Category Archives: Military News

Is The VOW To Hire Heroes Act Enough?

Posted on November 21, 2011 by Marcus the Redshirt| Leave a comment

President Obama signed into law The VOW To Hire Heroes Act today marking a rare occurrence of bipartisan legislation in Washington. While I applaud both sides of the aisle for their dedication to solving the veteran unemployment problem, the act fails many veterans in the first key weeks after leaving military service. Before I expand upon this failure, let’s look at how the act does help many veterans.

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Military Post Offices in Iraq to Close Nov. 17

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Troy| Leave a comment

Because U.S. forces are coming home from Iraq by the end of the year, the U.S. Postal Service will stop accepting mail addressed to military post offices in Iraq starting 17 November.  Military post offices in Iraq also will stop processing mail Nov. 17, and Servicemembers there should begin now to advise those who send them mail about the Nov. 17 deadline.  Mail still in the postal system through 17 November will be processed and delivered to Servicemembers in Iraq.  The transition will be closely coordinated with the U.S. Postal Service Agency, which will delete ZIP codes for Iraq military post offices from the USPS database to prevent undeliverable mail from entering the postal system after Nov. 17.  If APO mail arrives in Iraq after a Servicemember departs, mail will be redirected to the new mailing address provided or, if no mailing address was provided, returned to sender.  To learn more about the post office closings, please go to: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=65829

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Posted in Military Life, Military News

Meet LtCol Fred Schenk

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Marcus the Redshirt| Leave a comment

I posted an article on 5 October detailing the F-35B (Marine Corps variant of the Joint Strike Fighter) making it’s first shipboard vertical landing. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel posted a nice follow up to that story yesterday giving us a glimpse into the life of the pilot who made the landing, Marine LtCol Fred Schenk.

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F-35B First Shipboard Vertical Landing

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Marcus the Redshirt| 1 Comment

Aircraft nuts, take notice. The F-35B, also known as the Marine Corps variant of the Join Strike Fighter, has completed it’s first shipboard vertical landing aboard the USS Wasp. This is a vastly important step in the long road to being certified as fleet ready and would literally make or break the F-35B for the Marine Corps. Before we get to the aircraft pron, take a few minutes to read about some of the historyof the F-35 and the variants. It’s a long read, but very much worth it. Also required reading before you get the good stuff is a very good article over on Blackfive:  So How Much Dos an F-35 Actually Cost. Aircraft nuts know that there have been massive errors from many fronts on the cost of this program.

Pictures and video after the break.  Continue reading →

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Study Links Gulf War Vets’ Illnesses to Area of Service

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Troy| Leave a comment

I am one of these soldiers. I took the PB tablets they made us take. I was forced to take the unapproved Anthrax shot, and I was near the huge Ammo dump at Khamisiyah. As I mentioned in the 2008 blog post I wrote on this site at http://www.vamortgagecenter.com/blog/2008/03/23/possible-gulf-war-syndrome-cause/ who knows what effects any of this has had on me, if anything?

All I know is that it was not come scam cooked up by 700,000 plus live and now many dead Gulf War veterans.  Continue reading →

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Posted in Military History, Military Life, Military News, Veteran Benefits

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Is it time to look for a new industry?

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Troy| Leave a comment

The boom times are over for the nation’s military.

After more than doubling in the past 10 years, Pentagon budgets are in for big cuts from Congress in coming years. No one yet knows exactly what will be cut or how deeply the cuts will go, but everyone knows they’re coming.
In North Carolina, where military communities already are preparing for the drawdown of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, officials wonder what cuts will mean for defense contractors and the size of the state’s force structure.
Across the nation, it’s a similar story, reflected by simple numbers: Defense spending hit a record high of $553 billion this year, excluding the cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. And it must be cut by $350 billion over the next 10 years because of the debt-limit agreement passed by Congress last month.
But that’s just the beginning: If Congress’ “supercommittee” doesn’t reach agreement in the next two months on a plan to reduce the nation’s deficit by at least $1.2 trillion, automatically triggered cuts would slash as much as $600 billion from defense and security programs over the next decade.
Read more at http://www.military.com/news/article/specter-of-big-defense-cuts-prompts-big-worries.html

 

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Retroactive Traumatic Injury Benefits No Longer Just for OEF/OIF Injuries

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Troy| Leave a comment

The VA is extending retroactive traumatic injury benefits to Servicemembers who suffered qualifying injuries during the period of 7 October  2001 to 30 November  2005, regardless of the geographic location where the injuries occurred.  Effective 1 October, the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) Traumatic Injury Protection benefit, known as TSGLI, will pay for all qualifying injuries incurred during this period.  This retroactive benefit is payable for all qualifying injuries incurred during this period.  This retroactive benefit is payable whether or not the Servicemember had SGLI coverage at the time of the injury.  TSGLI provides a payment ranging from $25,000 to $100,000 to Servicemembers sustaining certain severe traumatic injuries.  To see the whole article please go to: http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2169.

For more information or to apply for a TSGLI payment, Servicemembers and Veterans should go to: http://www.insurance.va.gov/sgliSite/TSGLI/TSGLI.htm or contact the local  branch of service TSGLI Office.

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Posted in Military News, Veteran Benefits

Congressional Medal of Honor Society Presents 150th Anniversary Commemorative Coin To Congress

Posted on September 21, 2011 by CJ| Leave a comment


The Congressional Medal of Honor Society today presented the Congress of the United States with a set of commemorative coins in appreciation for passing legislation 150 years ago to establish the Medal of Honor and for passing the Commemorative Coin Act as a way to honor the fewer than 3,500 heroes who have received this prestigious honor. Continue reading →

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Posted in Military News, Photo of the Day

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Photo of the Day – Air Force CPT to be Awarded Silver Star Posthumously

Posted on September 20, 2011 by CJ| Leave a comment


Capt. Nathan Nylander will be posthumously awarded the Silver Star medal by Gen. Norton Schwartz, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff, in a ceremony held at the Mirage Club here Sept. 24.

Captain Nylander was deployed to Afghanistan as an advisor and member of the NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan, 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan and Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. Captain Nylander was fatally wounded during a firefight on April 27.

When the gunman opened fire, Captain Nylander evacuated the conference room he occupied with four other Airmen and eight Afghan personnel. He then proceeded out into the hall where he and another officer engaged and wounded the gunman. Believing the attacker was incapacitated, Captain Nylander began assisting the wounded. Upon realizing the enemy was active, he reengaged the gunman and was wounded in the ensuing battle. Ultimately, Captain Nylander lost his life.

The medal will be accepted by his wife, Miriam Nylander.

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Dwell Time Increases To 2 Years

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Troy| Leave a comment

Beginning next month most deploying Army units should enjoy two years of dwell time upon returning home.  These goals are dependent on conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan, especially as the U.S. remains on track to withdraw from Iraq by 31 December and the number of troops in Afghanistan continues to decrease.  Army Secretary John McHugh stated on 5 August that the next priority is to move to nine-month deployments in fiscal 2012 for units at the division level and below.  Corps headquarters and Soldiers on individual taskings will remain on 12-month tours.  To read further about the extended dwell time, check out: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/09/army-dwell-time-increases-to-2-years-090411w/

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Posted in Military Life, Military News, Spouse and Family