veterans day 2006 - u.s. department of veterans affairs · veterans day 2006 18 ... in honor of...

VAnguard

November/December 2006 1

outlook

November/December 2006

Veterans Day 2006Telehealth Programs

DAV Transportation Network

Native American Veteran Outreach

Veterans Day 2006Telehealth Programs

DAV Transportation Network

Native American Veteran Outreach

VAnguard

2 November/December 2006

Features

Just What the Doctor Ordered 6Telehealth allows patients to be monitored in their homesLooking for a Few Good Drivers 9VA-DAV transportation program is looking for younger volunteersThe Art of Telling War Stories 12How VA helped ‘Doonesbury’ cartoonist Garry Trudeau ‘get it right’140 Years of Service to Veterans 14Three of VA’s oldest facilities celebrate a milestoneTaking on the World 16These skydivers may have lost limbs, but they haven’t lost courageVeterans Day 2006 18Observances large and small were held across the countryCrossing the Cultural Divide 22A unique program is helping VA reach Native American veteransTaking a Creative Approach to Reaching Out 25Going beyond traditional methods has led to success for one vet center

Departments

3 Letters4 From the Secretary5 Outlook26 Around Headquarters30 Introducing31 Medical Advances32 Have You Heard34 Honors35 Heroes36 Creative Arts Festival

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VAnguardVA’s Employee MagazineNovember/December 2006Vol. LII, No. 6

Printed on 50% recycled paper

Editor: Lisa RespessAssistant Editor/Senior Writer: Renee McElveenPhoto Editor: Robert TurtilPublished by the Office of Public Affairs (80D)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs810 Vermont Ave., N.W.Washington, D.C. 20420(202) 273-5746E-mail: [email protected]/opa/feature/vanguard

On the coverMembers of the VFW Honor Guard escortthe procession of flags into the MemorialAmphitheater to begin the Veterans Daynational observance program at ArlingtonNational Cemetery. VA field facilities hostedor participated in many local observances allover the country. photo by Nancy Crase/PVA Publications

www.va.gov/opa/feature/vanguard

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letters

pay homage to two of VA’smost distinguished employ-ees—two very close friends—on the same page. Both con-tributed to the well-being ofAmerica’s veterans for decadesafter battlefield scars wouldhave silenced lesser men.

I smiled as I read of JimMayer’s most recent contribu-tions and then the tribute toRufus Wilson’s passing. Thetwo graced the same daismany times, often alternatingintroductions.

You mentioned Jim’s se-vere injuries. During one in-troduction, Rufus said thatJim had “lost his legs in Viet-nam.” Jim thanked Rufus forhis kind words, then added: “Iwish you wouldn’t tell peoplethat I lost my legs. It makesme sound forgetful.”

Many of us are so betteroff, having crossed paths withthese gentlemen.

Chuck LucasRetiree

Springfield, Va.

Have a comment onsomething you’ve seen inVAnguard? We invitereader feedback. Sendyour comments [email protected]. Youcan also write to us at:VAnguard, Office of Pub-lic Affairs (80D), Depart-ment of Veterans Affairs,810 Vermont Ave., N.W.,Washington, D.C.,20420, or fax your letterto (202) 273-6702. In-clude your name, titleand VA facility. We won’tbe able to publish everyletter, but we’ll use repre-sentative ones. We mayneed to edit your letterfor length or clarity.

We Want toHear from You

Honoring Veteransof a Long-Ago WarI noticed with much interestthe account featured in theJuly/August edition of theMassachusetts soldier whoseremains were returned homeand buried with full militaryhonors. This occurred 145years after he died in the WarBetween the States. The ac-count recounts how his re-mains were recovered fromnear Centreville, Va.

This caught my attention

because our family lived formany years near Centreville inManassas, Va., not far fromthe Manassas National Battle-field site. I am glad you fea-tured this as it helps to also re-mind us of our history andhelps to preserve it.

To add to this I suggestyou now feature a similarConfederate soldier. Therehave been increasing numbersof VA-furnished Confederategrave markers now beingplaced around the nation by

families and organizations—several in this area alone.

Thanks for your accountalong with the nice photo-graph from a war so long agoinvolving American soldiers.

James N. DraneU.S. Air Force (ret.)

Boonville, Mo.

Battle Wounds Didn’tSilence These TwoDistinguished EmployeesHow ironic that the Septem-ber/October VAnguard should

In honor of Veterans Day, theVeterans Health Administra-tion added two new featuresto its health information Webportal for veterans, MyHealtheVet (www.myhealth.va.gov). The changes are de-signed to help veterans take anactive role in maintainingtheir health.

“Healthy Living Centers”offers the latest medical infor-mation on smoking cessation,healthy eating and physical ac-tivity. “Condition Centers”features information on diabe-tes, heart disease, hypertensionand stroke. Both centers pro-vide information on health

Two New Features Added to My HealtheVettopics developed by VHA’sClinical Advisory Board, andlink veterans with the infor-mation they need to betterunderstand, maintain andmanage their health.

VHA made the changesbased on veterans’ suggestionsand feedback. For example,veterans requested tools tomanually track their bloodpressure, blood sugar, weightand other health readings.Now they can document theirreadings on a wallet-sizedsummary worksheet on a dailyor weekly basis, and enter thereadings online when it is con-venient for them.

Another big change iscoming soon: the first itera-tion of My HealtheVet’s Per-sonal Health Record. Veteranscan get to know VA medicalcenter points of contacts, re-view local implementationplans and ask questions. Atthe end of December, veteransalso will be able to view theirmedication names throughMy HealtheVet.

The entire MyHealtheVet portal, which cel-ebrated its third anniversaryon Veterans Day, enables vet-erans, family members and cli-nicians to collaborate to opti-mize a veteran’s health.

Veteran Charles Pricegets his flu shot fromMary Bradford, licensedvocational nurse at theDallas VA Medical Cen-ter. The line formed be-fore 7 a.m. as the medi-cal center kicked off its12th annual drive-thruflu shot program onOct. 23. It was one ofmany similar programsat VA facilities aroundthe country aimed atmaking getting a flushot as convenient aspossible for veterans.

Ready forFlu Season

NANCY GRAY

www.myhealth.va.gov

VAnguardfrom the secretary


st-louis/military-personnel/index.html has forms, ad-dresses and other informationon requesting medals. Forquestions, call Military Per-sonnel Records at (314) 801-0800 or e-mail questions [email protected].

When requesting medals,type or clearly print the veter-an’s full name, include the vet-eran’s branch of service, servicenumber or Social Securitynumber and provide the exactor approximate dates of mili-tary service. The request mustcontain the signature of theveteran or next of kin if theveteran is deceased. If avail-

able, include a copy of the dis-charge or separation docu-ment, WDAGO Form 53-55or DD Form 214.

‘Veterans Pride’: A New American Tradition BeginsJim NicholsonSecretary of Veterans Affairs

As veterans bring their medals out of closets and dresserdrawers, their untold stories of sacrifice and service willsoon follow.

Gen. George Washington hadit right when he turned overthe victorious ContinentalArmy to its new governmentand said: “This new nationowes these men who procuredour freedom a debt of grati-tude.”

Our job at VA is to fulfillthat debt of gratitude everyday. But, there is even morewe can all do as Americans,and that is to honor andthank our veterans and en-courage them to be openlyproud of their service, sacrificeand accomplishment.

That is why VA and vet-erans service organizationslaunched the “Veterans Pride”initiative on Veterans Dayasking our veterans to proudlywear their military medals andribbons on Veterans Day, andon Memorial Day and theFourth of July.

Our goal is to inspire theAmerican people to recognizeand honor the military serviceof their fellow citizens, and toengender a greater sense ofpride and satisfaction on thepart of the veterans for whatthey did for our country.

Judging from the medalsI saw during my Veterans Dayschedule and the feedbackfrom veterans across the coun-try, Veterans Pride made itspoint and is well on its way tobecoming an American tradi-tion.

“It’s a great thing andabout time,” a Navy veteransaid in one of many news ar-ticles I read about the cam-paign. “If our nation wasgrateful enough to give those[medals] to us, we should beallowed to wear them.”

We are urging all veteransto pin on their military med-als and ribbons on patrioticholidays, especially when par-ticipating in festivities and pa-rades, but also in just goingabout their regular activities ofthat day.

The Veterans Pride initia-tive shines a bright light onmillions of our fellow citizenswho answered the highest callof service to our nation, bothin peace and in war. Eachveteran’s medal tells a storyabout that service. VeteransPride will also stimulate inter-est in our veterans’ service andsacrifice within families,

neighbors, colleagues and fel-low citizens. We hope to bringour veterans’ stories home toall Americans. As veteransbring their medals out of clos-ets and dresser drawers, theiruntold stories of sacrifice andservice will soon follow, asfamily and friends realize justwho our veterans are and whatthey did.

I recall the proud wife ofa veteran at a Military Orderof the Purple Heart event Iattended who told me howpleased she was that our Vet-erans Pride initiative had con-vinced her husband to wearhis medals on Veterans Day.“He was concerned aboutseeming boastful,” she said,“but he found out just howproud everyone was of hisservice.”

VA’s “Veterans Pride” ini-tiative Web site, www.va.gov/veteranspride, offers importantinformation and guidanceabout how veterans can findout just what medals they re-ceived and how they can ob-tain them. Use it to assist vet-erans seeking their medals.

Veterans Pride has onlyjust begun. Encourage veter-ans you know to wear theirmedals proudly and help themreplace those lost medals ifneed be so they can wear themthis Memorial Day.

Replacing Military MedalsMedals awarded while in

active service are issued by theindividual military services.Requests for replacementmedals should be directed tothe branch of the military inwhich the veteran served.However, the National Person-nel Records Center (NPRC)in St. Louis verifies awards forAir Force (including Army AirCorps) and Army veterans andforwards requests and verifica-tion to the appropriate ser-vices. Requests for replace-ment medals should be sub-mitted on Standard Form180, “Request Pertaining toMilitary Records,” which maybe obtained at VA offices oron the Internet atwww.va.gov/vaforms.

The Military PersonnelRecords section of NPRC’sWeb site at www.archives.gov/

Charles Wallace, EEO special-ist at the Clement J. ZablockiVA Medical Center in Milwau-kee, wore his medals proudlyon Veterans Day.

JOHN ZEWISKE

www.va.gov/veteranspride

www.va.gov/vaforms

www.archives.gov/

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outlook

our operational effectivenessimprove as we share best prac-tices across operating units,standardize applications andsystems to allow secure accessto data across units, and elimi-nate the repetitive administra-tive procedures that wastetheir time and energy.

Maintaining the develop-ment and use of innovativepractices is a primary goal ofour centralized model. Ourleadership is committed tosupporting and adopting bestpractices throughout our ITorganization to ensure that weremain at the forefront of de-livering world-class health careservices and benefits to veter-ans.

Finally, to me personally,there is no greater honor thanserving our nation’s veteransand their families. It is my

long-term goal to see that VAattracts and retains the bestand brightest IT professionalswho will continuously striveto raise the bar in providingsecure, high-quality, and re-sponsive IT services to ourhealth care and benefits ad-ministrations and supportingstaff offices.

Editor’s note: As VA’s new As-sistant Secretary for Informa-tion and Technology, BobHoward serves as thedepartment’s chief informa-tion officer.

Providing Secure, High-Quality, Responsive IT ServicesBob HowardAssistant Secretary for Information and Technology

During my 33 years in theArmy, I had the honor of serv-ing under many exceptionalleaders. From them, I learnedfour principles that I have ap-plied throughout my careerand will continue to follow atVA:■ Communicate effectivelyand frequently■ Listen to staff and to thosewe support■ Correct things that arewrong without delay■ Establish clear objectivesand action plans and makesure that every staff memberunderstands his or her role,not just in day-to-day activi-ties, but also in our plans forthe future.

In the short term, I sharethe same goal as the rest of mycolleagues in the Office of In-formation and Technology—to help our customers meettheir business needs with adedicated, high-performingworkforce and state-of-the-arttechnologies.

My first priority is to es-tablish a leadership structurethat supports the OI&T staffin delivering high-quality, re-sponsive support to all our VAcustomers. At the same time, Iwant OI&T to create an envi-ronment of vigilance andawareness that will minimizethe risk of unauthorized expo-sure of sensitive informationabout veterans and VA em-ployees. This means integrat-ing security awareness into thedaily activities of every em-ployee, volunteer and contrac-tor, strengthening data secu-rity, and remedying any mate-rial weaknesses in our IT secu-rity controls.

Other priorities includeimproving our efficiency andcost-effectiveness by: 1) stan-dardizing IT infrastructureand business processesthroughout VA; 2) makingour IT systems moreinteroperable and compatible,within VA and with our fed-eral partners; and 3) using ourIT funds effectively to sustainand modernize our infrastruc-ture and to support the devel-opment of applications thatwill meet the growing andevolving requirements of VAbusiness units.

We all know that IT canplay a critical role in manag-ing the rising costs of healthcare and improving the qualityof service for recipients of gov-ernment benefits. As one ofthe largest providers of healthcare and other benefits, the

federal government can have amajor impact on both costand quality. To that end, weare implementing centralizedIT management to help usbetter leverage our resourcesto reduce the overall cost ofIT, provide new services faster,and improve our ability toprovide quality services.

The Secretary has deter-mined that a centralized ITorganization is needed if VA isto become more integratedand veteran-centric. By inte-grating our IT resources, wecan create a streamlined pathfor veterans and their families

to follow to obtain servicesand information. And this willallow VA employees to helpveterans more quickly and ef-fectively. By modifying—orreplacing—stovepiped infor-mation systems with inte-grated systems that use com-mon standards, we can shareinformation securely acrossVA programs and with exter-nal partners such as the De-partment of Defense.

The primary beneficiariesare our most critical constitu-encies—veterans and VA em-ployees. For OI&T employ-ees, this will be an excitingtime. Centralization will givethem greater flexibility tomove between jobs and in-creased opportunities for ca-reer growth and development.We are in the process of creat-ing a career path for IT em-

ployees, including trainingprograms that will contributeto the development of both ITand management skills. In ad-dition, centralization will sup-port the spirit of innovationthat has characterized IT em-ployees across VA. For all VAemployees, centralization willhelp us deliver the right IT re-sources as they are neededacross the department.

Veterans will benefit be-cause our delivery of the rightresources at the right time willallow us to continue to raisethe bar for the level of serviceprovided. The goal is to have

By integrating our IT services, we can create a stream-lined path for veterans and their families to follow toobtain services and information.

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Staying at home or close tohome may be just what thedoctor ordered for many of

today’s veterans seeking medical care.VA has been investing in a na-

tional care coordination program forits patients for the past three years.The program applies care and casemanagement principles to the deliv-ery of health care services with theintent of providing the right care inthe right place at the right time. Carecoordination takes place in threeways: in patients’ homes using home

telehealth technologies; between hos-pitals and clinics and other VA sitesof care through the use ofvideoconferencing technologies; andby sharing digital images among VAsites of care through data networks.

“VA is doing more telehealththan any other organization in thecountry, and perhaps the world,” saidDr. Adam W. Darkins, chief consult-ant for Care Coordination. “VA is aleader in this area.”

Patients with chronic diseasessuch as diabetes, heart failure, post-

traumatic stress disorder and chronicpulmonary disease can now be moni-tored at home using home telehealthtechnologies through VA’s care coor-dination home telehealth (CCHT)program. This prevents or delays anelderly veteran needing to leavehome and move into long-term insti-tutional care unnecessarily.

CCHT programs are targeted atthe 2 to 3 percent of patients who ac-count for 30 percent of costs, are fre-quent clinic visitors, and require ur-gent hospital admissions. Once iden-

Just What theDoctor Ordered

Telehealth allows patients with chronic medical conditions to be monitoredin their homes, reducing hospital admissions and ER visits.

VA’s care coordination home telehealth programs areaimed at the 2 to 3 percent of patients who account for 30percent of costs, are frequent clinic visitors, and requireurgent hospital admissions.

COURTESY OFFICE OF CARE COORDINATION

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tified by VA’s medical staff for partici-pation in the program, patients re-ceive a site visit in their homes by acare coordinator to determine thetelehealth equipment best suited fortheir particular needs. VA purchasesthe telehealth equipment and sendsthe care coordinator to deliver it tothe patient’s home, set it up, test it,and conduct hands-on training withthe patient on how to use the variousmachines. VA has spent $20 millionto install some 20,000 monitors acrossthe country, and expects to have50,000 in place by 2009.

“The technology is deliberatelykept quite simple,” Darkins said.“Prior to using the devices, the mosttechnologically advanced device somepatients have had to conquer learningwas setting a digital alarm clock.”

Chriss Parker is enrolled in theCCHT program in Lake City, Fla.The 76-year-old Army veteran suffersfrom diabetes and high blood pres-sure. Social worker Robert Lodge,from the Lake City VA Medical Cen-ter, came out to his house to set up atest kit for diabetes, a blood pressuremachine and a messaging device.Each day, Parker faithfully takes read-ings of his blood sugar level and bloodpressure, weighs himself, and then for-wards this information to his care co-ordinator through the messaging de-vice, which plugs into his phone line.

“It’s really simple,” Parker said.“The machine asks you, ‘Did you takeyour blood pressure today?’ You enter‘yes’ or ‘no.’ If you enter ‘yes,’ the ma-chine asks you to enter the readings.You do the same thing with yourweight.”

After the patient enters the infor-mation, the device automaticallytransmits the data overnight, over thetelephone line, to the care coordi-nator’s central computer at the medi-cal center. The system flags the carecoordinator when the patient’s read-ings are out of range, showing up onthe computer screen highlighted inred, which alerts the care coordinatorto call the patient at home. The care

coordinator can either talk the pa-tient through what’s been going onwith his health to find out why thereadings are out of line and to offersolutions for correcting the problem,or if warranted, can schedule a face toface visit at the medical center withthe patient’s provider.

“I’m here by myself, yet I feel likeI have somebody watching over mycondition on a daily basis,” Parkersaid.

Monitoring patients with chronicconditions in their homes on a dailybasis through the CCHT program hasresulted in fewer hospital admissionsand reduced the number of emer-gency room visits by one-third forthese patients, according to Darkins.Another benefit is the time and ex-pense patients save by no longer hav-ing to travel to appointments in per-son.

Rita Kobb is an education pro-gram specialist for the Office of CareCoordination. As a nurse practitioner,she likes the fact that the CCHT pro-gram allows the care coordinator tointervene before patients become seri-ously ill.

“You can really make a differ-ence,” she said. “Before, the patientwould go home and you would notsee them for three to four months un-til their next appointment. Theycould get into serious trouble beforetheir next appointment and theywould end up arriving on the Emer-gency Room doorstep.”

As director of the SunshineTraining Center in Lake City, Kobbtrains care coordinators and programsupport assistants throughout VA onhow to implement a CCHT program

at their local facilities. In 2003, therewere 1,700 patients enrolled inCCHT programs in five Veterans In-tegrated Service Networks (VISNs).Patient enrollment has skyrocketed inthe span of three years. Today thereare 22,180 patients enrolled inCCHT programs in all 21 VISNs.More than 3,000 staff members havereceived training at the center since itopened in January 2004.

Kobb said telehealth has resultedin positive changes in the way nursestake care of patients in terms of effi-ciency. A care coordinator can man-age between 90 and 150 patients de-pending upon the complexity and na-ture of the chronic disease.

“As far as the basics of care,you’re still getting objective informa-tion, assessing it, and finding outwhat an intervention would be to fixthe problem,” Kobb said.

For Dr. John Chardos, telehealthdirector for the VA San DiegoHealthcare System, telehealth has al-lowed him to “optimize the work ofeach team member.” The feedbackfrom his care coordinators is espe-cially positive.

“The part they really love is thatthese are nurses who previously hadvarious tasks to perform but no own-ership with patient care,” he said.“Now they are involved in patientcare and helping the docs make deci-sions. It has empowered them tomake decisions.”

Chardos explained that in thetraditional approach to health care,when patients came into the medicalcenter in person for their appoint-ments, their case management by thenursing staff was episodic. There wasgenerally a different nurse followingup on a patient’s care for each visit.The CCHT approach assigns a singlecare coordinator with oversight re-sponsibility for the same group of pa-tients, which allows nurses to be moreinvolved with their patients’ care.

Telehealth is working well for themajority of the 200 patients currentlyenrolled in the CCHT program in

“I’m here by myself,yet I feel like I havesomebody watchingover my condition ona daily basis.”

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San Diego, according to Chardos.“Like most things, it depends on

the patient,” he said. “What our ex-perience has been is that for patientswho really get the idea of ownershipand management of their own dis-ease, it works well. It helps the pa-tient better deal with and live with achronic disease on a daily basis.”

Reyes Fernandez is enrolled inthe CCHT program. The 60-year-oldVietnam veteran suffers from diabetesand PTSD. He lives with his wife inthe small community of Holtville,Calif., about 130 miles from the VAfacility in San Diego. He said hedoesn’t mind taking time each morn-ing to monitor himself, noting that ithas become a part of his daily routine.

For Fernandez, enrollment in theprogram means he no longer has todrive more than two hours one way toSan Diego for medical appointments.He also likes the fact that telehealth“keeps you in touch with the outsideworld.”

“It’s nice to know that somebodycares out there,” he said.

Fernandez knows that his glucoselevel and blood pressure are moni-

tored daily by his care coordinator,along with the responses he sendsover the messaging device concerningquestions about his overall generalhealth. He explained that one day he“was feeling kind of down” because ofhis PTSD, and his care coordinatorcalled him right away.

The Army veteran describestelehealth as “a good thing for veter-ans,” and says he is glad it is in placefor the veterans returning from Af-ghanistan and Iraq who might notlive near a VA facility.

Telehealth doesn’t work as wellfor patients unwilling to put in thetime necessary to monitor and man-age their diseases and report in regu-larly to their care coordinators,Chardos noted.

“Some patients don’t like the factthat it takes several minutes eachday,” he explained. “It takes commit-ment on their part. If they aren’t will-ing to manage it themselves to somedegree, or if they aren’t interested inmodulating what they’re doing, itdoes not seem to be as helpful for thepatient. There is a time commitmentthat goes with the learning curve.”

He has had some patients dropout of the CCHT program because oftheir unwillingness to make the timecommitment. What patients do like,Chardos noted, is the daily connec-tion they have with VA medical staff.

“It’s kind of like their lifeline,” hesaid. “They can call and ask ques-tions. They really like the fact thatthe care coordinator can help quarter-back them through what’s going on.”

Michael O’Rourke, assistant di-rector for Veterans Health Policy withthe Veterans of Foreign Wars, de-scribes telehealth as “a giant leap for-ward” in the delivery of health care toveterans. He said the VFW has beenvery supportive of the telehealth pro-gram since its inception. VA was in-vited to set up a booth at the 107thVFW annual national convention inAugust to demonstrate the varioustelehealth technologies in use todayfor veterans attending the conventionin Reno, Nev.

“What a great program,”O’Rourke said. “We think it’s a win-win for everyone.”

By Renee McElveen

Telehealth is like a lifeline for patients, according to Dr. John Chardos, telehealth director for the VA San Diego Healthcare System. “They re-ally like the fact that the care coordinator can help quarterback them through what’s going on,” he said.

TODD KETTLER

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Looking for a Few Good Drivers

Help Wanted: Immediate openings fordrivers to transport veterans to medicalappointments. Successful candidatesmust pass a medical exam, have a validdriver’s license, a safe driving record, andcarry current auto insurance. Full andpart-time positions available at VA medi-cal centers nationwide. Schedule: Mon-day through Friday. Hours: Flexible.Salary: None. Benefits: The satisfactionof helping the nation’s veterans in need.Call (202) 554-3501.

The Disabled American Veter-ans (DAV) Volunteer Trans-portation Network is looking

for additional volunteer drivers to sus-tain its program of providing free ridesto veterans needing transportation to

their medical appointments at VAmedical centers and clinics. Althoughthere are 9,059 volunteer drivers, theprogram faces an aging driver popula-tion and must recruit younger volun-teers, according to Edward E.Hartman, DAV’s national director ofVoluntary Services.

“We’re very fortunate to havefolks that believe in the program,”Hartman said.

The program has been aroundsince 1987, when Congress reducedfunding for VA’s Beneficiary Travelprogram. DAV decided to initiate anationwide volunteer-based transpor-tation network, in concert with VA’sVoluntary Service Office, to providetransportation to eligible veterans.

Hartman said his organization tookon the mission because DAV is dedi-cated to a single purpose: “to buildbetter lives for disabled veterans andtheir families.”

Had DAV not taken on the mis-sion, Hartman said, many veteranswould probably have had to foregothe medical care they are entitled toreceive. He explained that the veter-ans who use the volunteer driver pro-gram are typically too ill to drivethemselves, do not have family mem-bers around to drive them to their ap-pointments, or have no other meansof transportation.

“I think it’s a godsend for veter-ans who have served to maintain ourfreedom,” said Laura Balun, director

A longtime VA-DAV program that offers transportation to veterans in needis now trying to revitalize its aging driver population.

World War II veteran John T. Mooney volun-teers every Wednesday to drive veterans totheir medical appointments at VA facilitiesin Bedford, Jamaica Plain and WestRoxbury, Mass.DEBORAH OUTING

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of the Voluntary Service Office in VACentral Office. “They certainly wouldbe lost without it.”

VA establishes policy for volun-teer participation in the program.Volunteers interested in becomingdrivers must pass a physical examina-tion and health screening adminis-tered at a VA medical center. Oncedetermined to be physically fit tosafely transport passengers, volunteers

must produce proof of a safe drivingrecord, a valid driver’s license, currentmotor vehicle bodily injury liabilityand property damage, or personal in-surance, and be willing to attendtraining. Balun noted that if a volun-teer driver has an accident while onassignment, the driver would be cov-ered under the federal government’sinsurance.

In addition to establishing policy,Balun said VA also handles programlogistics. For example, once the vansare purchased and donated by DAVor other organizations, the VA medi-cal center is responsible for vehiclemaintenance and for providing a gov-ernment credit card to fuel the ve-hicle.

DAV employs 181 hospital ser-vice coordinators based at most of the

VA medical centers and free-standingclinics located around the country.The hospital service coordinator is re-sponsible for setting up a transporta-tion office at the medical center andmaking sure it is adequately staffed tomatch volunteer drivers with trans-portation requests from veterans.

DAV donates between 100 and150 vans each year to local programs.DAV headquarters pays 60 percent ofthe cost of the vehicles through theDAV Charitable Service Trust andthe DAV Colorado Trust; local de-partments and chapters cover the re-maining 40 percent. The local chap-ters raise the money for the vansthrough various fundraising events. Atotal of 1,795 vans have been pur-chased at a cost of $36.5 million byDAV and donated to VA health carefacilities since the program’s incep-tion.

Hartman noted that DAV hasbeen fortunate to have Ford MotorCompany on board as a corporatesponsor. The relationship began whenHenry Ford donated 50 Model-TFords to DAV so that disabled veter-ans returning from World War I couldattend DAV’s 1922 annual conven-tion in San Diego. That relationshiphas continued to grow. Hartman saidFord donated 11 vans to the programin 2006 and has donated a total of117 vans since 1996.

Corporate goodwill is not theonly support DAV and VA rely uponto sustain the program—they also relyupon the selflessness of veteran vol-unteer drivers like Alfred Faticoni,Eric Wells and John T. Mooney.

Faticoni is a 79-year-old Armyveteran who has been volunteeringhis time to drive veterans to theirmedical appointments at the VAConnecticut Healthcare System’sNewington campus for nearly 50years. He started driving long beforethe formal program began as a way tohelp out his fellow veterans in needthrough his participation in his localDAV chapter. Today, Faticoni volun-teers five days a week, Monday

Left: Navy veteran Eric Wells typically puts ina 14-hour day driving 420 miles round tripwhen he volunteers once a week to take vet-erans to their VA appointments in Helena,Great Falls and Missoula, Mont.

RICHARD THOMPSON

TERESA BELL

World War II veteranAlfred Faticoni volunteersfive days a week to driveveterans to their medicalappointments at theNewington campus of theVA Connecticut HealthcareSystem. To date, he’slogged more than 59,000hours behind the wheel.

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through Friday, and has logged morethan 59,000 hours and 207,000 milesas a volunteer driver. Most of the vet-erans he transports are from the Ko-rean War and Vietnam War eras.

A resident of Newington,Faticoni said he decided to start vol-unteering as a way to give somethingback to the hospital volunteers he en-countered as a young private. In1948, Faticoni was assigned to unloadboxcars and load airplanes with foodas part of the Berlin Airlift. Whilewashing dishes during KP, he broke aglass, severing some arteries in his lefthand. He was shipped from Germanyto the Valley Forge Army Hospital inPennsylvania, where he was treatedfor two months, and he spent anothermonth at the Newington VA hospitalrecuperating.

“The volunteers at the VA hospi-tal treated me so good, I wanted to re-ciprocate,” Faticoni said.

He said his volunteer work“makes me feel I’m giving back some-thing that was given to me.”

Wells is a 53-year-old Gulf Warveteran who has been volunteeringone day a week for the past 10 years.He has logged about 3,000 hours andmore than 90,000 miles as a driver.Wells estimates that about 30 percentof the veterans he transports servedin the Korean War era, 30 to 40 per-cent in the Vietnam War era, and the

rest are from other eras.A resident of Stevensville,

Mont., Wells decided to start volun-teering when his VFW post voted tosupport the transportation networkwhen it expanded to the southwest-ern part of Montana. He said he con-siders the program “a viable, necessarything” given the number of veteransin his state who can’t or don’t drive.

“I thought if I expect to use [thetransportation network] when I getolder, I better put something in nowwhile I can drive,” Wells explained.

On the days he volunteers, hedrives an average of 420 miles roundtrip and puts in a 14-hour day. Wellsdrives the veterans to their VA ap-pointments in Helena, Great Fallsand Missoula. He started his ownbusiness remodeling and restoring oldhouses after retiring from the Navy in1993, which gives him the flexibilityto devote time to his volunteer work.

“Even though I’m a sailor, I’mkind of soft-hearted,” Wells said.“When somebody needs some help, Idon’t mind helping them out.”

Fellow sailor Mooney was re-cruited to become a volunteer driver15 years ago when he retired as a po-lice officer. The 80-year-old WorldWar II veteran volunteers one day aweek, on Wednesdays. Most of theveterans he transports served in theVietnam War era.

A resident of Burlington, Mass.,Mooney has logged 7,000 hours anddriven about 25,000 miles. He said heenjoys driving the veterans to theirappointments throughout the state ofMassachusetts—Bedford, JamaicaPlain and West Roxbury.

“I like talking to them,” Mooneysaid. “I run across people that were inthe same outfit I was in.” Mooneyserved as a gunners mate 3rd classwith the U.S. Navy Armed Guardfrom Feb. 6, 1943 to Feb. 4, 1947. Heserved throughout the North Atlanticand South Pacific while in the Navy.

Mooney said he plans to continuedriving for the program as long as heremains healthy.

“I can’t bring myself to tell themI won’t be able to come in no more,”he said.

Hartman is hoping to recruitmore volunteers like 17-year-old Mel-issa Shaw. Shaw is a high school se-nior from St. Francis, Wis. She volun-teers with the Clement J. ZablockiVA Medical Center in Milwaukeethree days a week during her summervacations and Christmas breaks. Sheanswers the phone, schedules rides forveterans, and types up the vehicle runsheets.

Shaw hopes to start driving veter-ans once she turns 18. She has beenvolunteering since June 2003, and haslogged about 1,000 hours. The daugh-ter of a Navy veteran, Shaw said sheenjoyed volunteering at her father’sfish fry events at his VFW post sinceage 7 so much that she decided shewanted another outlet for her volun-teer work with veterans.

“I wanted more connection withthem,” she explained. She hopes totighten that connection soon behindthe wheel of a transportation networkvan.

Interested in becoming a volun-teer driver? Contact the VoluntaryService chief at your nearest VAmedical center or call DAV VoluntaryServices at (202) 554-3501.

By Renee McElveen

DAV has enjoyed a relationship with Ford Motor Company as a corporate sponsor formany years. Model-T Fords donated by the company are shown parked on the street infront of a sign welcoming DAV members to the 1940 annual convention in Green Bay, Wis.

COURTESY DAV

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While most Americans fol-low the daily events, tollsand tallies of war through

the 24/7 barrage of TV, press andInternet reporting, millions havegained a deeper understanding ofwar’s impact on the men and womenwho fight through a daily comic stripand its not-so-sympathetic characterB.D.

Cartoonist (sometimes describedas “political cartoonist”) GarryTrudeau introduced his comic strip“Doonesbury” 36 years ago during anage of disaffection and skepticism.Though generally left of center inoutlook, one of the strip’s main char-acters right from the start was B.D.,the macho, conservative college quar-terback who over the years morphedinto a National Guardsman, footballcoach and, today—a disabled veteran.

As a Guard member, B.D. served

in Vietnam, the first Gulf War and,just recently, Iraq. That’s whereTrudeau made a decision that notonly changed B.D.’s imaginary life,but the real lives of many readers, in-cluding veterans on active militaryduty and in civilian life.

On April 19, 2004, “Doonesbury”readers looked down at their newspa-per comics page and saw one com-pletely darkened panel with “Hey”overprinted in white. In the followingpanels, B.D.’s combat buddy RayHightower appeared out of a smokybackground calling for a medic. Thefinal panel was dark again, except forhis buddy’s shouts: “B.D.? Hey! Hey!”The next day, readers learned thatB.D. had lost a leg to enemy fire inIraq.

That’s when B.D.’s journey backhome began. It’s a journey that hascaptured the imagination of millions,

including Department of Defense andVA officials who opened their doorsto Trudeau so he could tell oneveteran’s story realistically with hu-mor, compassion, and most of allhope.

Defense Department officialscontacted Trudeau soon after the B.D.storyline was revealed.

“I was delighted to hear fromDoD the first week after B.D.’s in-jury,” Trudeau said during a recentvisit to VA Central Office, where hesigned copies of book collections ofB.D. strips—The Long Road Home:One Step at a Time and The WarWithin.

“I think they saw the storylineand said, ‘If he’s going to do this he’lleither get it right or wrong; let’s makesure he gets it right.’”

Army officials invited Trudeau toWalter Reed Army Medical Center in

The Art of TellingWar Stories

When ‘Doonesbury’ cartoonist Garry Trudeau catapulted one of the strip’slongtime characters into the world of the disabled combat veteran, it sent

both of them on a journey of discovery.

A strip featuring the “Milkshake Man”—VA’s own Jim Mayer.

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Washington, D.C., to meet recover-ing soldiers, talk to clinical staff andfind out for himself what goes on in awounded soldier’s body, mind andfamily.

While spending time at WalterReed, Trudeau heard of the legendary“Milkshake Man”—VA Central Of-fice employee and Vietnam combatamputee Jim Mayer, who volunteersregularly with new amps bringingthem milkshakes and cheer. Mayerwas instrumental in starting Fridaynight dinners at a local steakhousefor Walter Reed and Bethesda NavalHospital OIF/OEF patients, and itwas at such a dinner that Trudeaumentioned he was considering whatdirection B.D.’s road to recoverywould take after he left Walter Reed.

Later, over coffee and a discussionof PTSD, readjustment issues and vetcenters, it was clear Trudeau’s nextvisit had to be to VA. A meeting atVA Central Office with VeteransHealth Administration experts andprogram managers was set for Aug.10, 2005, the same day VA Readjust-ment Counseling Program DirectorAl Batres was meeting with severalnew OIF/OEF vet center counselors—the timing couldn’t have been better.

From that meeting came Trudeauvisits to vet centers, where he talkedto counselors and veterans and sat inon counseling sessions. Through thosevisits, said Batres, “He saw a programthat honors the experiences of thesoldiers and a program that is dedi-cated to that at its heart.”

Then he moved on to the PaloAlto, Calif., VA Medical Center,where he visited one of VA’s fourpolytrauma rehabilitation centers.

These centers were set up to handlethe complex care of veterans whohave sustained multiple severe inju-ries—often as a result of explosionsand blasts—that have become socharacteristic of the wars in Iraq andAfghanistan.

At Palo Alto, Trudeau made therounds, talking to injured OIF/OEFveterans undergoing treatment, familymembers, and staff psychologists andcounselors. He even based a strip onthe story of a 40-year-old former

Army truck driver he met at thefacility’s Menlo Park Division.

“Most importantly,” said KerriChildress, the Palo Alto public affairsofficer who accompanied Trudeau onhis visit, “he left believing that VAemployees care and that they are do-ing a terrific job—a job done withheart.”

Trudeau’s VA visits sent B.D.—atroubled, disabled veteran—reluc-tantly to the “Walden Vet Center”

and to Elias, a savvy and patientcounselor with his own story of com-bat, injury and readjustment from an-other war at another time, in Viet-nam. (Trudeau gave VA official ap-proval to use Elias’s likeness on theReadjustment Counseling ProgramWeb site, www.vetcenter.va.gov, andlinked his Doonesbury Web site tothe Readjustment CounselingProgram’s.)

In the course of his visits withVA employees and patients, Trudeausaid he not only gained an under-standing of and empathy for the chal-lenges—mental and physical—return-ing veterans face, but also a deep ap-preciation of VA’s commitment totheir successful readjustment.

“I was a bit skeptical during myfirst visit to VA when they told me,‘This isn’t your father’s VA,’” he said.“I guess I had a bit of a ‘show me’ atti-tude, but I have to say that in thehospitals I’ve visited and the peopleI’ve talked to, I have just been so im-pressed.

“The proof is that the rest of theworld is taking note; your hospitalsand systems are being studied bymedical professionals around theworld. You guys must be doing some-thing right. You’ve got a lot of workahead of you, but I for one have con-fidence that you’re up to it.”

“I was a bit skeptical during my first visit to VAwhen they told me, ‘This isn’t your father’s VA.’I guess I had a bit of a ‘show me’ attitude.”

Garry Trudeau, far right, meets with then-VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Jonathan Perlin,far left, at VA headquarters on Aug. 10, 2005. With them are VA Readjustment Counseling Pro-gram Director Al Batres, second from left, and VHA Chief Communications Officer Ev Chasen.

ROBERT TURTIL

www.vetcenter.va.gov

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Three of VA’s oldest facilities—Togus, Milwaukee and Dayton—will celebrate a proud heritage this year: 140 years of providing service to veterans.They began after the Civil War as the nation’s first sol-diers’ homes, each opening between October 1866 andDecember 1867. Some of the nation’s richest history lieswithin the walls of these iconic spaces and they are allcurrently under consideration for National Historic Land-mark status.

Originally called the National Asylum for DisabledVolunteer Soldiers, the establishing law was written dur-ing the last winter of the Civil War, when no clear winnerof the war was yet evident. Signed on March 3, 1865, itwas among the last acts signed into law by PresidentAbraham Lincoln before his untimely death. The word“asylum” was changed to “home” by law on Jan. 23, 1873.

The National Asylum was established for officers andmen of the volunteer forces of the United States (notConfederates) who had been totally disabled by woundsreceived or sickness contracted while in the line of dutyduring the war. Many came out of the war addicted toopium and pain-killing drugs, including alcohol, due totheir wounds—both physical and psychological.

The soldiers’ home was a civilian extension of the ser-vices offered to soldiers during the war by the Army, U.S.Sanitary Commission, and U.S. Christian Commission.Chairmen of both commissions were on a list of 100prominent citizens, including military leaders like Gen.William T. Sherman and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, aboli-

Three of VA’s oldest facilities trace their history to one of thelast acts signed into law by President Lincoln.

tionists, clergymen and politicians, called by Congress toform the corporate body of the home. That number soonproved unwieldy, so on March 21, 1866, Congress passedan amendment establishing a 12-member board of manag-ers to administer the home.

In their early days, the soldiers’ homes operated in amilitary manner and adhered to Army rules of conduct.Home residents were called “inmates” or “beneficiaries”until 1883; thereafter they were referred to as “members.”Their uniforms and medical supplies came from theArmy’s quartermaster and medical departments and “in-mates” were assigned to “companies” within the home.Punishment was rendered to those who went AWOL.

Despite its military administrative structure, thehomes offered holistic care for disabled veterans who wereresidents. This was a new concept in the 19th century.The homes were not mere shelter, but were microcosmswith amenities that rivaled urban communities.

Besides military components such as offices, barracks,mess halls and commissaries, most homes had a chapelthat offered both Catholic and Protestant services, a the-ater or amusement hall, pool hall, library, bandstand, pondor lake, a depot with rail service on site or nearby, hospi-tal, post office, cemetery, and even a jail. Some had zoos,conservatories, ornate landscaping and greenhouses. Careof veterans went beyond providing the basics of food andshelter: occupational training, rehabilitation, religious ser-vices, on-site medical care, cultural and social activitiestreated the whole man.

of Service to Veterans140 Years140 Years

of Service to Veterans

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TogusThe first national soldiers’ home for Civil War veter-

ans was almost established at Point Lookout, Md., but thesite was rejected, resulting in Augusta, Maine, being thefirst home to open in the fall of 1866. Known as the East-ern Branch, the home occupied a former resort hotelknown as Togus Springs. The first “inmates” arrived inOctober 1866, but official dedication didn’t occur untilNovember.

During the 19th century, a shoe manufactory operatedat this site and produced shoes for all of the homes. In of-ficial records, the site was first referred to as “Togus,” in-stead of Augusta, during the summer of 1879. Gen. Ben-jamin F. Butler, president of the board of managers, knownas “Beast Butler” from his occupation of New Orleans dur-ing the Civil War, was heavily involved in the develop-ment of this site.

MilwaukeeAfter inducements by the Lady Managers of the Wis-

consin Soldiers’ Home and the city of Milwaukee, the sec-ond home—known as the Northwestern Branch—openedin Milwaukee in May 1867. In October 1868, the board ofmanagers established a ward for insane men at the home.

In 1869, Mr. L.B. Schwabe of Boston offered approxi-mately 2,000 books to establish a library on site, and theboard accepted his offer.

DaytonThe third home—known as the Central Branch—was

almost established at White Sulphur Springs, Ohio, butrailroad accommodations for veterans could not be as-sured, so a donation by the citizens of Dayton and transferof the Ohio Soldiers’ Home resulted in Dayton being se-lected. Buildings and lumber from nearby Camp Chase,which served as a prisoner of war camp during the war,were used as temporary structures for the Dayton home asearly as September 1867. The home officially opened inlate 1867.

Lewis B. Gunckel, an attorney and politician whoserved as secretary of the board of managers, was heavilyinvolved in the selection and development of this homeas well as the Milwaukee home. Rev. William Earnshaw,who earlier worked with the Army and laid out the Mem-phis and Stone’s River national cemeteries, was elected aschaplain at the Dayton home in September 1867 andspent the remainder of his career there. Dayton was thebusiest home and housed more veterans than any otherfrom 1865 to 1930.

In all, 11 national soldiers’ homes were opened andintegrated into the newly established Veterans Adminis-tration in 1930. These old homes reflect how the forefa-thers chose to care for and honor the soldiers who foughtto keep the country united as one nation. Their creationchanged the nation’s attitude toward the care of soldiersafter the battle—a legacy that continues at VA today.

By Darlene Richardson

Illustration of Main Building atMilwaukee soldiers’ home.

Illustration of Dayton soldiers’home as it looked in 1898.

Barracks and quad at Togussoldiers’ home.

COURTESY VHA HISTORY OFFICE

COURTESY VHA HISTORY OFFICE COURTESY VHA HISTORY OFFICE

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On a cloudless day, eight vet-erans and four otherskydivers hooked up over

Perris, Calif., where they had gath-ered to attempt a world record.

They have lost arms or legs, insome cases both. But one thing thePieces of Eight jumpers haven’t lost iscourage.

“If I can do this, I can do any-thing,” said Al Krueger, a foundingmember of the group, before the Sept.10 jump.

Along with the routine chal-lenges faced by skydivers—wind,landings, fear, equipment malfunc-tions—these jumpers face an addi-tional one. Because of their prostheticlimbs, they must compensate withbody positioning to maintain balancewhen they skydive.

In the standard hookup for a starformation, for example, a skydiverwith a prosthetic arm may have tolatch on to the hook of anotherjumper with a prosthetic arm.

The idea for Pieces of Eight camein the late 1970s after Larry Yohn,who had lost his left leg, was told hecould not skydive in France. He en-listed the help of three other ampu-tees to prove that disability was notinability. Joining him were Krueger,an Army veteran from FoothillRanch, Calif., who had lost his leftarm; Chuck Anderson, who had losthis right arm; and Paul Henley, whoseright leg had been amputated.

Both Anderson and Kruegerjumped in Perris. Krueger, who con-valesced at the VA medical centers inLoma Linda and Long Beach, Calif.,after his injury, just received a newcarbon-fiber prosthesis at the LongBeach facility.

In 1980, the originals joined fourother amputees and formed an eight-person airborne star. The group’sname stemmed from that jump. Thir-teen years later, the group set arecord.

“I started jumping with the Pieces

of Eight in 1993, when we set the firstrecord for an eight-way [aerial forma-tion] held for more than five seconds,which is the time [required] forrecords,” said Bob Clark, of Tulsa,Okla., who lost his right leg abovethe knee in Vietnam two days beforehis 21st birthday. The Marine hadbeen in country a year when he washit with “a rifle grenade or hand gre-nade or something else that wentboom.”

During that 1993 jump, the groupheld the formation for eight seconds,for good measure.

Now, every few years, Pieces ofEight holds a group event for oldmembers like Clark, Anderson andKrueger, but also for new members.This year’s jump was at the Perris Val-ley Skydiving Center.

Keith Ragusa, the dive organizer,put together a three-day training planthat divided the group into teams fortunnel time, and for practice forma-tions.

These skydivers may have lost limbs, but they haven’t lost courage.

Taking on the WorldTaking on the World

TOM SANDERS/AERIAL FOCUS

Pieces of Eight members attemptan aerial hookup over Perris, Calif.

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he tossed and turned all night.“I was the new kid on the block,”

said McLeroy, who lost a leg in a1993 race car accident but still de-ployed to Iraq in 2003 and receivescare at his hometown San DiegoVAMC. “I had only 50 skydives whenwe started. It seemed like the rest hadover a thousand jumps, and some hadmany thousand. I started jumpingright before I left to go to Iraq. I hadonly about 10 jumps. But because ofinjuries to my stomach and back, Icouldn’t jump when I returned. Thenwhen I could jump, I kept going ondifferent military missions. But I didmake it to 50 before that day.”

The first jump of the day afterpracticing went well, McLeroy said.“Then, the second jump of the day,we did it. Wow, we did it! I was sohappy. Everyone on the ground was soexcited. We did it. I got everyone inthe formation to sign my log book forthat jump.”

In the end, 12 amputee skydivershooked up over Perris, three shy of arecord. Those 12 were: AlekseyAlekhin, of Russia, who lost an arm;Anderson; Dana Bowman, an Armyretiree from Willow Park, Texas, wholost both legs and receives treatmentat the Dallas VAMC; Lyle Cameron,of La Habra, Calif., who lost a leg;Clark; Michael Dimenichi of LakeForest, Calif., whose right foot wasamputated by an airplane propellerwhile skydiving; Glanz; Krueger;McLeroy; Newman; Ragusa; andKelsey Rice, of Airdrie, Alberta,Canada, who lost a leg.

Setting a record was the ultimategoal but not the only aspect of thePerris Valley event, said Clark, whoseprimary care physician is at the TulsaVA Medical Center but who receivesprosthetic care in Oklahoma City.

“Records are always nice,” hesaid. “However, the excitement, fun,and socializing with this group of menand women has always tremendouslyoutweighed any records.”

“I was the guy giving the count inthe base, so I was a part of the forma-tion on each jump,” said Ragusa, ofSeattle.

Ragusa lost a leg while an Armyinfantry officer on a U.N. peacekeep-ing mission in 1988. His truck hit anantitank mine.

Three years before, Ragusa hadtaken up skydiving, a dream since hewas 5, watching soldiers jump enmasse from three C-130 planes overFort Campbell, Ky.

“I remember standing there, look-ing up and thinking, ‘Whoa.’ Thir-teen years later, I went to airborneschool,” said Ragusa, a Pieces of Eightmember since the group’s 1996 unbro-ken record jump of a 14-amputee for-mation. He receives care for his pros-thetic at the Seattle VA MedicalCenter.

This year’s jump was the first forDan Glanz, who lost his right arm be-low the elbow in 2005 to a suicidebomber in Afghanistan.

“I think Pieces of Eight is a reallygreat idea,” said Glanz, of Orange,Va., a retired Army captain who isregistered at the Hunter HolmesMcGuire VA Medical Center inRichmond, Va., but has yet to receivetreatment there. “As a relatively newamputee, I was really happy to meetother people who have faced some ofthe same challenges and succeeded.They are a great bunch of guys, evenif they are missing a few parts.”

Before this jump, Glanz said he’dmade 1,403 jumps “the easy way—two-handed” and about 65 “the hardway—as an amputee.” He said theSept. 10 jump was memorable, even ifhe didn’t help set a world record asthe group had hoped to do.

“I was disappointed that we werenot able to attempt to break the exist-ing record, but since this was my firstmeet, I was still happy to be able tojump with my new friends.”

Some who had committed to thejump backed out after some sponsor-ship fell through.

“It is hard for most of the mem-

bers to travel to a meet, as we arescattered all over the country andsome in other countries,” said CarlMiller, of Lumber Bridge, N.C., whowasn’t able to make the jump. “Giventhe chance, and hopefully with moresponsors, we can make it once a yearand make or break our record again.”

Miller, who receives care at theVA medical center in Fayetteville,N.C., is a former member of theArmy parachute team in Europe. Helost his left leg after hitting theground at 60 miles an hour during ajump when his main and reservechutes malfunctioned. He’s been sky-diving since 1961.

A year after his first jump, Millersaid he was amazed by two parachut-ists on a demo jump in Stone Moun-tain, Ga. One was a double amputee,the other blind. He joined Pieces ofEight 10 years ago, after seeing aphoto of Krueger and Yohn in a trademagazine.

By the time the California jumpcame around, Miller had alreadymade three other recent jumps. Onthe last one, he landed hard, so hardhe had to sit out the record attempt.

Skydiving has been a part ofClifford “Skip” Newman’s life since1967, but in 1972, Newman steppedon a booby trap in Vietnam and lost afoot. He gets his prosthetic care atVA’s West Los Angeles clinic.

“I was jumping with a HALO(high-altitude/low-open) detachmentin the Army and took up skydivingon the weekends,” he said. “I stoppedafter losing my foot and started againabout 1985.”

Newman, an Army veteran fromLong Beach, Calif., where he receivesVA health care, said his biggest chal-lenge has been accepting that his am-putation is not really a handicap. ThePieces of Eight jumps help.

“If possible, I’ll make every PO8gathering while I’m still able,”Newman said.

The night before the group’s firstsession in the wind tunnel, Army Re-serve Master Sgt. Bud McLeroy said By Gwendolyn Coley

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It was a day for veterans to reconnect with old comrades and remi-nisce about the ones left behind. It was a day for family members andfriends to shed some tears while placing flowers on graves at Arling-ton National Cemetery. And it was a day to celebrate the service ofAmerica’s 25 million veterans with marches, songs, flags andspeeches. It was Veterans Day in the nation’s capital.

Wearing a black baseball cap with yellow lettering pro-claiming “World War II Veteran, I Served With Pride,” John D.Morrow sat in the brilliant early morning sunlight filteringthrough the white marble columns encircling the Arlington Na-tional Cemetery amphitheater. The 86-year-old had traveledfrom Morilton, Ark., with his daughter to attend the VeteransDay ceremony and visit the World War II Memorial. Morrowserved with the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Division in NewGuinea and the Philippines during the war.

On the opposite side of the amphitheater, Pfc. Ryan Kaiserfrom Green Castle, Pa., was quietly leafing through the pro-gram. Dressed in his black beret and Army combat uniform, the18-year-old Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldier said hehas been attending Veterans Day ceremonies at Arlington withhis parents since he was 7 years old. He said honoring veteranson Veterans Day is a family tradition. His late father served inthe Army and both of his grandfathers served in Korea.

Like Kaiser, Dorothy Troy has attended many Veterans Dayceremonies at Arlington. She used to attend the ceremony ev-ery year with her husband, Chief Warrant Officer William G.Troy, before he died in 1997. A member of the Gold Star Wivesof America, she continues to attend the annual ceremony tohonor the memory of her husband of 40 years.

Troy served in the Army from 1936 until his retirement in1962. During World War II, he was captured by the Japanese inMay 1942 and held as a prisoner of war in five different intern-ment camps in Japan and the Philippines until his release inSeptember 1945. Troy is buried in sacred ground—Section 60 ofArlington National Cemetery.

About an hour before the ceremony began at 11 a.m.—the

Veterans Day 2006historic eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventhmonth when the armistice ending World War I was signed—alarge group of servicemembers, veterans, widows and volunteersassembled. Carrying American flags and flags representing theirservice organizations, the group formed a procession thatmarched into the amphitheater to begin the program.

Korean War veteran Chosei Kuge was selected to carry theAmerican flag for the Japanese American Veterans Association.The 76-year-old resident of Silver Spring, Md., said he had“mixed emotions” about being at Arlington National Cemeteryon Veterans Day—pride mixed with “a little sorrow.”

Kuge’s three older brothers all served in World War II. Onebrother did not come home from the war. He was killed in Italyon April 22, 1945. Thomas Kuge is buried in Section 34 of Ar-lington National Cemetery.

“I’m proud to be an American,” he said. “I’m proud of myolder brothers.”

Vietnam veterans George Brewer and James Taylor havecarried the flags for the Military Order of the World Wars forthe past 15 years at both Veterans Day and Memorial Day cer-emonies at Arlington. Brewer, 65, retired from the MarineCorps and now lives in Woodbridge, Va. He considers partici-pating in the ceremony an “opportunity to show respect to ourfellow survivors.” Taylor, 69, retired from the Army and nowlives in Springfield, Va. For him, the ceremony is an “importantmemorial to the people who died.”

Following the ceremony, five Royal Army veterans pa-tiently posed for photographs with a number of ceremony at-tendees while waiting their turn to place a wreath of red poppiesat the Tomb of the Unknowns. Wearing their distinctive long,bright-red coats with black collars and gold buttons, the groupwas bombarded with questions about who they were and whattheir uniform represents. The group traveled from their home atthe Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, England, to attend theirfirst Veterans Day ceremony in America. The Royal HospitalChelsea is a retirement home for Royal Army veterans.

Eric M. Bernstein, 79, who servedin the Royal Army for 30 years, said hemade the trip overseas because hewanted to “honor those who didn’tcome back.”By Amanda Hester and Renee McElveen

Left: James Taylor, left, and GeorgeBrewer; right: Royal Army veterans.

Left to right: JohnD. Morrow:Pfc. Ryan Kaiser;Dorothy Troy;Chosei Kuge.

ROBERT TURTILROBERT TURTIL RENEE MCELVEEN

RENEE MCELVEEN RENEE MCELVEEN ROBERT TURTILAMANDA HESTER

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featureTop to bottom: Guest speaker Col. Kenneth O. McCreedy, installationcommander at Fort George G. Meade, Md., talks with 105-year-oldWorld War I veteran Frank Buckles at the annual memorial service atthe grave of General of the Armies John J. “Black Jack” Pershing atArlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day. Buckles, the youngestof about a dozen American veterans of World War I known to still bealive, got to meet Gen. Pershing during the war. He lied about his ageto get into the Army at age 16;

Elizabeth Lopez, a Global War on Terrorism outreach specialist at theVA vet center in El Paso, Texas, joins representatives of the VietnamWomen’s Memorial Foundation to lay a wreath during the VeteransDay ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. She served twotours in Iraq, one with the Army and the other as a Navy reservist;

Debra Smouse, of Dallas, spends some quiet time in front of the graveof her friend, Navy veteran Charles “Chic” Burlingame III, at ArlingtonNational Cemetery on Veterans Day. Burlingame was piloting Ameri-can Airlines Flight 77 when the plane was hijacked by terrorists andcrashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11.

Top to bottom: Tom Poulter, national commander, Military Order ofthe Purple Heart, President Bush and VA Secretary Jim Nicholson (leftto right) participate in the Pledge of Allegiance during the VeteransDay ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery;

Rose Hurd, foreground, of Clark Summit, Pa., carries the VietnamCoalition flag for her organization at Arlington National Cemetery.She said she wanted to participate in the Veterans Day ceremony tosupport all Vietnam veterans—those who made it back home andthose who did not;

After completing their volunteer duties at the Veterans Day ceremonyat Arlington National Cemetery, Laurie Zeveski, VA assistant regionalcounsel in St. Louis, and her 11-year-old son, Alex, found themselvessitting next to the World War II veterans whose military exploits werethe basis for the best-selling book “Band of Brothers” by historianStephen E. Ambrose. With Alex are (from left): Don Malarkey, “WildBill” Guarnere, Edward “Babe” Heffron and Earl McClung.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

RENEE MCELVEEN

LAURIE ZEVESKI

ROBERT TURTIL

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

ROBERT TURTIL

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Top to bottom: Marine Corps Color Guard members (left to right) Cpl. ChristianBenitez, Staff Sgt. Michael Ho, Sgt. Jaylocs Vaca and Sgt. Lydia Suarez partici-pated in a re-dedication ceremony for the Avenue of Flags at the VA CentralCalifornia Health Care System in Fresno. California AMVETS Foundation do-nated more than $30,000 for new flagpoles, flags and permanent lighting to al-low the flags to be displayed at night;

Father and son barbers Tony and Anthony Bravo, both veterans themselves,volunteer their services for veterans at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center.They have a trailer parked on the grounds where veterans can come to gethaircuts, and they even go to the wards for inpatients;

At the Marion, Ill., VA Medical Center, more than 100 veterans, staff and com-munity members braved freezing temperatures to participate in the facility’s 3rdannual candlelight vigil. At 5 p.m. on Veterans Day, everyone walked down thecampus’s historic Commander Drive led by a color guard and bagpiper to thefront of the medical center to begin the program.

Top to bottom: A member of the USO Liberty Belles serenades Marine CorpsVietnam veteran Willie Taylor, a patient at the Baltimore VA Medical Center, onVeterans Day. The Liberty Belles are a nostalgic 1940s troupe reminiscent of theAndrews Sisters. The three ladies croon classics such as “I’ll Be Seeing You”;

Taps rang out during Veterans Day ceremonies at national cemeteries aroundthe country, including Ft. Sill National Cemetery in Oklahoma, as members ofthe organization Bugles Across America conducted a dress rehearsal for theEcho Taps Worldwide event they are planning for Armed Forces Day 2007. Thou-sands of buglers are expected to be involved in next year’s event, playing a cas-cading version of taps at cemeteries all over the world;

Allen Clark, guest speaker at the Bonham, Texas, VA Medical Center’s VeteransDay ceremony, salutes before the crowd gathered at a local high school footballstadium. A retired VA employee and Army veteran, he lost his legs in Vietnam.

PAULA BERGER

MICHAEL E. DUKES

NANCY GRAY

ANTHONY SANTOYA

DARRELL MANKIN

MARTY TALLEY

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Top to bottom: Baltimore Ravens players (left to right) Jason Brown, MusaSmith and Justin Green visit Army veteran Frederick Houston at the BaltimoreVA Medical Center. The visit, part of weeklong Veterans Day activities, had per-sonal significance for two of the NFL players: Brown’s brother was killed whileserving in Iraq in 2003, and Smith’s brother was injured while serving in Iraq;

Denver area VA staff from the regional office, medical center, Fort Logan Na-tional Cemetery and Office of Public Affairs staffed phones at KUSA-TV (NBCDenver) during two news broadcasts answering calls on veterans’ issues for the“Vets Line 9” help line. The teams took several hundred calls during each of thebroadcasts, answering a variety of questions on VA benefits. Hosted around Me-morial Day and Veterans Day each year, “Vets Line 9” has proven popular withviewers;

Kids wave American flags in the wind during the Veterans Day program hostedby the Bonham, Texas, VA Medical Center at a local high school football sta-dium.

Top to bottom: Southern Arizona VA Health Care System float participants waveas they pass the reviewing stand during the Tucson Veterans Day Parade;

Leonard “Rosie” Ross, a 100-year-old retired VA employee and active volunteer,performs taps before a record crowd of more than 3,000 people at the Prescott,Ariz., VA Medical Center’s Veterans Day parade. Believed to be the oldest activebugler in the country, Ross performs at VA special events and veterans’ funerals;

Taking shelter from a driving rain, four members of the Military Order of thePurple Heart Chapter 27 salute a new monument unveiled as part of VeteransDay activities at the Lyons campus of the VA New Jersey Health Care System.Donated by the organization, the monument is “dedicated to all men andwomen in all our wars.”

SCOTT SNELL

MICHAEL E. DUKES

WALT CODY

ELAINE BUEHLER

NANCY GRAY

JOHN K. SOKOLOWSKI

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Driving 70 miles down a de-serted dirt road. Bucking awind chill of 25 below and

blowing snow along a mountain ridge.Sitting outside a teepee on a 117-de-gree afternoon.

It’s all part of the job for tribalveteran representatives (TVRs)reaching out to Native American vet-erans in 23 tribes served by the VARocky Mountain Network (VISN 19)in Utah, Montana, Colorado, Nevadaand Wyoming.

From isolated mountain village tosweat lodge, these unique messengersare building bridges between culturesand delivering VA services to veter-ans steeped in a strong warrior cul-ture.

James R. Floyd, director of theVA Salt Lake City Health Care Sys-

tem, and W.J. “Buck” Richardson,VISN 19 minority veterans programcoordinator, have spent countlesshours bridging the geographic andcultural barriers that often complicatereaching the nation’s more than220,000 Native American veterans.

“[Effective outreach] is about un-derstanding the culture—it is respectand it is access,” said Richardson.

VISN 19’s path to crossing thecultural barrier that defines the Na-tive American civilization, its beliefsand customs, began in 2001 with thedevelopment of the TVR program.According to Richardson, the pro-gram was created in response to criti-cism from Native American veteransthat VA wasn’t doing enough to bringbenefits to the veterans who hadearned them. “We decided to start a

program to outreach to the veteransat the local level and encouraged areaveterans to help with the effort,” hesaid.

Floyd, a Native American withexperience in Indian health issues,and Richardson traveled to far-flungreservations and met with tribalcouncils to ask for their support andhelp identifying representatives forthe program.

The TVR is a liaison betweentribal leaders, VA, veterans service or-ganizations, Indian Health Service,veterans and their families. Typicallyan American Indian veteran or recog-nized leader, the TVR is appointed bythe tribe or tribal leaders to help

Native Americans have the highest rates ofmilitary service per capita compared toother ethnic groups, yet they are the leastlikely to seek out VA services. A uniqueprogram is helping the department buildbridges between cultures to reach them.

Crossing the Cultural Divide

Above: Time-worn sandstone rock forma-tions of the Medicine Rocks, sacred to theNorthern Cheyenne Indians of Montana.

SCOTT WALLACE

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veterans within their communities.Though VA provides training,

the TVR is not a VA employee and isrecognized solely as a representativeof the tribe. The TVR helps eligibleveterans obtain benefits they haveearned by assisting them with the ap-plication process, advocating forthem, and helping organize outreachevents.

“The program isn’t just aboutreaching out to veterans and filling

out the paperwork. It doesn’t endwhen you turn the paperwork in forthat veteran,” said Richardson. TheTVR is visible in the community andmust develop a sense of trust to reachveterans whose culture is ingrainedwith pride and self-reliance.

Darwin Niedo, a Comanche andcombat veteran of Vietnam, is a TVRon the Wind River Reservation,home to the Shoshone and Arapahonations of central Wyoming. He hasbeen with the program since its in-ception.

He admits his reasons for gettinginvolved were somewhat selfish atfirst. “I was going through the processof applying for my benefits,” he said.“I didn’t have anywhere to turn.”

But as the program began to takeshape, Niedo recognized its potentialto help other Native American veter-ans get the benefits they are entitledto. “The Native American veteran isthe most underserved,” he said. “A lotof these guys don’t realize they are en-titled to benefits. There are a lot ofhoops you have to jump through toget these veterans. They are reluctantbecause of the traditional distrust ofthe government. TVRs can help.”

Lloyd Jackson, a member of theConfederated Salish & KootenaiTribes, was appointed a TVR by theFlathead Nation of Montana. He

points out that the program is not justfor Native American veterans. About1,220 of the 6,500 tribal memberswho live on the Flathead Reservationare veterans, but there are some 3,500veterans in the reservation’s estimatedtotal population of 40,000, he said.

“The reservation is our base,” saidJackson, “but a veteran is a veteran.I’ve always been interested in the vet-eran and realized that a lot of themweren’t getting contacted. Trust is im-

portant. I’ve been here all my life andpeople here know me. Because I am atrusted member of the communityand an elder, they will come to me.”

Jackson estimates he’s workedwith 300 to 400 veterans on the Flat-head Reservation with much success.“I work one day a week traveling fromvillage to village going to their homesor wherever they need me,” he said.

Overcoming the hurdles associ-ated with the “frontier” location of

much of the Native American vet-eran population is not without itschallenges. Native American veteransare underserved despite having a sig-nificant percentage of veterans intheir communities.

Native Americans have the high-est rates of military service per capitacompared to other ethnic groups andoften seek out combat duty because oftheir warrior traditions. This is a ma-jor reason why the need for VA ser-vices like medical care, disabilitycompensation and PTSD counselingis so great in this population and whyit is so important to break down thebarriers to reaching them.

When these veterans get home,said Richardson, they tend not toseek counseling or other help forproblems stemming from their mili-tary service for fear of appearing weakin the warrior culture of the tribes.“Holding their feelings in, along withthe remoteness of most reservationsettings, leads to severe problems withmental health,” he said. “In turn, theprobability of substance abuse is in-creased, which will then lead to otherassociated medical problems.”

Within this population, post-

“The Native American veteran is the mostunderserved. A lot of these guys don’t realizethey are entitled to benefits.”

A Northern Arapaho sweat lodge located at the VA community-based outpatient clinic inRiverton, Wyo. Healing methods used by Native Americans for centuries, such as sweat lodgepurification ceremonies, are often incorporated into VA treatment of Native American veter-ans suffering from substance abuse disorders.

JAMES R. FLOYD

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agencies that are beginning to recog-nize them and the work they are do-ing, according to Richardson. Theywork closely with veterans service or-ganizations, Indian Health Service,tribal health systems and communityorganizations providing services toveterans and their families.

The effectiveness of the outreachprogram is apparent by the number ofbenefits claims the TVRs are generat-ing from areas that have traditionallybeen underserved and by the numberof veterans they are enrolling in theVA health care system, saidRichardson. “With outreach going on52 weeks out of the year, the numberof veterans we reach just keeps in-creasing.”

traumatic stress disorder rates arehigh. Data indicate that one-third ofNative American veterans seen had amental health diagnosis and of those,26 percent had a primary diagnosis ofPTSD.

The use of telehealth technologyis making service accessible to NativeAmerican veterans in hard to reachcommunities. VISN 19 currentlymaintains telemental health clinics atthe Wind River Reservation in Wyo-ming, and at the Northern Cheyenneand Crow reservations in Montana.Three additional clinics are plannedfor the near future.

“For veterans who struggle withchronic pain, drug addiction andmental illness, there is a need for con-nection,” said Floyd. “The VA SaltLake City Health Care System has in-

corporated healing methods used byNative Americans for centuries in its‘mind–body–spirit’ approach to heal-ing.”

Veterans in treatment for sub-stance abuse disorders may have theopportunity to participate in medita-tion, fire ceremonies, drumming ses-sions and sweat lodge purification cer-emonies conducted within a healinggarden on the Salt Lake City VAMedical Center campus. “TVRs canhelp contact tribal outreach workersand traditional healers to help all vet-erans obtain these additional ser-vices,” said Floyd.

TVRs receive formal trainingonce a year and participate in smallertraining sessions throughout the year.They also receive individual supportas needed from VA and from other

W.J. “Buck” Richardson, left, minority veterans program coordinator with the VA Rocky Mountain Network, and James R. Floyd, director of theVA Salt Lake City Health Care System, visit the Veterans Memorial on the Crow Reservation in Montana.

SCOTT WALLACE

By Susan Huff

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The Spokane Vet Center tooka creative approach to out-reach when they decided to

set up a booth at an art event calledChataqua in Chewelah, Wash.Chataqua, typically held in July, isone of the largest arts and crafts fairsin the country and the fourth largestannual event in Washington state.

An unlikely match, you mightthink, but the risk paid off. The vetcenter staff, led by Team Leader LindaParkes, provided counseling or directcontact with almost 60 eligible com-bat veterans. Equally important, theymade contact, provided handouts andeducated thousands of veterans andnon-veterans about VA—some veter-ans learning about their VA benefitsfor the first time.

Mike Ogle, the vet center’s newGlobal War on Terrorism (GWOT)outreach counselor and Iraq veteranhimself, orchestrated their involve-ment with the art fair. Even thoughChewelah is located 45 miles north ofSpokane and only has a population of2,500, Ogle found out the event at-tracted some 60,000 visitors from allover the Northwest and Canada.

“The area there has mountainsand is isolated and there are a lot ofveterans—especially Vietnam vets—living up there,” Ogle said. “Wewanted to reach them. You’d beamazed at how many are up there.”

Chataqua never had a veterans’group participate before, but Ogletalked the organizers into taking achance with the vet center. He was sopersuasive, the Chamber of Com-merce offered to donate the $150 en-try fee and the local American Legionand VFW assisted in building thebooth.

While the Spokane Vet Centerhas always done outreach, it never

had a position solely dedicated to ituntil Ogle began working there inearly January. He credits much of hissuccess to having a boss (Parkes) whotrusts his instincts and gives him thefreedom he needs to do his job.

Parkes explains, “Since Mikecame on board here, we have beenable to participate in many more out-reach events, and many unique com-munity events. He’s formed a strongnetwork in our veteran community aswell as the community at large andcan relate to them—especially OEF/OIF veterans since he’s been therehimself.”

The result is obvious. Veterancontacts at the vet center have in-

“Having them helps us reach veteransearly in their adjustment.”

Currently in the plans are a vetcenter presence at upcoming airshows, car shows and gun shows. Abooth at the largest gun show in theNorthwest has already been secured.

One of the largest events recentlytook place with outstanding results.Goodguys Rod and Custom Associa-tion, publisher of Hot Rod magazineand sponsor of car shows and hot rodevents, offered to pay for a vet centerbooth at an upcoming car show afterOgle contacted them. The responsewas overwhelming. In just one day,Ogle and his team saw hundreds ofveterans, with 130 of them referred tothe vet center and others to VAmedical facilities or benefits offices.

In the end, Goodguys was so im-pressed with the vet center’s effortsthat they agreed to pay for any vetcenter’s booth at any of their carshows across the country.

Ogle didn’t stop there. Duringthe recent Veterans Day holiday, hehad no less than 11 separate outreachevents throughout the week, includ-ing parades, organizing a first annualveterans tribal symposium for NativeAmerican veterans, and tie-ins withorganizations like the Rotary Club,Kiwanis, local schools and universi-ties, city organizations, churches andmany more.

By not limiting himself to typicaland traditional outlets, Ogle is con-necting with more and more veterans.Armed with a creative outlook and apositive spirit, he is aiming for a vetcenter presence at one major publicevent per month and a differentevent every weekend—and he’s justgetting warmed up.

Taking a Creative Approach to Reaching OutGoing beyond traditional methods of outreach to veterans has led tosuccess for the Spokane Vet Center.

creased substantially since Oglestarted working there.

“The GWOT positions havebeen a great addition to the vet cen-ters and a greater value to our veter-ans and their families,” added Parkes.

Spokane Vet Center GWOT outreach counse-lor Mike Ogle has found success trying non-traditional methods of reaching out to veter-ans, including setting up a booth at a popularannual arts and crafts fair.

By Susan Fishbein

PATRICK MORRIS

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VA Secretary Jim Nicholsonpresented the top honor in the2006 Robert W. Carey Perfor-mance Excellence Awards pro-gram to the Augusta, Ga., VAMedical Center during a Nov.16 ceremony in Springfield,Va.

Ellen Harbeson, qualitymanager for the AugustaVAMC, attributes her team’ssuccess to the energy of itsemployees.

“We have a team that’swilling to take risks, be cre-ative, and throw out oldthings that don’t work,”Harbeson said.

The Augusta VAMC wasone of 16 organizations com-peting in this year’s awardsprogram. In 2004, the facilityopened the first and onlymedical rehabilitation unit inthe VA system for active dutymilitary personnel. The Au-gusta VAMC and nearbyEisenhower Army MedicalCenter have a long history ofexploring new frontiers in col-laborative efforts. The two

centers support twoneurosurgeons who provideservices at the Augusta VAMCfor both VA patients and De-partment of Defense benefi-ciaries. In addition, cardio-thoracic surgery is performedat the Army medical center forVA and DoD patients byArmy surgeons. These initia-tives provide cost-effectivesharing of resources.

The Circle of Excellenceaward was presented to boththe Clinical Research Phar-macy Coordinating Center(CRPCC), located in Albu-querque, N.M., and theWhite River Junction, Vt.,VAMC.

The CRPCC’s role is toprovide pharmaceuticalsupport, including projectmanagement, drug testing andmanufacturing, packaging,labeling and shipping, andmonitoring of safety andregulatory information. It hascollaborated in the planningof more than 200 multi-centerclinical trials, and has partici-

Augusta VA Medical Center Takes Top Honor in Carey Awards

VA Deputy Secretary Gordon H. Mansfield’s decades of dedi-cated service to veterans with spinal cord injuries were recog-nized recently when he was inducted into the Spinal Cord In-jury (SCI) Hall of Fame during ceremonies in Washington,D.C. Mansfield joined 10 other SCI advocates at the secondannual induction of the SCI Hall of Fame, sponsored by theNational Spinal Cord Injury Association. The association selectsinductees for making “significant contributions to the quality oflife and advancements toward a better future for all individualswith spinal cord injury.”

Mansfield Inducted Into SpinalCord Injury Hall of Fame

pated in the conduct of morethan 130 trials.

White River JunctionVAMC developed the Inter-Professional Fellowship Pro-gram in Patient Safety to pro-vide health professionals within-depth education in patientsafety practices. Anothersimple yet powerful changeadopted at the facility is thehandling of morgue stretchers.

Danielle Ocker, nursemanager in the ICU-ER De-partment at White River Junc-tion, explained that in the

past, when veterans died at thefacility their bodies weredraped with a hard plasticcover. The ICU nurses got to-gether with a social workerand decided that the bodiesshould instead be draped witha full-size American flag as asign of respect for their mili-tary service.

“We really wanted to cel-ebrate their whole life,” shesaid. “Once a veteran, always aveteran.”

There were five recipientsof the Excellence Award: Me-morial Service Network I, lo-cated in Philadelphia; the Mi-ami VA Healthcare System;the Minneapolis VAMC; theNorth Florida/South GeorgiaVeterans Health System; andthe VA Rocky Mountain Net-work (VISN 19).

This year’s AchievementAward winners were the Cen-tral Arkansas VeteransHealthcare System; the VASoutheast Network (VISN 7);and the Southern Oregon Re-habilitation Center and Clin-ics.

The Carey PerformanceExcellence Awards program isopen to all VA field facilitiesand headquarters staff offices.For more information, contactEric J. Malloy at (202) 273-5585 or e-mail him [email protected].

The Secretary (front row, center) presents the 2006 Carey Trophy to Augusta, Ga., VA Medical Center Di-rector James F. Trusley III. Next to the Secretary, Acting Under Secretary for Health Dr. Michael Kussmanand Augusta VAMC Chief of Staff Dr. Tom Kiernan hold a congratulatory letter from President Bush.

EMERSON SANDERS

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Citing the long, proud tradition of sacrificeand valor of Americans in combat extendingfrom Valley Forge to Baghdad, VA SecretaryJim Nicholson awarded the Purple Heart tofour servicemen wounded in Iraq and Af-ghanistan on Nov. 1.

“Our freedoms, democratic traditionsand American way of life rest on the shouldersof heroes who were willing to face extraordi-nary challenges and make astonishing acts ofself-sacrifice,” Nicholson said.

During a ceremony at the National PressClub in Washington, D.C., Nicholson pre-sented the medal to Army Sgt. TyroneCarelock, from Washington, D.C.; MarineSgt. Jeffrey Combs, from White Plains, N.Y.;Army Pvt. Kevin Araujo, from Houston; andArmy Spc. Nicholas Helfferich, from Latrobe,Pa.

Joining the Secretary at the NationalPress Club was Tom Poulter, national com-mander of the Military Order of the PurpleHeart (MOPH). With 36,000 members, allrecipients of the military’s unique award for combat injuries, MOPH opened the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor atNew Windsor, N.Y., on Nov. 10. The Hall of Honor is dedicated to the 1.7 million Americans wounded or killed in actionwhile serving in the military since the Revolutionary War.

Secretary Pins Purple Heart on Four Combat Veterans

Bowlers to Veterans Link(BVL) officials presented a

symbolic check to SecretaryNicholson on Veterans Day.

The nearly $746,000 checkrepresents the amount ofmoney local league bowlersraised throughout the year anddonated to VA to serve therecreation and welfare needsof veterans in VA care.

BVL is a national non-profit charitable organizationthat raises about $1 millionannually to fund a variety ofrecreational equipment andtherapeutic supplies forAmerica’s veterans. It is bothsupported and guided by thebowling industry and thenation’s league bowlers. Morethan 1,200 local bowling asso-ciations nationwide participatein the BVL fundraising effortand coordinate local efforts.

The organization pro-

vides cash grants to VA hospi-tals, vet centers and statehomes as well as coordinatesseveral national programs.These programs include toursof the nationally acclaimedsong and dance troupe Re-Creation at VA facilities acrossthe country, traveling bowlingclinics with a focus on specialadaptive bowling techniquesfor disabled veterans, and anational VA Bowling Tourna-ment held annually. Addition-ally, BVL has been a longtimesponsor of the four NationalRehabilitation SpecialEvents—the Winter SportsClinic, the Golden AgeGames, the WheelchairGames and the Creative ArtsFestival.

Bowlers to Veterans Link Presents ‘Big Check’ to VA Secretary

VA Secretary Jim Nicholson accepts a contribution from Bowlers toVeterans Link officials: (left to right) board member Gary Anderson(Greenville, S.C.); Washington, D.C., area local representative TomDale; board chair Elaine Hagin (Castro Valley, Calif.); board memberWalter Hall (Pasadena, Md.); and Washington, D.C., area local repre-sentative Andrea Dale.

In a pre-Veterans Day ceremony, VA Secretary Jim Nicholson presented the PurpleHeart to four servicemen wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan: (left to right) Sgt. TyroneCarelock, Sgt. Jeffrey Combs, Spc. Nicholas Helfferich and Pvt. Kevin Araujo.

ROBERT TURTIL

MICHAEL L. MOORE

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ceremonies, in parades andelsewhere as a compellingsymbol of courage and sacri-fice on Veterans Day, the daywe set aside to thank thosewho served and safeguardedour national security.”

The campaign is modeledafter a tradition in Australiaand New Zealand, where thebravery and sacrifice of mem-bers of the Australian andNew Zealand Army Corps(ANZAC) is honored on April25. On ANZAC Day, veteranswear their military decorationswherever they are and what-ever they are doing on thatday. Nicholson said he hopes aU.S. tradition will ensue toemulate this pride in being aveteran and in honoring thenation’s veterans.

Information about thecampaign is available on theVA Web site at www.va.gov/veteranspride, where veteransalso can obtain informationabout how to replace mislaidmedals and learn how to con-firm the decorations to whichthey are entitled.

VA Secretary Jim Nicholson has named a 10-member com-mission to screen candidates and recommend finalists for thepost of VA Under Secretary for Health. The commission,chaired by VA Deputy Secretary Gordon H. Mansfield, willrecommend a replacement for Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin, who re-signed Aug. 11 after seven years with VA.

Under federal law, the appointment of a VA Under Secre-tary is made without regard to political affiliation. Candidatesmust demonstrate ability in both fiscal management and inthe administration of organizations similar in size and scopeto the Veterans Health Administration.

In addition to Deputy Secretary Mansfield, members ofthe commission include Dr. Jordan J. Cohen, president emeri-tus, Association of American Medical Colleges; Dr. CarolynM. Clancy, director, Agency of Healthcare Research andQuality; Jeffrey Oak, vice president, Bon Secours Health Sys-

Search for a New Under Secretary for Health Gets Underway

At a news conference in VACentral Office on Oct. 18, VASecretary Jim Nicholson andleaders of major veterans orga-nizations called on America’sveterans to help kindle a new

Secretary Calls on Veterans to Wear Their Medals With Pride

spark of patriotism on Veter-ans Day by wearing the med-als they earned during militaryservice.

“We are announcing aVeterans Pride Initiative to re-

mind Americans of the prideand honor in the hearts ofthose who have served,”Nicholson said. “We expectAmericans will see our deco-rated heroes united in spirit at

Flanked by veterans service organization representatives, Secretary Nicholson announces the launch ofthe Veterans Pride Initiative at a news conference in VA Central Office on Oct. 18. The initiative is in-tended to encourage veterans to wear their military medals on patriotic holidays.

tem Inc.; John F. Sommer Jr., executive director, AmericanLegion; and James B. King, national executive director,AMVETS.

The other members are Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr.,assistant secretary of defense for health affairs; Cynthia P.Heckscher, managing director, Diversified Search; Dr. GeorgeE. Thibault, chairman, VA’s Special Medical Advisory Group;and Perlin, currently chief medical officer and senior vicepresident, HCA.

Willie L. Hensley, VA’s deputy assistant secretary for hu-man resources management and labor relations, will serve asthe commission’s executive secretary.

The committee is expected to complete its deliberationsin time for Nicholson to make his recommendation for a newUnder Secretary for Health to the White House in January2007.

ROBERT TURTIL

www.va.gov/veteranspride

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It was a living history lesson that most will never see.They lined up on the grass field at Washington, D.C.’sRFK Stadium on Oct. 15—U.S. veterans of nearly acentury of America’s wars, from World War I to Iraqand Afghanistan.

It was D.C. United’s last regular season game beforeentering as a top seed in Major League Soccer playoffs,but it was “first night” for veterans during the team’spre-game Veterans Appreciation Day program.

World War I veteran Frank Buckles, 105, held uphis end of the veterans’ timeline and Iraq war veteranCapt. Ken Dwyer anchored the other with World WarII, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans in between.All received an extended standing ovation.

VA Secretary Jim Nicholson represented veteransand the department as he set up the soccer ball for acrowd-pleasing opening kick by Dwyer, who is recuper-ating from battle injuries including the loss of his lefteye and arm, sustained while serving with the Army inIraq.

“Watching the game and being on the field bringsback my soccer-playing days and lets me see that life isgood as long as you live for tomorrow,” he said after henailed his kick.

D.C. United Hosts Veterans Appreciation Day at RFK Stadium

Left: Army Capt. Ken Dwyer, who lost his left eye and arm in Iraq,joined Secretary Nicholson on the field for the opening kick asD.C. United took on the Chicago Fire.

Nineteen VA executives areamong the recipients of the2006 PresidentialRank Awards. Theprestigious awardsare presented an-nually to careerSenior ExecutiveService membersfor “exceptionallong-term accom-plishments” intwo categories:Distinguished Ex-ecutives and Meritorious Ex-ecutives.

Winners are chosenthrough a rigorous selectionprocess. They are nominated

Nineteen VA Executives Receive 2006 Presidential Rank Awards

by their agency heads, evalu-ated by boards of private citi-

zens and ap-proved by thePresident. Theevaluation criteriafocus on leader-ship and results.

Sheila M.Cullen, director,San Francisco VAMedical Center,and James B.Donahoe, retired

director, Veterans CanteenService, St. Louis, are among58 members of the SES whoreceived the Distinguished Ex-ecutive Award.

Another 17 VA executiveswere among the 218 SESmembers who received theMeritorious Executive Award.They are: Lawrence A. Biro,director, VARocky MountainNetwork (VISN19); Susan P.Bowers, director,Richard L.Roudebush VAMedical Center,Indianapolis;Judith A. Caden,director, Voca-tional Rehabilita-tion & Employment Service,VA Central Office; Sanford

M. Garfunkel, director, Wash-ington, D.C., VA MedicalCenter; Arthur S.Hamerschlag, chief of staff,Under Secretary for Health,

VA Central Of-fice; Carl W.Hawkins Jr., di-rector, Columbia,S.C., VA Re-gional Office;Jack G. Hetrick,former director,Edward Hines Jr.VA Hospital,Hines, Ill., nowdirector, VA

Healthcare System of Ohio

ROBERT TURTIL

Cullen

Donahoe

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Distinguished rank win-ners receive a cash award of 35percent of their basic pay;Meritorious rank honorees re-ceive a cash award of 20 per-cent of basic pay. Each recipi-ent also receives a framed cer-tificate signed by the Presi-dent.

In his remaining threeyears with VA, Johnston saidhe hopes to broaden the scopeof his job from Gulf Warpost-deployment health to amore general post-deploymentstudy incorporating veteransreturning from Iraq and Af-ghanistan. “Many of the issuesof the Gulf War are stillaround,” he said.

“It’s not only a uniquejob,” Johnston said of his liai-son role, “it’s intriguing be-cause I’m constantly meetingnew people in a new environ-ment—and that’s never bor-ing.”

For more information onVA’s post-Gulf War deploy-ment health program, visitwww.va.gov/EnvironAgents orwww.va.gov/GulfWar.By Isidro Reyna

Capt. Richard Johnston

When Surgeon Captain Rich-ard Johnston boarded an el-evator in VA Central Officewearing his crisp, white BritishRoyal Navy uniform, a manon the elevator asked him,“Has anyone thanked you to-day?” A perplexed Johnstonwasn’t sure how to respond.

He was, after all, new toAmerica and not yet familiarwith the culture, particularlythat of VA headquarters,where he was reporting for hisnew job.

After a pause, Johnstonreplied: “No, not really. Whatdid I do?”

“Has anyone thanked youfor your military service?” theman answered.

Such an incidentwouldn’t happen in theUnited Kingdom, saidJohnston. “The British peoplesupport their armed forces,but are less demonstrativethan Americans. Americansvalue their military.”

Johnston has learned thatand much more over the pastyear serving as British LiaisonOfficer for Gulf and Deploy-ment Health in VA’s Office ofPublic Health and Environ-mental Hazards. He is thefourth British officer assignedto that post since the GulfWar.

His job is to assist theBritish government and Brit-ish veterans by keeping themup-to-date on emerging health

issues and research involvingdepleted uranium, tungsten,and other environmental haz-ards related to service in theGulf War theater of opera-tions. He works with VA Gulfdeployment health experts tomonitor research and meetswith veterans service organiza-tion representatives to keepabreast of their concerns.

“Much of my job is sift-ing through information andpulling out what’s importantto communicate to the U.K.,”said Johnston. “I learn whatinformation is available, whohas it and try to get it to thosewho can use it.”

The United Kingdomdoes not have a Departmentof Veterans Affairs, explainedJohnston, but there is a Veter-ans’ Agency within the Minis-try of Defense. Similar to VA,that agency provides informa-tion, advice and assistance onissues of concern to veteransand their families. British vet-erans receive advice regardingbenefits, pensions, compensa-tion, service records and mili-tary awards on the agency’sWeb site at www.veteransagency.mod.uk.

Johnston also responds torequests for information andanalysis from the British Par-liament and U.S. Congress.He identifies lessons learnedby his U.S. colleagues that areused to shape British veterans’compensation programs, par-

ticularly in determining pre-sumptively recognized service-related conditions.

“The U.S. and U.K.benchmark off each other,” hesaid. “We shared the samecombat theater so it makessense to collaborate on envi-ronmental studies and shareinformation.”

Johnston said one of hisnew job’s biggest challenges isto determine whether or nothe’s actually succeeding. “Mea-suring success is a problem,”he admitted. “This job iscompletely different fromwhat I’ve done as a practicingphysician.”

Johnston lives in Wash-ington, D.C., with his wifeElaine, son Charles, anddaughter Amy. Both childrenattend public school.

British Royal Navy Surgeon Captain Richard Johnston outside his VAheadquarters office.

(VISN 10); Stanley Q.Johnson, director, Tomah,Wis., VA Medical Center;Lois M. Mittelstaedt, chief ofstaff, Under Secretary for Ben-efits, VA Central Office; Will-iam D. Montague, director,Louis Stokes Cleveland VAMedical Center; MaryAnn P.

Musumeci, director, James J.Peters VA Medical Center,Bronx, N.Y.; Alan S. Perry,director, VA Central Califor-nia Health Care System;Diana M. Rubens, director,Western Area, Veterans Ben-efits Administration; TimothyP. Shea, director, South Texas

Veterans Health Care System;James F. Trusley III, director,Augusta, Ga., VA MedicalCenter; Joseph M.Underkofler, director, VAMontana Health Care System;and Barbara C. Watkins, di-rector, Alexandria, La., VAMedical Center.

Rank Awards cont.

ROBERT TURTIL

www.va.gov/EnvironAgents

www.va.gov/GulfWar

www.veteransagency.mod.uk

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medical advances

haven’t found a way to stopthe devastating loss ofmemory and function that af-flicts 4.5 million Americans.

Only about four drugsseem to provide limited ben-efit, and they merely delaysymptoms, not the diseaseprocess, by a few months to ayear. “This has turned out tobe a much more difficult dis-ease than anybody imagined,”said Thal, who is also a Uni-versity of California, San Di-ego (UCSD) neuroscientist.

His $150 million, 15-yearproject to study Alzheimer’sreceived an additional $52million on Oct. 18 from theNational Institute on Aging.The money will be distributedthrough the UCSD’sAlzheimer’s Disease Coopera-tive Study. It will fund a six-year research effort involvingfour studies with 70 test cen-ters in the U.S. and Canada.

The battle againstAlzheimer’s is also a battleagainst time. As tens of mil-lions of baby boomers age andlife expectancy continues togrow, many more Americans

will becomeAlzheimer’s patients.More than half thepopulation olderthan 85 hasAlzheimer’s, accord-ing to the institute.

However, re-searchers are excitedabout a few devel-opments, Thalnoted. He is mostenergized by a newimaging techniquethat can see plaquebuildup in brains ofliving patientsthrough the use of aspecial isotope “tag.”Thal plans to usethe imaging tech-nique in some SanDiego patients.– San Diego Union-Tribune

Unique Swim Fins AllowDisabled Veteran to EnjoyHis Hobby AgainAfter he lost his legs, Navyveteran Jim Dyess thoughthe’d never be able to swim ordive again. But unique pros-thetic stubby swim legs madeby the Prosthetics Section ofthe Michael E. DeBakey VAMedical Center in Houstonhave allowed him to enjoy hishobby again.

Though swim stubbieshave rarely been made, a pairwas fabricated by the Houstonmedical center to fit Dyess’specific needs and abilities.“Stubby” refers to a prostheticsocket that does not have aknee attached.

An adjustable ankle is at-tached to a socket that is con-nected to a prosthetic foot. Inthis case, a swimming fin wasthen placed on each foot. Theankle can be used to adjustthe angle of the fin and forease of transport.

When Dyess found outthe facility has a pool, he toldhis kinesiotherapist, LauraLawhon, about his desire toswim again. “I havebeen a swimmerand diver since Iwas a kid,” Dyesssaid. “I knew it wasgreat exercise for mylegs and thought itwould help me withmy weight manage-ment.”

Lawhon saidshe has seen manypositive changes inDyess since hestarted his pooltherapy. His hiprange of motion hasimproved and hecan swim for longerperiods of time. Thebest change is thatDyess feels more in-dependent. He isalso highly moti-vated to get in

shape so he can participate inthe National Disabled Veter-ans Winter Sports Clinic.

Study Shows AngioplastyWorks as Well as Bypassand Costs LessAngioplasty works about aswell as open-heart bypass sur-gery and costs less, researchershave found. In a study ofheart attack victims led byKevin T. Stroupe, a healtheconomist at the EdwardHines Jr. VA Hospital inHines, Ill., survival rates wereequivalent for the two types ofsurgery.

The study looked at 445high-risk male heart patients,average age 67. Of those, 218had angioplasty and 227 hadcoronary artery bypass graftingsurgery. The procedures wereperformed between 1995 and2000.

The cost of angioplasty—clearing blocked arteries usinga catheter inside the bloodvessels—and treating a patientfor five years was 19 percentlower than for open-heart pro-cedures, researchers found.

The majority of angioplastyand bypass patients in thestudy survived at least fiveyears, and the treatments wereroughly equivalent in prevent-ing death.

The average cost fortreatment and five years ofsubsequent medical care was$81,790 for angioplasty, com-pared with $100,522 for by-pass patients. “Our study …showed that angioplasty main-tains a significant cost advan-tage with no adverse impacton survival rates, even afterfive years,” Stroupe said. Thestudy was published in theSept. 14 issue of the journalCirculation.

Unraveling the Mysteriesof Alzheimer’sWhen Leon Thal, a staff phy-sician at the San Diego VAMedical Center, first becameinterested in the puzzles ofAlzheimer’s disease 30 yearsago, he didn’t realize howtough they would be to solve.After testing more than 100drugs in thousands of patients,Thal and other researchers

Navy veteran Jim Dyess tries on his swim stubbies in the Kinesiotherapy Clinic at theMichael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston. The unique prosthetics were fashionedfor him by the facility so that he could continue swimming, despite the loss of his legs.

FRAN BURKE

VAnguardhave you heard


The Sacramento Valley National Cemetery became VA’s 124thnational cemetery on Oct. 16. The 561-acre site was acquiredfrom Alvin Hayman, a World War II Marine Corps veteran.Hayman died in 2004, shortly after VA purchased his land inDixon, Calif. According to his family, it was his wish to be bur-ied in the new cemetery. That wish was fulfilled when his cre-mated remains, and those of his wife, Irene, were the first buri-als in the cemetery.

The new cemetery, previously a working farm, is located inSolano County, about 27 miles southwest of Sacramento.Nearly 346,000 veterans and their families live within 75 milesof the national cemetery and, if eligible, could request to beburied there. A public dedication ceremony, with full militaryhonors, is being planned for the cemetery in the spring, accord-ing to Cemetery Director Dean Moline.

The Columbia Urban League and the Dorn VA Medical Cen-ter partnered to reach out to pastors and church leaders to helpveterans with the difficult period of transition and adjustment

New Sacramento Valley National Cemetery

When patients in the Nursing Home Care Unit at the JamesA. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Fla., get a hankeringfor some down-home cooking, they turn to volunteers BettyHarvey and Doris Robinson. “Betty’s Kitchen” is open forbusiness the first Wednesday of every month to preparespecial foods requested by the patients. Harvey, 67, andRobinson, 80, work with facility dietitians to prepare itemsthe kitchen doesn’t normally have on the menu for patients.Regional specialties such as corn bread, black-eyed peasand collard greens are favorites, in addition to homemade

chicken noodle soup and chili. The most requested item onthe menu is a hearty chicken vegetable soup, but Harveynotes that the patients love “anything that we cook.”

Every month, Harvey and Robinson get together to planwhat they’re going to cook for some 150 patients on thethree wards, then go shopping together to buy the ingredi-ents for the patients’ special meal. They use a grocery storecard purchased courtesy of various local school, commu-nity, and veterans service organizations.

While most of their dishes are their “own concoctions,”said Harvey, one patient provided his wife’s recipe for lentilsoup since Harvey had never made it before. Her voicebreaking, Harvey recalled that the patient was “in his lastdays” and hadn’t been eating when he asked her to makethe soup. She said one of the highlights of her volunteerwork with “Betty’s Kitchen” was when the patient ate twobowls of her lentil soup and proclaimed it “almost up there”with his wife’s version.

Harvey and Robinson have been concocting theirhome-cooked specialties for nursing home patients for thepast five years. Harvey’s brother was a former patient at theTampa medical center, and she said she started volunteer-ing after retiring from VA as a way “to give something back”to other veterans. Robinson moved to Florida from New Yorkafter retiring from Rikers Island Prison as a cook, and saidshe started volunteering as a way to fill her days. Filling theirdays is no longer a problem. “We’re two real busy old la-dies,” Harvey laughed.

‘Betty’s Kitchen’: serving up some down-home cooking in Tampa

Betty Harvey, left, and fellow volunteer Doris Robinson preparetheir special treats for patients once a month.

after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Veterans MinistryWorkshop was held Sept. 11 at the Dorn VA Medical Center inColumbia, S.C. “The church is frequently the first place return-ing soldiers look to for support,” said Urban League PresidentJames T. McLawhorn Jr. “It can be an important centerpiecefor recovery, rehabilitation and transition back from combat tothe general population.”

VA mental health staff from both the Augusta, Ga., andDorn VAMCs outlined the symptoms, causes and treatment forpost-traumatic stress disorder with 72 pastors, deacons and min-isters attending the workshop. They also explained the impactPTSD has on veterans, their spouses and children. The goal ofthe workshop was to help religious leaders recognize the signs ofPTSD in veterans returning from combat and to be able to rec-ommend appropriate resources for treatment.

After working together with the Wounded Warrior/Soldier RideOrganization last February, local Miami police officer DennisWard contacted Susan Ward, public affairs officer at the MiamiVA Healthcare System recently to ask for her assistance in coor-

Partnering with religious leaders to help veteransA Miami Heat ‘thank you’ to veterans

ART NELSON

VAnguard have you heard


Linking returning Illinois veterans with VA benefits and servicesMore than 100 Illinois National Guard and Reserve soldierswho recently returned from Iraq visited the Edward HinesJr. VA Hospital on Sept. 9. The soldiers learned about VAservices and in many cases signed up for VA health care onthe spot during the OEF/OIF Outreach and Benefits Fairsponsored by the hospital. Information about the hospital’swomen veteran programs, combat stress services, eligibilityguidelines, dental services, recreation therapy activities,physical therapy programs, and the seamless transition pro-gram was available at the fair.

Representatives from the Chicago VA Regional Office,the local Oak Park Vet Center, and the Department of Laborwere also on hand at the fair to discuss benefits and ser-vices with the soldiers. “Working at this fair was extremelyrewarding,” said Dr. Monica Steiner, chairperson of theHines OEF/OIF Outreach Committee. “It was a pleasure tosee the gratitude, and in some cases the relief, on theiryoung faces as we helped link them up with our staff andour services.”

dinating an event for the Miami Heat organization. MiamiHeat Coach Pat Riley wanted to show his appreciation to thesoldiers who have served the nation in Iraq and Afghanistan.Ward brought two veterans to the Miami Heat season openeron Oct. 31. Prior to the opening tipoff, the Miami Heat organi-zation introduced the two veterans at center court and thankedthem for their service to our country; the entire arena re-sponded by giving them a standing ovation.

Coach Riley’s mission this year is to honor local soldierswho have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has reserved fourtickets for each home game courtside, personally greets the sol-diers before the game, and treats them to dinner in the VIPFlagship Lounge.

Dennis M. Lewis, director of the VA Northwest Health Net-work (VISN 20), recently issued marching orders to his ap-proximately 8,200 employees at VA medical centers and clinicsto “Get MOVING!” MOVE!—or Managing Overweight and/or Obesity for Veterans Everywhere—is a national weight man-agement program originally designed for veterans. However,Lewis—a marathon runner and outdoor enthusiast—recognizedthe benefits of employees incorporating MOVE! principles intotheir everyday lives since research has shown clear links betweennumerous diseases and excess weight and lack of exercise.

The health care costs resulting from excess weight andphysical inactivity annually top $100 billion. Individual pedom-eters were distributed to every employee, and Lewis challengedparticipants to walk, run, skip, stride, hop, jog, march or dance

to better health by taking 10,000 steps per day for 50 days. Thecompetition has been extremely successful, inspiring employeesand fostering some friendly, spirited rivalry among facilitieswithin the network.

A morning-long drill conducted on Oct. 3 tested the city ofBaltimore’s emergency responder system in a situation thatcauses mass casualties. The University of Maryland MedicalCenter partnered with the School of Nursing, the Baltimore cityfire and police departments, the Baltimore VA Medical Center,the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems,and about a dozen city and state agencies.

The aim of the drill was to see how the present systemwould withstand a surge of 100 to 200 victims, and to deter-mine what needs to be modified in the event of a real tragedy.Two simulated bomb blasts at the School of Nursing started thedrill. “Victims” were triaged using a series of color-coded rib-bons tied around the victims’ arms.

New decontamination units at the Baltimore VA MedicalCenter were used during the drill to shower victims that mighthave been exposed to chemical, biological or radiological agentsas a result of the simulated bomb blast. “With the increased po-tential of an attack involving a weapon of mass destruction, it isimperative for VA and Baltimore city to be prepared to quicklyand appropriately respond to protect the victims, the first re-sponders and the local community,” said Sharon Kellogg, emer-gency management coordinator for the VA Maryland HealthCare System.

Challenging employees to get MOVING

Testing Baltimore’s emergency response capabilities

Soldiers lined up enthusiastically for the complimentary massagesoffered to fair participants by student volunteers from the IllinoisSchool of Massage.

MAUREEN DYMAN

VAnguardhonors


In Day Treatment Center forhomeless veterans in down-town Little Rock.

Richard Jordan, M.D.,and David Reagan, M.D.,physicians at the MountainHome, Tenn., VA MedicalCenter, were recently recog-nized as Health Care Heroesfor the Tri-Cities area. Jordan,chief of medicine and on-sitedirector of residency training,was recognized as the personmost responsible for shapingand overseeing the develop-ment of residency training in-novations. Residents in hisprogram have a 96 percentpass rate on their InternalMedicine Board exams.Reagan, the chief of staff, wasrecognized for his key role inCareSpark, a regional healthinformation organizationproject. This is a statewide ef-fort for the private sector todevelop a process for the ex-change of patient health infor-mation electronically.

Journal tenure for physician

State honors for psychologistEach year the Air Force

Association gives an award toa VA employee in recognitionof significant contributions tothe department’s mission.Alan Sumitomo, support ser-vices supervisor at the Na-tional Memorial Cemetery ofthe Pacific in Hawaii wasnamed this year’s VA Em-ployee of the Year in Septem-ber. Sumitomo was recognizedfor his efforts as the cemetery’sproject manager for the Veter-ans Industries’ CompensatedWork Therapy Program. Thisprogram was created to helpveterans with disabilities be-come full-fledged contributorsto society and build betterlives. Sumitomo, a veteran ofthe Hawaii Air NationalGuard, has successfully trained32 veterans over a five-yearperiod; five have become per-

Dr. Hashem El-Serag, a staff physician at the Michael E.DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston and an associ-ate professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine,has started a five-year ten-ure as an associate editorfor Gastroenterology, theleading national and inter-national scientific journalfor digestive and liver dis-ease. El-Serag’s researchfocuses on the clinical epi-demiology and outcomesof several digestive andliver disorders, most nota-bly hepatocellular carci-noma and hepatitis C, aswell as luminal gas-trointestinal disorders in-cluding gastroesophagealreflux disease and Barrett’sesophagus. He has had more than 110 original paperspublished or in press over the past eight years. Severalof his studies were published in journals such as theNew England Journal of Medicine.

manent full-time employees atthe cemetery.

The VA San DiegoHealthcare System was re-cently selected as one of the2006 San Diego’s Best Placesto Work by the EmployersGroup and San Diego Maga-zine. Employers were selectedfor this prestigious award afterrigorous review of human re-sources practices, benefits, em-ployee turnover, pay and com-munity participation. In addi-tion, 160 randomly selectedemployees were surveyed ontheir opinions about the VASan Diego workplace. “Ouremployees make the work-place and the culture,” saidGary Rossio, medical centerdirector. “This award recog-nizes the exceptional employ-ees we have here at VA SanDiego and their commitment

El-Serag

Dr. Sonja Batten, a clinician with the VA Maryland HealthCare System, received the 2006 Outstanding Contributionsby an Early Career Psychologist to Psychology in Serviceto the Public award from the Maryland PsychologicalAssociation on Oct. 27. As a coordinator and clinical

psychologist for the healthcare system’s traumarecovery programs, Battenhas contributed to thewell-being of veteransthroughout the state wholive with post-traumaticstress disorder. In additionto working with veteransfrom World War II, Vietnam,and other conflicts,Batten’s work has recentlyfocused on outreach to vet-erans returning from Iraq

and Afghanistan to ensure they receive appropriatetrauma recovery services.

to serve veterans.”The Central Arkansas

Veterans Healthcare Systemreceived the Governor’s Awardfor Performance Excellence.The Arkansas Institute forPerformance Excellence pre-sented the award during its12th annual awards celebra-tion in Hot Springs on Sept.25. The Governor’s Award isthe highest honor given forperformance excellence. Thehealth care system has twohospitals offering a broadspectrum of inpatient andoutpatient health care services,ranging from disease preven-tion to primary care, complexsurgical procedures, and ex-tended rehabilitative care. Inaddition, the health care sys-tem reaches out to veteransthrough its community-basedoutpatient clinics in MountainHome, El Dorado, HotSprings and Mena; its HomeHealth Care Service Center inHot Springs; and a VA Drop-

Batten

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heroes

and mud for 20 minutes be-fore finding the female passen-ger, who had been thrownfrom the vehicle. Thanks toParks’ quick responses, bothaccident victims’ lives weresaved. She was even able tomake it to work in time forher shift.

Mid-flight lifesaving efforts

Dametrius Wesley Sr., a file clerk at the VA Records Man-agement Center in St. Louis, delivered his own baby onOct. 8. His wife Tanya awoke that morning to contractionsspaced 10 minutes apart. As she prepared to leave for thehospital she let out a scream. The baby was coming andwouldn’t wait for the delivery room to make her debut.Wesley knew the basics of childbirth, having witnessedthe arrival of his first two children.

He directed his kids, ages 9 and 6, to retrieve towelswhile hecoached Tanyathrough the de-livery. WhenWesley saw theumbilical cordaround thebaby’s neck, hetold Tanya tostop pushingwhile he turnedthe baby coun-terclockwise,freeing the cord.

He then directed Tanya to continue pushing. Seven-pound, 21-inch Damesha Tatyana Lashay Wesley wasborn at 8:56 a.m. Both mother and child are doing well.Wesley said he was extremely proud of his children, whowere not scared during the delivery and served as his“little delivery assistants.” Wesley’s co-workers are nowurging him to consider changing careers and become amidwife.

On a recent flight, VA Deputy Secretary Gordon H.Mansfield saw VA medical expertise up close. Two hoursinto the flight, an 84-year-old man complained of feelingill. Physical therapist Brian P. Murphy, who manages Re-habilitation Medicine Service for the VA Salt Lake CityHealth Care System, overheard the elderly passenger.Murphy asked the flight attendant to reseat him next tothe ill passengerand took a quickmedical history,learning that theman had recentlybeen hospitalized.The flight atten-dants broughtMurphy a first aidkit, and he took theman’s pulse andblood pressure.Murphy started anIV and advised theflight crew to landas soon as pos-sible to get thestricken passenger to a hospital. “He probably would nothave survived without medical attention,” Murphy said.

The man faded into unconsciousness, and passen-gers helped Murphy move him out of his seat and ontothe aisle floor. Once the plane touched down in Omaha,an EMS crew came on board and took over as Murphyprovided a medical history. Murphy stopped by the Deltacounter the next day to ask about the man he had treatedand learned that he was still alive and hospitalized inOmaha. “I was extremely proud to be a part of VA afterwitnessing the lifesaving efforts of Brian Murphy,”Mansfield said. “He remained calm under pressure andused his leadership skills to direct fellow passengers andthe Delta flight crew to help him manage the crisis. BrianMurphy represents the very best of VA.”

On June 19, VA policeofficers Bartosz Wichowskiand Marek Makoski re-sponded to a distress call inthe emergency room parkinglot of the VA ConnecticutHealthcare System’s West Ha-ven campus. Upon arrival, theofficers found a woman hold-ing a baby and franticallypleading for help. The childwas having difficulty breathingand was in obvious distressfrom an unknown allergic re-action. The woman was onher cell phone trying to get in-structions from members ofthe West Haven Fire Rescue

Department. Wichowski tookthe phone from the mother,and while receiving instruc-tions from Fire Rescue, ad-ministered an Epipen injec-tion, which stabilized the in-fant. Wichowski then turnedthe mother and child over torescue units as they arrived.For his efforts, Wichowski waspresented a VA Police ServiceLife Saving Award.

On Sept. 15, Altoona,Pa., VA Medical Center li-censed practical nurse JoanParks was traveling to workwhen she became the first per-son to arrive at the scene of an

accident and stopped to help.As she assisted the injureddriver, he inquired about hispassenger, whom Parks hadnot seen. Parks then noticed awoman’s shoe on the groundand began to search for a pos-sible second victim. Parks andtwo others searched in the rain

Murphy

New job for baby-delivering dad?

TOD PETERSON

Dametrius Wesley Sr., with new babyDamesha, son Dametrius Jr., wife Tanyaand daughter Dametria.

COURTESY WESLEY FAMILY

2006 National VeteransCreative Arts FestivalJames Sterrett-Bryant, 64, an Air Force veteran fromPalmdale, Calif., performs a vocal duet from Phantom of theOpera, “All I Ask of You,” during the stage show performanceat this year’s Festival, held Oct. 16-22 in Rapid City, S.D.Sterrett-Bryant’s performance with singing partner ChristinePointer, an Army veteran from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., was ahighlight of this year’s stage show. The show was televisedon many PBS stations nationwide the week of Veterans Day.

MARK MASSER

veterans day 2006 - u.s. department of veterans affairs · veterans day 2006 18 ... in honor of...

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