N C D I V I S I O N O F

V E T E R A N S A F F A I R S

V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 9

Veterans Homes Update

( May 2014)

-Black Mountain-

99 residents

14 admissions

-Fayetteville-

142 residents

11 admissions

-Kinston-

58 residents

9 admissions

-Salisbury-

98 residents

6 admissions

Veterans Cemeteries

UPDATE

May Our Brothers and Sisters

Rest in Peace (May 2014)

-Black Mountain- 25 burials

-Jacksonville- 33 burials

-Spring Lake- 34 burials

J U N E 1 5 , 2 0 1 4

NC 4 Vets

NEWSLETTER NCDVA Director: Ilario Pantano

RALEIGH – June 2, 2014

The North Carolina Division of Veterans

Affairs (NCVA) launched a “Vet Tip

Hotline” today to help veterans and

improve services at US Department of

Veterans Affairs (USVA) medical

facilities located in North Carolina. The

hotline will provide a resource for

veterans and federal employees to

confidentially report alleged misconduct

within USVA facilities. The Vet Tip

Hotline, via (844)-NC4-Vets or

VetTips@DOA.NC.GOV, will connect

the tipster directly to NCVA executive

staff. Tips will be referred to appropriate

authorities within the USVA for

investigation.

“Hundreds of thousands of veterans

have received care from dedicated

USVA employees at medical facilities in

North Carolina,” said NCVA Director

Ilario Pantano. “Our goal, first and

foremost, is to care for our North

Carolina veterans, and as their advocate,

I want to help the USVA get back on

track.”

The hotline was set-up after the

NCVA received specific allegations of

misconduct at USVA medical facilities

in North Carolina. After conducting

interviews, the allegations were found

credible and referred to the appropriate

USVA authority.

“Our goal with the Vet Tip Hotline is

to be constructive, systematic and

transparent,” said Pantano. “We are not

looking for scapegoats but rather

solutions to get our veterans the care

they deserve.”

The Vet Tip Hotline follows a

restructuring already underway that will

locate NCVA offices within all 17

USVA medical facilities in North

Carolina by 2016. This restructuring will

assist with advocacy, provide benefit

services to veterans, and will assist with

the reporting of allegations received

through the Vet Tip Hotline.

To report misconduct at USVA

medical facilities located in North

Carolina, please call (844)-NC4-Vets or

email: VetTips@DOA.NC.GOV

Editor: Daniel Hackley

North Carolina Division of Veterans Affairs Launches “Vet Tip Hotline”

for USVA Allegations

8 4 4 - N C 4 - V E T S

Never forget: N.C. veterans of D-Day Attend National Ceremony

BY Ralph Berrier

Irv Nutter did not want to come here to mark the 70th

anniversary of D-Day.

“It brings back too many damn memories,” said

Nutter, who jumped into battle with the 82nd Airborne

Division in the early hours of June 6, 1944.

His doctor persuaded him to make the trip, however,

which is why Nutter and his wife, Jeanne, traveled with

100 other people in two buses from Asheville, North

Carolina.

They joined a crowd of about 7,500 at the National

D-Day Memorial for the anniversary ceremony, which

paid tribute to the soldiers who put Hitler on the run for

good.

The crowd included nearly 300 D-Day veterans, the

largest contingent to attend an anniversary service

since the memorial’s opening ceremony in 2001.

Hundreds more World War II veterans and their

families came to the D-Day Memorial from across the

United States to hear a slew of speakers, which

included U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Frederic

Dore of the French Embassy, U.S. Reps. Bob Goodlatte

and Robert Hurt, and other state leaders.

The crowd was there because the days gathering

will probably go down as one of the last large reunions

of D-Day veterans, many of whom are now in their

90s.

“I’m surprised this many people came out,” said

Nutter, who lives in Cullowhee, North Carolina. “The

trip has been great. I wasn’t that anxious to come, to

tell the truth. The people have been great.”

The ceremony began with a parachute jump by eight

members of the Golden Knights, the Army’s parachute

team.

The parachutists landed on the memorial grounds,

then they passed a baton to WWII paratroopers,

including John Kessler of Roanoke, a former member

of the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

The accounts of D-Day veterans were read by a

series of speakers, whose readings knitted together the

story of that fateful day. The readings included an

excerpt from Anne Frank’s diary account of the Allied

invasion, which was read by Kathrien Mys, a student at

Faith Christian School.

The memorial was built in Bedford because of the

small town’s unique sacrifice — 19 Bedford soldiers

from Company A of the 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th

Division died on Omaha Beach on D-Day and four

more died in the following days. The town’s casualty

rate on D-Day was among the highest of any town in

the United States.

“Bedford stands in for all small towns all over the

country who sent their best and brightest for the price

of freedom,” Kaine said in an interview before the

ceremony.

Dore, the deputy chief of mission in the French

Embassy, spoke of the long-standing alliances between

the United States and France and he told the crowd that

the French people are still grateful for American

sacrifices 70 years ago.

“We will never forget what your sons did to make us

free again,” Dore said. “We carry in our hearts and

minds forever a duty to teach younger generations to

commend them as heroes.”

Following the ceremony, a statue titled “Homage”

was unveiled at the memorial. The piece was the final

work of art made for the memorial by sculptor Jim

Brothers, who died of cancer last year.

An encampment of WWII re-enactors and exhibitors sprawled across the memorial’s grounds. Visitors

(Continued on page 3)

could hold a WWII M1 Garand rifle or look at any number of weapons, jeeps, rations and other pieces in an area that smelled of canvas. People learned battle histories from men wearing the uniforms of American, British and Canadian soldiers. Some re-enactors wore authentic wool uniforms, which was sweaty work on a warm day.

“I choose to do this,” said Greg Brondos, 46, a Winchester schoolteacher who wore the heavy wool uniform of the English 50th Infantry Division.

“I got to speak to a gentleman who was 97 and another who was 93,” Brondos said. “We probably have two or three more years of being able to hear the stories of these people. History has a chance of being lost if you’re not careful.”

The best exhibits were the living, breathing veterans themselves, who regaled young people with wartime tales. Henry Harris of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, told listeners about his time as a bombardier on B-17 planes during raids over Europe. Fred Hepner of Woodstock recalled how he piloted landing craft for the Navy and safely delivered more than 200 troops to shore.

“We never got hit,” Hepner said. “There was a machine gun pointed in our direction, but a German had left it because he didn’t want any part of it. He just took off. I just got lucky.”

Bob Sales was one of the lucky ones, too. The Madison Heights native, who joined the National Guard at age 15, was the only survivor from his boat of 30 men that hit Omaha Beach.

“The sea was rough, and I got knocked over the side,” Sales said, looking resplendent in a beige jacket, white shirt, white pants and white sneakers.

“My commander was killed. Key people were killed. I was thrown off the side, and the radio I was carrying went to the bottom of the English Channel. I crawled behind dead bodies and crawled all the way across the beach. It was terrible. Terrible. How I made it, I’ll never know. A long time ago, I stopped trying to figure that out.”

Sales earned a Silver Star for heroism when he saved 20 men by directing a tank to knock out a German gun.

The tank was later hit, and Sales was blinded. He is still partially blind and now gets around in a wheelchair. His wife read his D-Day remembrances for him during the ceremony.

Much of the ceremony, which lasted nearly two hours, was held during bright sunshine, marked with a few clouds and a welcome breeze. Some veterans and other older visitors, many of them in wheelchairs, left the ceremony for shady spots as the ceremony went well past noon. A few people were treated by emergency personnel who had set up cooling stations on site.

Although the service was probably one of the last reunions for many of these D-Day veterans, some old soldiers, such as Ben Riggs, a WWII veteran from Durham, were already looking ahead to a 75th anniversary in 2019. “I won’t be but 94, so I’ll be here,” Riggs said.

NC Veterans Affairs Dir. Meets with

Acting Sec. of Veterans Affairs Sloan

D. Gibson in Fayetteville

RALEIGH – North Carolina Division of Veterans

Affairs (NCVA) Director Ilario Pantano met with

Acting Secretary of Department of Veterans Affairs

Sloan D. Gibson to offer support and assistance with

better serving North Carolina veterans. The meeting

took place on Thursday, June 12, at the VA Medical

Center in Fayetteville, NC.

“We look forward to sharing our concerns and also

our solutions,” said Director Pantano. “North

Carolina’s 800,000 veterans deserve the very best and

we are pleased to see Acting Secretary Gibson make

North Carolina a priority.”

On June 2, NCVA launched a “Vet Tip Hotline” to

provide a resource for veterans and federal employees

to confidentially report alleged misconduct within US

Department of Veterans Affairs (USVA) facilities

located in North Carolina. In addition, NCVA is

restructuring and plans to locate its offices within all

17 USVA medical facilities in North Carolina by

2016. This restructuring will assist with advocacy,

provide benefit services to veterans, and will assist

with the reporting of allegations received through the

Vet Tip Hotline.

To report misconduct at USVA medical facilities

located in North Carolina, please call (844)-NC4-Vets

or email: VetTips@DOA.NC.GOV

(Continued from page 2)

GI Bill 70th Anniversary Colleagues and Fellow Veterans,

Like so many young Americans, Nathaniel Boone wanted to create a better life for himself and for his family. By 18 years old, he had lost his father, his mother was sick, and he had no money to go to school. So he left his

hometown of Englewood New Jersey and joined the Marines to serve his country.

If this happened today, we’d all admit his biggest

concern might be getting through boot camp in one

piece. But back in 1946 – a time when desegregation

was not yet a reality for our Nation, and two years

before President Truman issued the executive order for

equal treatment of military personnel – Mr. Boone

faced many more battles.

Segregated from the other Marines, African American

recruits were sent to a special facility fenced off from

Camp Lejeune called Montford Point.

While there they faced incredible hardship, but Nate

says that what kept him going was his determination

that no matter what he had to endure, he was going to

get a college education and his service in the Marine

Corps was going to help him get there.

And get there he did – after two years, Nate was

awarded his GI Bill benefits, which he used to attend

Bates College in Maine. And after his graduation, he

put himself through law school on his own dime at

Boston University.

President Obama recently presented Mr. Boone and

roughly 400 other surviving “Montford Point Marines”

with the Congressional Gold Medal for the important

role they played in integrating the Marine Corps. Mr.

Boone was committed to making a better life for

himself and did everything in his power to take

advantage of the opportunities before him.

I believe this is the spirit of what the GI Bill is all

about. This month VA is celebrating the 70th

Anniversary of the original GI Bill®. On June 22,

1944 the Servicemen's Readjustment Act was enacted,

creating a wide range of benefits for Veterans

returning from

World War II. These benefits – commonly known

as the “GI Bill” -- included low-cost home loans,

educational and vocational training.

The original GI Bill has long been considered an

enormous success – by historians, politicians and

economists – for its impact on the post-war economy

and capital investment in our “Greatest Generation.”

Subsequent legislation expanded and extended similar

GI Bill benefits to future generations, including

Veterans of the Korean War, Vietnam Veterans and

those serving during peace-time.

And passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill has provided

this important benefit to our newest – and next

Greatest Generation of Veterans.

The GI Bill has helped more than 22 million

beneficiaries since it began in 1944. Since the end of

World War II, GI Bill programs have shaped our

nation and helped stimulate our economy.

Education not only changes lives of Veterans and

immediate family members, but adds richness and

economic stability to our communities.

Curtis L. Coy

Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity

Veterans Benefits Administration

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Butner Receives

Federal Grant to Build Veterans Housing

By Jonathan Black

BUTNER, NC — The town has received a $4.2 million grant to fund the first phase of a complex which aims to house homeless and at-risk veterans.

The Veterans Life Center will use the grant to refurbish the first and largest building at the former John Umstead Hospital, which was built as an Army hospital during World War II. “Building 71,” as it is currently known, will hold up to 150 veterans when completed early next year.

The criteria for deciding who will live at the center will follow guidelines used by similar programs in Asheville and San Diego, said John Turner, executive director of Veterans Leadership Council of North Carolina-CARES, a veteran-owned nonprofit based in Raleigh.

“Right now we are focused on renovating,” Turner said. “As we get closer to the ribbon-cutting, we will announce the criteria for veterans to live at the center.”

The buildings that will become the Veterans Life Center are now vacant. When all eight buildings are refurbished, the center will be able to hold up to 400 residents.

In addition to providing free room and board, the center will offer professional counseling and wellness services in areas such as substance abuse, mental health, vocational education and mentoring. The first building will create 26 jobs.

Money to operate the first building will come from federal and private grants as well as private donations. “We’ll be able to tailor services to the need of each specific veteran,” Turner said. “We are building a community of public and private support to better care for North Carolina’s veterans.”

The grant for the first phase came from the Community Development Block Grant program, which is run through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Planning to apply for the grant began in summer 2011, after VLC signed the lease to the buildings from the state.

The cost of developing the rest of the center has not been determined.

“We are doing this in phases, so we know the grant will cover the cost of ‘Building 71,’ ” Turner said. “We can’t predict the costs of other phases as we go forward.”

Ilario Pantano, director of the N.C. Division of Veterans Affairs, said the winding down of the war in Afghanistan is forcing people to focus on veterans’ issues.

“The awareness of homeless veterans has raised, and the public has become outraged because of it,” Pantano said. “It’s a state effort that we all have some role in.”

North Carolina has the fourth-largest active-duty military population in the country and has upward of 8,000 homeless veterans, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “If we had one it would be too many,” Pantano said. “North Carolina is a magnet for veterans, and we need to make sure we take care of all of them.”

Although August will mark the 50th anniversary of the start of the Vietnam War, veterans and veteran services officers decided it wasn’t too early Thursday to recognize the men and women who served in the war.

About a dozen veterans in wheelchairs gathered around the flagpole outside the state veterans nursing home located near the W.G. Hefner VA Medical Center for a somber service.

The Rev. William “Bill” Ragsdale, the nursing home’s chaplain, joined N.C. Veteran Services Officer Barry Cartner in hoisting up a unique flag commemorating the war’s 50th anniversary underneath the red, white and blue.

“It’s only fitting that we take a little bit of time out of our day just to recall the sacrifices that everyone made during the Vietnam era, especially those who were in country, in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia,” Cartner said.

The commemorative flag was prepared by the Department of Defense in recognition of the 50th anniversary, Cartner said.

The flag incorporates the Vietnam Service Ribbon, the red, white and blue to symbolize the Americans who fought in the war as well as black and green to symbolize the prisoners of war and those missing in action, Cartner said.

“These gentlemen are just as much a national treasure as anyone who served during Korea or World War II,” Cartner said. “Most of the veterans

attending the ceremony served in World War II, Korea or Vietnam.”

With decades of service under their belts, Cartner said the veterans have seen the stark contrast in how the country treated the World War II generation versus the Vietnam generation.

“Suddenly, everything became very different. Instead of being recognized for your heroism and your courage, you suddenly became the villain. You did the same things,” Cartner said.

Although Thursday’s ceremony was simple and solemn, Cartner said it is important to do simple things to remind Vietnam veterans they are appreciated.

Ragsdale said many veterans “don’t think highly” of Jane Fonda, an outspoken opponent of the war.

“(Fonda), along with others, protested the Vietnam War. As a consequence of that mood in the country, we Americans did not honor our armed forces who were there and served,” Ragsdale said. “We did not publicly say ‘thank you.’”

Soldiers returning home from Vietnam did not receive a ticker tape parade like that in New York City at the end of World War II, Ragsdale said.

“Not honoring our veterans for their service, their blood and the ugly stuff they went through was not right. It was wrong,” Ragsdale said. “I know we’re a little bit ahead of the curve on this. Others soon will be joining us all across America.”

Flag Raising at State Veterans Nursing Home

Honors Those who Served in Vietnam

Eastern NC Veterans Seminar a Huge Success

Williamston, NC —

On Thursday, June 12th

almost 200 veterans,

family members,

vendors and a number

of local dignitaries

attended the 4th Annual

Eastern NC Veterans

Seminar held at the

Martin County Tele-

Center in

Williamston, NC.

The Seminar was highlighted by an appearance by

the Assistant Secretary of NC Veterans Affairs, Ilario

Pantano; the Co-chair of the NCDVA 50th

Commemorative Anniversary of the Start of the

Vietnam War, Jimmy Woodard; and guest speaker

and Medal of Honor recipient Walter J. (Joe) Marm,

Jr. (US Army Colonel, Retired).

Mr. Pantano recognized attendees from each of

our declared conflicts starting with World War II and

continuing to the present day conflict, pausing to

emphasize the disgraceful attitude and treatment of

our brave Vietnam War veterans upon their return

home and afterwards. He challenged all in

attendance to keep the plight of our veterans alive

through conversations and actions. Mr. Pantano took

a number of questions and comments from the

assembled veterans with the promise he would

present them to the Interim Secretary of US

Department of Veterans Affairs when he was to meet

with him later in the day in Fayetteville.

Glenn Batten, with the assistance of Shareka

Alexander of District 1 in Elizabeth City, Joe

Seabolt, CVSO in Northampton County, and Perry

Haagen, CVSO in Pamlico County, read the names

of the 41 Vietnam Veterans who went to war and are

still unaccounted for. A moment of silence in their

honor followed the reading of the names.

Jimmy Woodard presented an overview of the 4

State Veterans Nursing Homes with emphasis on the

nearby home in Kinston. Jimmy then had the honor to

introduce Joe Marm, who received the Congressional

Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry and heroism

beyond the call of duty during combat in Vietnam.

Colonel Marm began his talk with a short film

showing his presentation of the Medal of Honor which

occurred in Washington, DC in December 1966. He

followed the film with a discussion of how surreal the

ceremony was to him and that he felt it was easier to

earn the Medal than it is to wear it; a reference to the

feelings he has carried with him about those who did

not return from that mission. Colonel Marm is a

former member of the NC Veterans Commission and

also serves as a mentor for other Medal of Honor

recipients to assist them in preparing for the formal

award and in handling the publicity and, in some

cases, the guilt that comes with the honor.

Other presenter included our own Jarvis Abbott,

NCDVA District 1, who did a presentation on VA

Benefits; and Jeff Futrell, NCDVA District 15, who

did a presentation on Pension with Aid and

Attendance. Denise Ingram, District 15, set up and

manned the NCDVA information table and spoke with

numerous veterans and family members about their

VA benefits, as well as handing out informational

brochures on VA benefits and 50th Commemorative

Anniversary of the Start of the Vietnam War

memorabilia.

Additionally, the VA Vet Center Mobile Unit, VA

Healthcare personnel, and Employment representatives

were present to speak with veterans and family

member. The afternoon session included

employability classes and resources..

Lunch was prepared and served by AMVETS Post

227 from Williamston, NC.

Medal of Honor Recipient Joe Marm

Photo By: Jim Green

Message from the Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Not all Veterans are getting the timely access to the

healthcare that they have earned. Systemic problems in

scheduling processes have been exacerbated by leadership

failures and ethical lapses. I will use all available authority

to swiftly and decisively address issues of willful

misconduct or mismanagement.

VA’s first priority is to get all Veterans off waiting lists and

into clinics while we address the underlying issues that

have been impeding Veterans’ access to healthcare. The

President has made clear that this is his expectation.

Even as we implement these immediate actions, we will

work with Veterans Service Organizations, members of

Congress, academia, public and private organizations, and

with all other agencies and institutions that can help us

move forward..

We will also continue to depend on the faithful service

of VA employees and leaders who place the interests of

Veterans above their own, those who serve Veterans with

dignity, compassion, and dedication, and who live by VA’s

core values: Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect,

and Excellence..

Finally, as we accelerate our access to care, we will not

lose sight of the fact that the quality of VA healthcare

remains strong. Ten years of external validations have

consistently shown that, on average, Veterans who use VA

healthcare rate our hospitals and clinics as high or higher in

customer satisfaction than patients give most of the

Nation’s private sector hospitals.

On behalf of all Veterans, I express my appreciation to

Secretary Shinseki for his leadership of VA. For decades to

come, Veterans will benefit from the transformation begun

in the past five years.

Thank you for your support and dedication to Veterans

and our mission to serve them.

Sloan D. Gibson

North Carolina Division of

Veterans Affairs

325 N. Salisbury Street

Albemarle Bldg., Suite 1065

1315 Mail Service Center

Raleigh, NC 27699-1315

Phone: (919) 807-4250

Please direct questions or

comments to:

Daniel Hackley

Email:

Daniel.Hackley.DVA@gmail.com

Telephone: (919) 807-4267

Office General

Processing NC Benefits

Office

Visits

CVSO

Contacts

Claims

Submitted

Claims

Reviewed

Claims

Granted

Percent

Granted

Claims

Denied

Percent

Denied

Dist. 1 1616 8 275 45 27 12 11 91 1 8

Dist. 2 452 17 103 42 53 15 12 80 3 20

Dist. 3 1696 14 200 - 21 23 16 70 7 30

Dist. 4 3294 105 151 - 10 9 6 67 3 33

Dist. 5 2554 4 331 - 6 3 1 33 2 67

Dist. 6 1216 3 320 - 19 16 9 56 7 43

Dist. 8 7,384 10 91 - 13 43 36 84 7 16

Dist. 9 2657 25 56 63 4 0 0 0 0 0

Dist. 10 4777 32 131 182 24 8 5 62 1 12

Dist. 11 2618 4 17 - 19 6 4 66 2 33

Dist. 12 1730 6 60 3 5 6 3 50 3 50

Dist.13 3330 52 153 - 201 12 8 66 3 33

Dist. 15 2455 12 54 - 7 7 5 71 2 29

June 2014 NCDVA Consolidated Activity

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5 6 70th Anniversary of

D-Day Invasion

7

8 9 10 11 12

Eastern NC Veterans

Seminar (Williamston)

13 14

15 16 17 18

19 20

21

22 23 U.S. Coast Guard

Auxiliary Birthday

24 25 26

27 PTSD Awareness

Day

28

29 30

June 2014 N C D I V I S I O N O F V E T E R A N S A F F A I R S

“Making NC the

State of Choice for

U.S. Flag Day

U.S. Army Birthday

Operation Red

Wings Observance

Nonprofits Supporting Veterans

Please Email Daniel Hackley to Place Information on Nonprofits Supporting Veterans

Daniel.Hackley.dva@gmail.com