Category: Veterans

3rd Annual AUSA Delaware Golf Scramble to support veterans

UPDATE: Our event has been rescheduled to June 15, 2020

We will be conducting our 3rd Annual Golf Scramble on Monday, June 15, 2020. This event raises funds for The Delaware Veterans Trust Fund and Warriors Helping Warriors in Middletown.

The Delaware Veterans Trust Fund offers financial assistance to Delaware veterans with health needs, housing assistance, utilities, and job training programs. Warriors Helping Warriors helps local veterans and their families transition back to being functional members of society. The organization provides counseling, a family support network, and veteran benefits assistance.

Last year we were able to donate $2500.00. We ask your help to exceed that amount this year!

We hope to have at least 84 golfers. Those interested can form a team or sign up as an individual. All will play. If you are not a golfer but wish to help our cause, please consider donating new golf items or gift cards that can be given as prizes. We invite local businesses to sponsor a hole for $100.00. Just send a check with a company logo, and we will have a sign made and placed at a tee box that day.

The entry form can be downloaded here.  Hope to see you there!

Gary W. Dawson
Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired)
President, Delaware Chapter
Association of the U.S. Army
(302) 230-6074

 

VA announces new Veterans ID card

[Editor’s note: This is a press release from the VA regarding a new Veterans ID card]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nov. 29, 2017

VA Announces Rollout and Application Process for New Veterans ID Card

WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that the application process for the national Veterans Identification Card (VIC) is now available for Veterans, yet another action honoring their service

This has been sought to honor our Veterans, fulfilling a promise that has been unfulfilled since 2015.

Only those Veterans with honorable service will be able to apply for the ID card, which will provide proof of military service, and may be accepted by retailers in lieu of the standard DD-214 form to obtain promotional discounts and services.

“The new Veterans Identification Card provides a safer and more convenient and efficient way for most Veterans to show proof of service,” said VA Secretary David J. Shulkin. “With the card, Veterans with honorable service to our nation will no longer need to carry around their paper DD-214s to obtain Veteran discounts and other services.”

The VIC provides a more portable and secure alternative for those who served the minimum obligated time in service, but did not meet the retirement or medical discharge threshold. Veterans who served in the armed forces, including the reserve components, and have a character of discharge of honorable or general (under honorable conditions) can request a VIC.

To request a VIC, Veterans must visit vets.gov, click on “Apply for Printed Veteran ID Card” on the bottom left of the page sign in or create an account.

Veterans who apply for a card should receive it within 60 days and can check delivery status of their cards at vets.gov. A digital version of the VIC will be available online by mid-December.

3-D Printing helping wounded warriors

When we think of 3-D printing, we often think of either those Mattel children’s toy printers, the goopy pen thing that allows you to “draw” in the air, or some sort of high-tech printing used in building components and manufacturing. What if we told you that it’s also making its way into veteran’s lives in a tangible way; making life easier with new prosthetics?

Walter Reed Hospital’s 3-D Medical Applications Center is providing wounded soldiers with custom printed implants and prosthetics. In fact, the five person team can print almost anything and is providing their services to other Department of Defense or Department of Veterans Affairs medical providers. DoD’s Armed with Science recently did an article about the team which you can check out here: Walter Reed’s 3-D Printing Innovations Help Warfighters Get Back to Life

World War I Centennial Celebration

The featured first exhibit of the Delaware Military Museum will honor the centennial of the First World War. Delaware played an outsize role before the United States had even entered the war, with Powder mills, shipyards and armament manufacture.

Delaware_Military_Museum_Logo

[Editor’s Note: As we remember the 100th anniversary of the “War to End All Wars,” we should all be mindful of the contributions of first state Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen. There is an excellent online exhibit on Delaware’s contribution to World War I called “Drawing America To Victory: The Persuasive Power of the Arts” | An online exhibit by the Delaware Division of Historical & Cultural Affairs.]

[News Release from the Delaware Military Museum]

WILMINGTON DE. – April 1, 2017: The featured first exhibit of the Delaware Military Museum will honor the centennial of the First World War. Delaware played an outsize role before the United States had even entered the war, with Powder mills, shipyards and armament manufacture.

On display in the museum visitors will re-live the era on the home front and overseas with uniforms, maps, images, and artifacts of the “Great War”. Reproductions of images in the collection of the Delaware National Guard by Delaware artists such as Gayle Hoskins and Frank Schoonover of the Brandywine School will be on view.

The collection highlights the experience of Lieutenant S.B.I. Duncan, a Delaware National Guardsman from New Castle with the 59th Infantry Pioneers who served in France. His photos, uniform, helmet, and documentation will be on view to tell his unique story.

Kennard Wiggins author of Delaware in World War I, will give a talk on his book at 2 PM.

Delaware’s first museum dedicated to its military will open Saturday April 15, at 10 AM. The museum includes Delaware’s most extensive military library and archive.

The new museum is co-located with the Delaware National Guard Wilmington Readiness Center and the Mid County Senior Center on First Regiment Road, just off McKennan’s Church Road. It will be open on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 10 AM to 4 PM.

The Delaware Military Heritage and Education Foundation, Inc.
First Regiment Road, Wilmington, Delaware 19808-2191
302-332-2485 https://demilitaryheritage.wordpress.com/

About us: The Delaware Military Heritage and Education Foundation has preserved and restored military artwork throughout the State of Delaware. The Foundation has compiled an extensive collection of military artifacts and archival materials. The DMHEF library and archives are a rich source for Delaware history educators and researchers.

Contact: Kennard Wiggins, Curator. kennard.wiggins@gmail.com, 443-553-6314

Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014

[This came to our chapter leadership from AUSA National Headquarters]

An Open Letter to America’s Veterans

At the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), we have one of the most noble and inspiring missions in Government. I accepted this job and joined this mission to better serve you-our Veterans-and improve the delivery of the care and benefits you have earned. It is our privilege to serve you, and I have made clear that as we move forward as a Department, we will judge the success of all our efforts against a single metric-the outcomes we provide for Veterans.

The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 (VACAA), enacted less than 3-months ago, goes a long way toward enabling VA to meet the demand for Veterans health care in the short-term. VA has put considerable focus and attention on ensuring the law is implemented seamlessly, without confusion, and without creating hardships for Veterans. This legislation provides authorities, funding, and other tools to better serve Veterans in the short-term. We are appreciative of this temporary measure to improve access while we build capacity within the VA system to better serve those who rely on us for health care.

From June 1 to September 30, 2014, VA completed more than 19 million Veteran appointments in our facilities and made nearly 1.1 million authorizations for Veterans to receive care in the private sector and other non-VA health facilities-a 46.6-percent increase over the same period in 2013. This was all done under existing programs prior to the passage of VACAA, and sets the stage for strengthening existing partnerships between VA and the private sector. We have much we can share with one another to the benefit of Veterans.

VA has signed contracts with two private health care companies to help VA administer the Veterans Choice Program (Choice Program) under VACAA. The Choice Program is a new, temporary benefit allowing some Veterans to receive health care in their communities rather than waiting for a VA appointment or traveling to a VA facility. It does not impact your existing VA health care or any other VA benefit you may be receiving. We will begin implementing this benefit on November 5, as required by law. A call center is now operational to answer your questions and verify your eligibility for this program.

As part of this new program, we are issuing a Veterans Choice Card to every Veteran who is potentially eligible for the new, temporary health benefit. The Choice Card allows Veterans to elect to receive care outside of VA when they qualify for the new program based on the distance of their residence from a VA care facility, or when wait times for VA health care exceed the standards established in law. The Choice Card does not replace the identification card you already use to access other VA benefits; please do not throw away that identification card.

The Choice Card will be issued in three phases. The first group of Choice Cards along with a letter explaining eligibility for this program is currently being sent to Veterans who may live more than 40 miles from a VA facility. The next group of Choice Cards and letters will be sent shortly thereafter to those Veterans who are currently waiting for an appointment longer than 30-days from their preferred date or the date determined to be medically necessary by their physician.

The final group of Choice Cards and letters will be sent between December 2014 and January 2015 to the remainder of all Veterans enrolled for VA health care who may be eligible for the Choice Program in the future.

We are continuing to work with our partners-Congress, Veterans Service Organizations, and others-to get the information about this health program out to Veterans in as many ways as possible. Please visit our Web site at www.va.gov/opa/choiceact<http://www.va.gov/opa/choiceact> where we have provided helpful information on Choice Program eligibility. We will work with our partners to keep you informed as we improve our delivery of high-quality, timely care.

Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Sincerely,

Robert A. McDonald

More Veterans Day News from your AUSA Chapter

1.  Veterans’ Day Luncheon: All AUSA members are invited to a Chapter Veterans Day luncheon on Tuesday, November 11, 2014, at 12:30 in the Lone Star Steakhouse on Route 13 in New Castle.  The room will be open at Noon, and a short program with lunch will begin at 12:30.  Cost is $15.00.  If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Gary Dawson at (302) 230-6074, or contact Laura Sievert at lauralsievert@gmail.com or (302) 545-6736.

2.  Veterans’ Day Ceremony:  The Delaware Commission of Veterans Affairs and the Military Order of the Purple Heart will host the Veterans Day Ceremonies on Tuesday, November 11, 2014. While those who died are also remembered on Veterans Day (observed on November 11), this day is intended to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military – in wartime or peacetime. In fact, Veterans Day is our citizens’ opportunity to thank living Veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served have sacrificed and done their duty. The program, scheduled to commence at 10:30 a.m., will be held at the Memorial Plaza, Delaware Memorial Bridge, New Castle, Delaware.

The National Veterans Day Committee in Washington, DC has designated Veterans Day in New Castle, DE, as a 2014 Regional Site. This is our twenty-third year of participation along with 67 similarly recognized sites throughout the United States and it’s territories.

3.  Veterans’ Day Discounts:  Military.com has posted a comprehensive list of Veterans Day discounts and free resources on their website under their Veterans Day Center. This is an excellent resource for military members to explore and includes the history of Veterans Day, tributes to Medal of Honor recipients, ways to honor veterans and much more.

News Flash:  National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) and the Association  of the U.S. Army Join Forces Against Budget Cuts!

Two of the nation’s leading military associations have joined together to urge Congress to get rid of automatic, across-the-board budget cuts known as sequestration. Retired Maj. Gen. Gus Hargett, the NGAUS president, and retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan, president of the Association of the United States Army, wrote a letter to Senate Armed Services Committee leadership last week. The letter urges committee chairman Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., to “end sequestration now.”

“The continued effects of sequestration on the Department of Defense will cause the Army, Active, Guard and Reserve, to fall into unreadiness,” they warn.

“The nation will be left with its smallest ground forces since 1940 – unable to carry out our defense strategy,” they said. “Troop levels so low put at risk our role as a guarantor of world security and embolden our enemies.”

Sequestration, which was enacted as part of the 2011 Budget Control Act, cuts funding for Defense Department initiatives without regard to the importance of the individual program. The Pentagon was able to avoid the full impact of the cuts thanks to a legislative deal last year, but without additional action by Congress the cuts will come back in fiscal 2016.

“It’s no secret that we have some different priorities than AUSA, but there is no daylight between us on this issue,” said Hargett. “These cuts hurt our ability to defend the nation and respond in the homeland, and it’s time to get rid of them for good.”

Wilmington University Honors Those that Serve

Wilmington University has invited us to join in honoring our nation’s Heroes!

On March 26, 2014 from 11:00am-1:00pm, Wilmington University will host a Spring Military/Veteran Appreciation Day at the Pratt Student Center (New Castle Campus, 320 N. DuPont Hwy, New Castle DE 19720).

The event is designed to recognize and honor our Servicemembers, Veterans, and their families. It will include attendance by Government Officials/Representatives, Senior Leadership from Wilmington University, our Military/Veteran Student Organization, and Vendors from the community. Activities will be available including a massage table, acupuncture table and a special “Rifle Spinning” demonstration performed by the ROTC Drill Team from William Penn High School! A light lunch, cake, and prizes will also be provided for attendees.

Agenda

  • 1100 – Event Begins: Sign in, networking/vendor tables/activities
  • 1200 – Remarks/Recognition: Jim Webb, Military Affairs Coordinator
  • 1210 – Rifle Spinning Demo: William Penn ROTC
  • 1220 – Continue networking/vendor tables/activities
  • 1300 – Event Ends

Supporting military vendors include: DAFB Airman & Family Readiness Center, Employer Support for Guard & Reserve (ESGR), MyHealtheVet, United Service Organizations Inc. (USO), Vet Center: Wilmington,  Military One Source, DE Army National Guard, and the DE Air National Guard.

Delaware World War II Memorial Dedication

Please plan to attend a special dedication ceremony of Delaware’s World War II memorial on November 9th, twelve o’clock noon at Legislative Hall, Dover DE.

If you are a WWII veteran and would like to attend, please RSVP at (302) 739-2792 for special seating.

If you know someone who is a WWII veteran, please pass this information on to them.

Delaware Veterans Stand Down

Delaware 2013 Veterans Stand Down will be held Friday, 4 October 2013 from 9:00am-3:00pm at the Walter L Fox Post # 2, American Legion Post, 835 Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901.

Veterans’ Stand Down is an event to showcase community & VA services for ALL veterans.  This includes housing, medical, dental, flu shots, behavioral health, VA eligibility & benefits, haircuts, legal service, hot lunch & warm clothing. Transportation provided at key pick up locations.

For more information contact Liz Byers-Jiron: (302) 349-4898 or lbjnavcret@hotmail.com.