 that her grandfather was among the sailors interred in one of four still-buried caskets. "It was unbelievable, really," she said. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, Ensign England rushed to the radio room three times to save men. On his fourth rescue attempt, he didn't come out. The slender and good-looking England died four days short of his 21st birthday, leaving behind a month-old daughter — Glenn's mother. Two Navy ships were named after him, including one commissioned in 1963 in Long Beach. Alhambra High School, where England was senior class president in 1938, presents the J.C. England Award to recognize a graduating senior who has "excelled in character, integrity and benevolent service." Fifteen senators recently wrote Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, a former Senate colleague, urging him to approve the exhumations. "Given that many of these 21 sailors were Navy firefighters who died heroically trying to put out the fire on their ship on that horrific day, the least we can do is give them a final resting place of their families' choosing to honor their bravery," said Sen. Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT) a leader in the effort. The Navy prefers keeping the Oklahoma casualties at Punchbowl so they may "rest in dignity," said Lt. Cmdr. Sarah Flaherty, a Navy spokeswoman. A large number of unknowns would remain unaccounted for, given the state of the remains, Flaherty added. Still, she noted, the Department of Veterans Affairs, which oversees Punchbowl, and the Army, which has authority over unknown remains of World War II service members interred in national cemeteries, would have final say over the disinterment. The Pentagon's chief spokesman, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office is leading a working group to determine the feasibility of disinterring and identifying remains associated with the Oklahoma. Harbor victims in the casket that held the five now-identified sailors. "They don't feel like it's right to open up any more until they identify those," she said. But she considers that a stalling tactic. "The Navy's position is that they are home," Schultz said. "But to us, that's not being home if they're not with their loved ones." [Source: Los Angeles Times | Richard Simon | 25 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* D-Day Update 04 ► Reserved Seating Requests The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, located on the cliff overlooking Omaha Beach in the town of Colleville sur Mer, France, is administered by the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). The ABMC is planning a bilateral commemorative ceremony with the French on June 6, 2014. The ceremony will be open to the general public, and reservations or entry passes will not be needed. Reserved seating will be available for World War II veterans and family members accompanying them. If you are a World War II veteran, you can send your request to: Normandy American Cemetery, Unit 9200, Box 1030, Omaha Beach, DPO AE 09777 14710 Colleville Sur Mer, France or email: DDay70@abmc.gov. [Source: NAUS Weekly Update 14 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* DoD Mobilized Reserve 25 MAR 2014 ► Decrease of 1,731 The Department of Defense announced the current number of reservists on active duty as of 25 MAR 2014. The net collective result is 605 fewer reservists mobilized than last reported in the 15 MAR 2014 RAO Bulletin. At any given time, services may activate some units and individuals while deactivating others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 27.063; Navy Reserve 3,787; Marine Corps Reserve 1,481; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve 7,252; and the Coast Guard Reserve 453. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been activated to 40,036 including both units and individual augmentees. Since 911 there have been 894,126 reservists activated for duty. A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel currently activated as of 25 MAR is available at http://www.defense.gov/documents/Mobilization-Weekly-Report-03-25-2014.pdf [Source: DoD News Release No. NR-149-14 dtd 28 Mar 2014 ++] ********************************* Military Funeral Disorderly Conduct Update 23 ► Fred Phelps Dead According to Nathan Phelps, the son of the founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, his father was "on the edge of death" and a few days later his daughter reported he had died on 20 MAR. Fred Phelps Sr. became famous for organizing picket lines of brightly-colored signs carrying hateful messages against tolerance during the funerals of military personnel and famous figures. His actions led to at least two federal and several state laws restricting protests during military funerals. In a statement on his Facebook page, Nathan Phelps, who has been estranged from his father for 30 years, said the senior Phelps was dying in hospice care in Topeka, Kan., and that he had been excommunicated from his own church in August of 2013. "I'm not sure how I feel about this. Terribly ironic that his devotion to his god ends this way. Destroyed by the monster he made," Nathan Phelps wrote. "I feel sad for all the hurt he's caused so many," he continued. "I feel sad for those who will lose the grandfather and father they loved. And I'm bitterly angry that my family is blocking the family members who left from seeing him, and saying their good-byes." 
Pastor Fred Phelps preaching at his Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas March 19, 2006 A spokesman for the Westboro Baptist Church said 16 MAR that the elder Phelps, 84, was being cared for in a facility in Shawnee County, Kan. Spokesman Steve Drain declined to identify the facility or to characterize Phelps' condition. "I can tell you that Fred Phelps is having some health problems," Drain said. "He's an old man, and old people get health problems." Drain declined comment on whether Fred Phelps had been voted out of the church. Just last week, a federal judge upheld a Missouri law requiring protesters to stay at least a football-field length away from funeral sites, beginning an hour before they start until an hour after the services end. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Fernando Gaitan Jr. caps a nearly eight-year legal fight over Missouri's funeral protest restrictions that were prompted after members of a Kansas church opposed to homosexuality protested at the funeral of a Missouri solider who had been killed in Iraq. Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster said the law is now in effect. "No parent who has lost a child should be confronted by the hate and intolerance of strangers, and today's ruling means parents and other loved ones will have a protective boundary from protesters," Koster said 11 MAR in a written statement. To view a CBS News Video interview with a banished daughter from the church go to http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/banished-from-extreme-church/. [Source: Stars & Stripes | Los Angeles Times | Alan Zarembo | 16 Mar 2014 ++ ] ********************************* Medal of Honor Citations ► Marm~Walter J Vietnam 
The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Marm, Walter J Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant , U.S. Army, Co.A, 1st Bn 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Div (Airmobile) Place and date: Vicinity of la Drang Valley Republic of Vietnam, 14 November 1965 Entered service at: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Born: 31 20 November 1941, Washington, Pennsylvania Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. As a platoon leader in the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), 1st Lt. Marm demonstrated indomitable courage during a combat operation. His company was moving through the valley to relieve a friendly unit surrounded by an enemy force of estimated regimental size. 1st Lt. Marm led his platoon through withering fire until they were finally forced to take cover. Realizing that his platoon could not hold very long, and seeing four enemy soldiers moving into his position, he moved quickly under heavy fire and annihilated all 4. Then, seeing that his platoon was receiving intense fire from a concealed machine gun, he deliberately exposed himself to draw its fire. Thus locating its position, he attempted to destroy it with an antitank weapon. Although he inflicted casualties, the weapon did not silence the enemy fire. Quickly, disregarding the intense fire directed on him and his platoon, he charged 30 meters across open ground, and hurled grenades into the enemy position, killing some of the 8 insurgents manning it. Although severely wounded, when his grenades were expended, armed with only a rifle, he continued the momentum of his assault on the position and killed the remainder of the enemy. 1st Lt. Marm's selfless actions reduced the fire on his platoon, broke the enemy assault, and rallied his unit to continue toward the accomplishment of this mission. 1st Lt. Marm's gallantry on the battlefield and his extraordinary intrepidity at the risk of his life are in the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country. 
Walter J. Marm Jr. When Walter Marm graduated from college with a business degree in 1964, Vietnam was a distant place that didn’t figure in his personal geography. He enlisted in the Army, graduated from Officer Candidate School a second lieutenant, and attended Ranger School. But the Army needed junior officers for a new unit being formed, the 1st Cavalry Division, and he was reassigned. This airmobile division was to test the theory that helicopters could function as the modern equivalent of the horse, carrying men quickly into the heart of a battle. Marm was assigned to the division’s 7th Cavalry—George Armstrong Custer’s old unit. By September 1965 he was in Vietnam. At noon on November 14, the 7th Cavalry’s 1st Battalion was on a sweep through the Ia Drang Valley when Company B suddenly came under heavy fire. It was the beginning of the first large-scale pitched battle between American and North Vietnamese troops, and would later be dramatized in the film We Were Soldiers. Company A was ordered to relieve the isolated troops and moved out quickly through the thick underbrush. Lieutenant Marm’s platoon assumed the lead but was forced to take cover as it came under intense fire from the well-disciplined enemy. When Marm saw four North Vietnamese soldiers trying to outflank his unit, he moved toward them through a hail of bullets and killed all four. And when he saw his men under siege from a well-concealed machine gun, he stood up to draw its fire so he could determine its location. The gun was behind a large, anthill-shaped berm; Marm aimed a bazooka at it and shot. The explosion, though dislodging some of the North Vietnamese soldiers hiding behind the berm, failed to destroy the machine gun. Marm charged over the open ground toward the mound and threw a grenade behind it, killing eight of the enemy. Marm went around to the left side of the berm, killing the remaining enemy with his M-16 rifle. Turning to motion his men forward to relieve the trapped platoon, he was shot by an enemy soldier in the left jaw; the bullet exited on the right side of his neck. Two of his soldiers rushed to treat him, then escorted him to the battalion command post. He was medevaced out of the battle zone by nightfall. The Medal of Honor was presented to Marm by Secretary of the Army Stanley Resor at the Pentagon on December 19, 1966. In 1969, Marm asked to go back to Vietnam for a second tour; he was allowed to return only after signing a waiver stipulating that going back into harm’s way was his own choice. Marm retired from military service as a colonel with thirty years of service. He now raises pigs in North Carolina. [Source: http://homeofheroes.com/mitch/index.html & http://www.medalofhonorspeakout.org/bio/walter-marm Mar 2014 ++] *Military History* 
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