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January 21, 2008 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in Charities/Contests
To wrap up “Honor Your Hero,” we’ve put together a Q & A with our winner, Sergeant Brian Horn.
You Served: What was your inspiration for AnySoldier.com?
Brian Horn: The inspiration for Anysoldier.com was a simple need to take care of my team in a tough situation. A few of my guys weren’t getting anything in the mail, and here I was getting excessive amounts of food, etc from my parents to supplement a less than ideal feeding situation. As I requested more and more support from my parents to help more and more soldiers, the idea of anysoldier.com came through a rare, chance phone call home to my Dad. We believed that as many troops needed help, there had to be some way of getting them connected to the outstanding supporters who had no idea just how to send their support. Seeing as how my parents financially couldn’t support our entire fighting force, we needed to come up with a vehicle to connect the supporters to our troops. Thus, Anysoldier.com was born.
You Served: What do you feel has been your greatest accomplishment through AnySoldier.com?
Brian Horn: My greatest accomplishment through the duration of Anysoldier.com is simply knowing that my Dad and I have had a lasting impact on so many lives, be it soldier or civilian. Thanks to the tireless supporters, Any Soldier has become a true force multiplier. And to think that we’ve really only just begun…
You Served: What was your most memorable experience as a Soldier?
Brian Horn: I had alot of memorable experiences as a soldier, but in the end there is really only one true goal of any war or deployment. Ask anyone in a leadership position and they should tell you the same. It is to bring all of your men home safely. No matter the cost, it was not an option to ensure that everyone found their way home.
You Served: What are your plans for the future?
Brian Horn: My future plans are to complete my degree in business while continuing to further promote and establish the Anysoldier.com organization. A book is also in the works!
You Served: Any plans for your award?
Brian Horn: I plan on donating a portion of this award money to anysoldier.com, as this organization is a non-profit website and stays alive strictly on donations alone.
In closing, I would just like to send a very heartfelt THANK YOU to all who voted for me and to the VA Mortgage Center for holding such an honorable ordeal! Thanks again guys, and please be sure to check out www.anysoldier.com if you haven’t already. All you have to do is try the site once, and I promise you will be hooked, and know that you are doing a great thing.
We also wanted to share this statement from Brian’s proud father, Marty Horn:
WOW! Thank you!!!!
It is really hard for me to put into words the pride we have in what Brian is and has done. His time in the military was full of action. He experienced a wide range of events, from terribly horrible to the very touching.
He has grown a lot and we appreciate every day that he is with us.
Our hearts go out to all the families who have lost a loved one. We are the fortunate ones, and we know it. We pray that this continues as Brian now has a sister in the war. She has a tough act to follow, and she knows it, and we do believe she is up to that challenge.
We thank everyone who shared their pride in Sergeant Horn and voted for him.
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January 14, 2008 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in Charities/Contests
When we were in the planning stages of the American Hero Award, we decided it would be perfect to have our theme be “Honor Your Hero.” We called on visitors to the site to honor their heroes by nominating them for the award. Nominations came flooding in and with each story we read, we knew our task of choosing ten finalists would be a difficult one. Not only were the nominees’ stories inspiring, but so was the support and pride shown by those who had nominated them. Some soldiers were nominated by friends and families, others by people they had never met in person.
After a lot of reading, thought and discussion, we selected our ten finalists. Our staff can’t express enough how hard this part was. In the end, we chose ten Veterans whose stories, deeds, and courage stood out to us. Here is a quick recap of our finalists:
• Gregory Anton – an Iraq Veteran raising a family, working full time, and completing college
• Daniel Ashe – an Iraq Veteran who now cares for his young children while his wife is away at basic training
• Steve Clark – an Iraq Veteran who has spearheaded grassroots efforts to arrange a “Small Town Send-Off” for troops and sends 15-20 packages a month to the troops
• CJ Grisham – an Iraq Veteran who runs the blog “A Soldier’s Perspective” as well as the site “They Have Names,” which is devoted to honoring fallen soldiers
• Brian Horn – an Iraq Veteran who started the site “Any Solider.com,” which has provided support for nearly 1 million troops in 4 years
• Todd Parisi – an Iraq Veteran who is the youngest Sniper Instructor in the history of the Marine Corps and has been awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service to the Marine Corps and country.
• Brandon Rork – an Iraq Veteran who disarmed an attempted suicide bomber planning to detonate a dump truck filled with enough explosives to blow up his entire base
• Eddie Ryan – an Iraq Veteran who survived two gunshot wounds to the head and continues to defy the odds with his amazing recovery
• Steve Stephens – an Iraq Veteran who founded “Soldiers Helping those in Need,” who, along with Blankets.com, provided Iraqis with over 3,000 blankets
• Richard Tibbetts, Jr. – an Iraq Veteran with more than 25 years of military service to the United States through the Marine Corps
It’s clear that we had ten remarkable finalists on our hands and each was awarded a finalist prize of $500. There have been few personal or professional situations that can compare to the wonderful experience we had contacting the soldier’s and those who had nominated them.
Individuals who submitted nominations were thrilled to hear their heroes were being honored and each were ready to heap more praise on their nominees. Even though they were not receiving a prize, it was clear that having the Veterans they knew recognized was a prize in and of itself. As for the Veterans themselves, their stories were touching and their gratitude and humility was the most genuine we’ve ever witnessed.
These men, many who had no idea they had been nominated, expressed surprise that they had been chosen. One even called our offices to see if it was a joke. No, we assured him, no joke. Each of them deserves this prize more than they will know and we hope this inspires others to honor their heroes.
As wonderful as all of our finalists are, only one could be named the VA Mortgage Center.com American Hero. Visitors to the site voted once per day online from December 21, 2007 – January 11, 2008. We are proud to announce the $5,000 winner as…
Brian Horn
Founder of AnySoldier.com
Congratulations to Brian and all of our finalists! Thank you to all who participated.
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December 19, 2007 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in Veteran Benefits
The House of Representatives Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairman, Rep. Bob Filner, a Democrat from California, called the current VA loan program “irrelevant” for a number a reasons including the loan caps, high fees and strict underwriting and appraisal requirements all of which discourage homebuyers, real estate and mortgage brokers and sellers from using the program.
That’s why he and other members of his committee are working on legislation that would raise loan rates and possibly cut through some of that red tape in order to encourage use of the program.
Filner’s plan has yet to be completed but he says the maximum loan limit in his plan would be $620,000, up from the current $417,000. He is also considering a provision that would prevent lenders from foreclosing on the home of anyone on active duty.
Rep. Steve Buyer, an Indiana Republican, and Mike Michaud, a Democrat out of Maine, introduced their bill last week would raise the maximum loan amount the Department of Veterans Affairs can guarantee. While their proposed limit is not as high as Filner’s uncompleted plan, theirs is still worth paying attention to. Buyer and Michaud’s bill would raise the maximum from $417,000 to $521,250.
Buyer was the former committee chairman and cites the low maximum loan limit as the primary reason the veterans are straying away from the program. In high cost areas of the country the $417,000 cap is much to low and forces service members and veterans from using the program.
Buyer says, “Rising housing costs are keeping many veterans out of the market. And those who are able to purchase the American Dream are paying significantly higher closing costs.”
Buyer and Michaud hope to increase some of the guaranty of the program, making refinancing using the VA loan program a viable option. Right now it isn’t really an option. “With affordable housing so scarce in many areas of the nation,” says Michaud, “the increased guaranty and closing cost assistance should be very advantageous to both our nation’s veterans and home builders.”
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December 17, 2007 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in News
In our efforts to be a contributing member of the Military and Veteran community, VA Mortgage Center.com has become a corporate sponsor of National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Other NCHV sponsors include Harley-Davidson Motor Company and Lilly Pharmaceuticals.
Under our $17,000 grant, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV) will be working with several partners to create housing opportunities for low-income and homeless veterans, including National Guard and Reserve troops now serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Other priorities include ensuring access to health care and employment services, as well as peer counseling and community support systems for veterans returning home from combat operations.
The corporate sponsorship, a first for us, was inspired by recent reports of the high numbers of homeless veterans. In particular, a story in the Kansas City Star about homelessness levels in Missouri prompted action.
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November 29, 2007 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in Charities/Contests
Keeping with our “Honor Your Hero” theme of the American Hero Award Contest, we are profiling Veteran organizations and their heroic work. If you’re interested in having your organization featured, please contact Katherine@vamortgagecenter.com
Veterans For Peace is a 22-year-old organization with 7,000 members. Veterans For Peace delivered 24,000 phone cards to patients in 149 VA hospitals last Christmas. This year the organization is planning a larger effort, raising $90,000 to do so. Veterans for Peace also helps 80,000 Iraqis get safe drinking water, supports orphanages in Vietnam and Afghanistan, and has an NGO seat in the United Nations. As part of the International Campaign to Ban Land Mines, Veterans for Peace shares a part of the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Northern New York chapter of Veterans for Peace helped pass the New York State depleted uranium (the “new Agent Orange”) GI/vet coverage law, which has served as a legal precedent for other states. The chapter also informed the VA headquarters of 4,000 nationwide free support groups that provide help for individuals suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The chapter has also begun assisting the Gandhi Institute on how to help America heal after the conflict in Iraq, including ensuring that troops aren’t passively blamed by neglecting their needs.
We would like to offer our thanks to Roland Van Deusen, US Navy 1967-8, Naval Reserve 1962-72, a Vietnam era Veteran who provided us with information about the achievements of Veterans for Peace, nationwide and in New York. To learn more about the Northern NY Chapter (Chapter 121) please visit www.vfp-northcountry.org or contact info@vfp-northcountry.org. To learn more about Veterans for Peace nationwide, please visit http://www.veteransforpeace.org.
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November 13, 2007 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in Charities/Contests
VA Mortgage Center.com has launched a contest for honoring veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. The American Hero Award, which comes with a prize of $5,000, will be awarded to the veteran who receives the most votes on the company’s website.
This year’s theme calls on citizens to “Honor Your Hero” by nominating friends and family members they think deserve to be recognized. Nominations will be accepted on the website until December 14, 2007. All nominations should explain why the nominee deserves to be recognized in 300 words or less.
Ten finalists will be selected and an open online vote will be used to determine the winner. Finalists will have their photograph and bios featured on the VA Mortgage Center.com voting page. Along with the $5,000 donation to the winning Veteran, VA Mortgage Center.com will be awarding $500 to each of the ten finalists.
Visit our Honor Your Hero page now to nominate a Veteran!
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November 7, 2007 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in News, Veteran Benefits
VA Mortgage Center.com’s newest feature is likely to surprise many readers. The new Statistics and Reports Section was compiled to educate visitors and dispel misconceptions about the VA Home Loan Program. The data presents facts in a number of categories including “Availability and Awareness,” “Qualifications and Typical Loans.” There are also statistics compiled from US Census data detailing the demographics of Veterans living in America.
Possibly the most surprising statistic is that 80% of VA Loan borrowers could not qualify for a conventional loan. Interestingly enough, VA Loan foreclosure rates have been dropping while other types of loans continue to have rising foreclosure rates. The census statistics offer interesting insights about the rising rate of Veterans in the Southern United States, while the rate decreases elsewhere. Another rise has been in the number of female Veterans, though it’s only been a 2% increase in the past 20 years.
For more facts and figures, visit our brand new Statistics and Reports Section. Click here.
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October 31, 2007 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in Military News, News
As you may or may not know, during military burials, it is tradition for the volunteers to fold the American flag 13 times. For each fold they recite the significance of the fold for the survivors. Folds 11 and 12 have proved problematic recently in that they refer to religious figures. The 11th fold celebrates veterans of Jewish decent and “glorifies the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” The 12th fold is meant to glorify “God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.”
Unfortunately, complaints about the religious content of the recital have led to the recitation being banned across the country by the Veterans Administration employees and volunteers at all national cemeteries.
It is noted that it took only one complaint to have the recitation banned and the National Cemetery Administration has not yet disclosed the details of the complaint.
Veterans and the honor detail volunteers are livid. Bobby Castillo, 85, a World War II Navy veteran says it’s “a slap in the face of every veteran.” He also added, “When we got back from the war, we didn’t ask for a whole lot. We just wanted to give our veterans the respect they deserve. No one has ever complained to us about it. I just don’t understand.”
Rees Lloyd, 59, has his own ideas about what’s happening. “That the actions of one disgruntled, whining, narcissistic and intolerant individual is preventing veterans from getting the honors they deserve is truly an outrage. This is another attempt by secular fanatics to cleanse any reference to God.”
The spokesman for the National Cemetery Administration, Mike Nacincik, says the new policy is meant to create a uniform service throughout the military graveyard system. The recital is not part of the U.S. Flag Code, nor is it government approved.
Some have decided to ignore the edict. Charlie Waters is parliamentarian for the American Legion of California and says “There are 26 million veterans in this country, and they’re not going to take us all to prison.”
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October 25, 2007 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in News
With much of Southern California currently experiencing the terrible effects of large wildfires, we thought it would be useful to post on the Gov’s disaster information for homeowners. Please be sure to check their list of tips if you are one of the unfortunate persons affected by the circumstances in SoCal. Our prayers are with you.
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October 1, 2007 By You Served Editorial Staff
Posted in Charities/Contests
The second installment of our Military Education Scholarship Program here at VAMC launches today. After the overwhelming response we received last May (read about the winners here), we decided to keep the scholarship offerings coming each semester.
This round of scholarships includes more awards and more money to be had - we are offering 5 scholarships worth $1500 each.
We will be accepting submissions to our essay prompt: “How do you project that your military experience will prepare you for your career?” between October 1st and November 12th. For more details on how to apply, view our submission guidelines.
It was incredible to read about all the lives and stories we received back in May and we look forward to much of the same. Working day in and day out with Veterans and their families has proven a rewarding experience for all of those involved with our company, and this scholarship program was conceived to allow us to give back in some small way to the lives of those who serve. With the cost of higher education being what it is today, there’s no shortage of need for financial aid and assistance. Best of luck to all those who apply!
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