Veterans News – December 21, 2015

For Today: Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. It is happiness

because we see joy in people. It is forgetting self and finding time for others. It is discarding

the meaningless and stressing the true values. - Thomas S. Monson

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Veterans News

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A Special Holiday Video Message from the Chairman and Founder of the Code of Support

Foundation (COSF), Major General Alan B. Salisbury, U.S. Army (Ret). Folks, as a

Member of the COSF Board of Trustees, I respectfully ask you to consider donating to this

amazing organization. Thank you and Godspeed… http://us9.campaign-

archive1.com/?u=0044d38fefc52a9f30242fc8e&id=bb6ec96066&e=527b57e2e6

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DOD Contracts Awarded for Monday, December 21, 2015. http://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/637649/source/GovDelivery

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Defense News Early Bird Brief for Monday, December 21, 2015 http://view.exacttarget.com/?j=fe5d11797166067f7d16&m=ff011577756600&ls=fdcc15747467

02797514777266&l=fe8b13707d6c007d7c&s=fe1f13787563037a761273&jb=ffcf14&ju=fe331

1727064067e701674&r=0

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A Media Summary and News Clips for Monday, December 21, 2015. Please see attached

pdf.

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Reserve Officers Association (ROA) SmartBrief for Monday, December 21, 2015.

http://www2.smartbrief.com/servlet/encodeServlet?issueid=8F3FF0C2-7EBA-45E2-997B-

2B0ED3E6114A&sid=22cbe9eb-3ef0-4eca-8105-ef9f466dc32d

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POLITICO Morning Defense for Monday, December 21, 2015. A Daily Briefing from Inside

http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-defense/2015/12/10-iraqis-killed-in-friendly-fire-

airstrike-us-bomber-mistakenly-flies-near-disputed-islands-hagel-says-white-house-tried-to-

destroy-him-211855

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Your 5:00 pm Daily ExecutiveBiz Headlines.

http://us4.campaign-

archive2.com/?u=9447c61bfb9058cb4553aedbf&id=de957f430a&e=a823c4dfb6

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Your 12:00 pm Daily ExecutiveBiz Headlines.

http://us4.campaign-

archive2.com/?u=9447c61bfb9058cb4553aedbf&id=07bd84c759&e=a823c4dfb6

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Your 6:00 am GovConWire - Top News from Executive Mosaic.

http://us4.campaign-

archive1.com/?u=9447c61bfb9058cb4553aedbf&id=6fa59cc0e7&e=a823c4dfb6

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Code of Support Foundation (COSF) - Please read the

Code! http://www.codeofsupport.org/read-the-code/ Please sign the Code...Please Donate

Now….get involved with Code of Support Foundation (COSF). No big salaries here, no big

overhead costs, just big hearts and a mission of looking after our fellow Veterans and their loved

ones….people who need assistance the most! It’s all about the Vets folks! More on Code of

Support Foundation: http://www.codeofsupport.org/ Please support COSF! Thank you folks for

allowing me as a Member of the COSF Board of Trustees to believe I can come to you to seek

your support of this great organization.

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A Variety of Veterans Related News from a Variety of Sources.

Stars and Stripes Son of the American Revolution dies while laying wreaths on veterans'

graves. Fred Kaffenberger Jr., 80, a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, while

wearing the colonial attire and tri-corner hat of society members, died last week in Leavenworth

National Cemetery while laying Christmas wreaths at the graves of veterans.

USA Today: Opinion: War on Christmas has gone too far. Just imagine for a moment that

you could touch the cloak of the Ghost of Christmas Past and return to a small American town at

Christmas time. From the schoolhouse we can hear the beautiful voices of innocent young

children singing Christmas carols. The parents sit in the school auditorium beaming with pride,

Catholic, Jewish and Protestant, even those who don’t practice any religion.

Stars and Stripes Obama signs massive year-end tax cut and spending package. Congress

gave final approval Friday to one of the most ambitious legislative packages in years — a $1.1

trillion funding bill, up to $680 billion in tax breaks and dozens of other substantial policy

initiatives. The measure, which averts another shutdown and keeps the federal government

running through September, was sent to President Barack Obama, who signed it into law.

ABC News (AP): Massive Spending and Tax Deal at a Glance. A divided Congress on

Friday cleared a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government for the 2016 budget year and

extend $680 billion in tax cuts for businesses and individuals. President Barack Obama is

expected to sign the legislation. Here are the highlights.

Military Times: 2016 defense budget deal finally nailed down by Congress. Senate

Democratic leaders said that if not for their decision to stonewall the defense appropriations

process for months, Congress never would have reached a full federal budget deal. Republican

leaders say the defense budget would have been wrapped up months ago if not for those

obstructionist moves.

The Washington Post (The Fix): 3rd

Democratic debate transcript, annotated: Who said

what and what it meant. CLINTON: On January 20th, 2017, the next president of the United

States will walk into the White House. If, heaven forbid, that next president is a Republican, I

think it's pretty clear we know what will happen… Our vets may see the V.A. hospital that needs

to be improved and made better for them turned over to privatization.

Stars and Stripes Russian campaign in Syria offers country chance to test weapons,

doctrine. Based on a 1950s civilian turboprop airliner, the slow-moving Ilyushin Il-18 Coot

seems an unlikely addition to Russia’s growing arsenal of modern weapons systems deployed to

Syria to fight rebel forces there.

Stars and Stripes Putin: Russia will develop, not use, nuclear weapons. President Vladimir

Putin says Russia will continue to develop nuclear weapons but doesn't intend to use them.

Air Force Times Air Force to have enlisted pilots for first time since World War II. It's

happening: Enlisted airmen will be allowed to fly some remotely piloted aircraft.

GovExec TSP Board Starts to Tackle Military Retirement Reform. To encourage members

to stay in the military, the new law also includes a measure providing continuation or retention

pay after 12 years of service.

Navy Times Navy SEALs won't change standards for women, admiral says. The

legendary Navy SEALs have no plans to alter their strenuous physical fitness standards as they

open the doors to women in 2016, according to the Navy's personnel boss.

Army Times Army book club: SMA Dailey wants your ideas, must-read picks. Sergeant

Major of the Army Dan Dailey is putting together a professional reading list, and he wants your

ideas and recommendations.

Military.com Marine Corps to Honor First Responders to Osprey Crash in Hawaii. The

Marine Corps and the city of Honolulu will host a joint ceremony Friday in honor of the military

and civilian first responders who assisted in the aftermath of a fatal MV-22 Osprey crash in May.

Bloomberg Carter Orders Navy to Build Fewer Ships, Spend More on Jets. Defense

Secretary Ash Carter has ordered U.S. Navy leaders to buy fewer ships so the service can spend

more on jets such as the F-35 as well as munitions and upgraded systems for electronic warfare.

Air Force Times Red storm rising: Pilots facing deadlier air defenses. The Air Force is

facing more sophisticated and lethal air defense systems all over the world, Chief of Staff Gen.

Mark Welsh said here Tuesday..

ABC News: Armed Forces Members, Veterans Use #iwillprotectyou After Muslim Child

Says She’s Afraid. Veterans and current service members are using social media to reassure

Muslim Americans that they will fight for their rights as citizens. On Facebook and Twitter,

military service members and veterans have started using the hashtag#iwillprotectyou after one

mother's post went viral about her daughter's fear of being kicked out of the country.

Stars and Stripes Young Americans: Connected to the world, disconnected from

politics. They are connected to one another like never before. And they are as disconnected

from American politics as ever.

Farmington Daily Times: Hearing set for proposed Navajo Veterans Act. The Navajo

Nation Office of the President and Vice President will hold a public hearing about the proposed

Navajo Nation Veterans Act. The act proposes transitioning the Department of Navajo Veterans

Affairs to a veterans agency under the president’s office.

The Daily Beast: The Stimulus Act Started a Cyber Crime Wave of Medical Data

Theft. Six years after the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 opened the

floodgates to digitized medical records, so-called “protected health information” is now the most

precious commodity in pilfered consumer data—fetching up to ten times the price of a stolen

credit card number on the “dark Web.” A report from International Data Corporation this month

forecasts that one-in-three consumers will have their health data compromised next year due to

weak cybersecurity.

Military Times Military suicides hold steady in 2015. For the third straight year, suicides

among active-duty members have remained relatively steady, which Pentagon officials say could

indicate that suicide-awareness and -prevention programs are hitting their mark.

Waseca County News: Help is available for Veterans Considering Suicide. If you are able to

have the person agree to a plan and you agree to be there every step of the way, you may save a

life. Suicide should be taken seriously and should be acted on immediately. There are many

qualified people to help get the veteran to proper care. The Veterans Administration has a

resource out there that veterans can reach out to.

The New York Times: Congress Orders Defense Dept. to Study Combat’s Effects on

Veteran Suicide Rates. Congress on Friday passed a bill requiring the Departments of Defense

and Veterans Affairs to study the long-term effects of combat on the mental health of veterans —

a dynamic that remains poorly understood despite concerns by lawmakers and the public over

elevated veteran suicide rates in recent years.

Reuters: Veterans’ PTSD may recur down the line. Soldiers deployed to Afghanistan had a

spike in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in the months immediately after their

return, but also five years later, according to a Dutch study.

Johnson City Press: Mountain Home VA leads the way with micro-processors and

prosthetics. Johnson City’s VA facility might have no current candidates for the Department of

Veterans Affairs’ new plan to provide eligible paralyzed veterans with exoskeleton suits, but that

doesn’t mean it’s a stranger to new technology.

NPR (Morning Edition, Audio): Veterans Say ‘Burn Pits’ Created Toxic Clouds That

Made Them Sick. In 2008, Army Reserve Capt. LeRoy Torres returned home to Robstown,

Texas, after a tour in Iraq. He went back to work as a state trooper with the Texas Highway

Patrol. Torres was a longtime runner. So when a suspect took off on foot one morning, Torres

sprinted after him. But something was wrong. A burning sensation in his chest hurt so bad, it

almost knocked him down.

Tampa Bay Times: VA: Automatic benefits for Camp Lejeune Vets will take a year. The

Department of Veterans Affairs says it will take at least a year to formulate regulations enabling

Camp Lejeune veterans to receive automatic benefits for any of eight diseases linked to

contaminated drinking water at the base.

Dayton Daily News: VA leader backs house for families of injured Vets. VA Secretary

Robert McDonald has endorsed the future construction of a privately financed, up to $6 million

Fisher House on the sprawling campus of the Dayton VA Medical Center, according to the VA

and project officials. McDonald’s backing was a key step to build the 16-bedroom house at the

historic campus, officials said.

NPR (All Things Considered, Audio): Veterans’ Advocated Highlight Progress On

Homelessness, Claims Backlog. New Year's day 2016 is the deadline for two ambitious goals

set at the Department of Veterans Affairs — ending the backlog of disability claims and reaching

zero homeless veterans. Neither goal has been met, but veterans' advocates hope momentum on

progress isn't lost.

The Boston Globe: Unmindful of Veterans’ needs. Richard Jackson is 70 years old, though he

looks a lot younger. He is an old soldier, an Army combat veteran of the Vietnam War, and

believe me when I tell you it is fairly ridiculous that someone like Jackson, who gave his country

more than it could ever give him back, has to move furniture twice a week just so he and other

vets can practice yoga.

The Arizona Republic (Video): Troubled times at Camp Alpha: Is unofficial homeless

shelter coming to an end? Crockett, 49, who served in the Marines, said he read about Camp

Alpha — a homeless encampment that focuses on housing veterans, but won't turn anyone away

— being shut down. He drove from Show Low to help.

Oregon Public Broadcasting (Audio): How Portland Housed Homeless Vets in a City with

no Vacancy. Portland and Multnomah County are close to a major milestone. By the end of the

year, the city is on track to move more than 690 homeless veterans into houses and apartments.

That could add Portland to the ranks of cities like New Orleans and Houston, which say they

have effectively ended veterans homelessness.

The Washington Times (AP): Ferriday woman gets 5 months, stole $100K in VA

benefits. A woman who admitted stealing more than $100,000 in Veterans Affairs death

benefits has been sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home confinement. The

Town Talk (http://townta.lk/1OEGmj8 ) reports that 45-year-old Linda Sue Bourgeois of

Ferriday also was ordered to repay $107,452.33.

Concord Monitor: A dying woman’s wish: Let me rest with my son. Helen, 82 when she

died Saturday morning, wanted to show me the cemetery’s granite columbarium niches, lined in

neat rows like safe deposit boxes. Her son’s ashes lay in one, marked “Gary Andersen, U.S. Air

Force, Vietnam.” Helen wanted her ashes placed there, too, her dying wish.

Stars and Stripes Ark. brothers offer horse-drawn wagon funerals for deceased

veterans. John and Chris Sears, two brothers from Booneville, have started providing horse-

drawn funeral parades for deceased veterans.

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VETERANS EVENTS --------------------------------------

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Capitol Post – Veterans – Business – Purpose. December 2015, Events Update. http://us11.campaign-

archive2.com/?u=d907c28bbc61151e5a473deee&id=0ef0fabe78&e=662f547d21

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Job ZONE Listing of Job Fairs for 2015 through 2016. http://us1.campaign-

archive2.com/?u=0990c1fbb840ccb617b5992e6&id=383110f983&e=4c98ba860d

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Virginia Values Veterans V3 Program, Virginia Department of Veterans

Services, V3 Training Schedule for December 1 – 18, 2015. http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=9047497c-3556-4ff8-b177-

2cae403ced4e&c=f0bce490-c33d-11e4-887e-d4ae5292b9a6&ch=f0f7a3a0-c33d-11e4-887e-

d4ae5292b9a6

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Student Veterans of America 8th

Annual National Conference. January 7 -10, 2016,

Orlando, FL. http://www.wewin.studentveterans.org/

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National Veteran Small Business Coalition - DC Metro Dinner

Meeting. Wednesday, 13 January 2016, Key Bridge Marriott, 1401 Lee Hwy, Arlington,

VA 22209 (Free Parking)

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-veteran-small-business-coalition-13-january-2016-dc-

metro-dinner-meeting-tickets-

20030317218?ref=enivtefor001&invite=ODkyOTk5MS93Z2F0ZXdvb2RAcXVhbGl0eXN1cH

BvcnQuY29tLzA%3D&utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=invitefor

malv2&utm_term=eventpage

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Women Veterans ROCK! Woman Warrior Weekend - Transition Retreat. January 15 – 17,

2016, Freedoms Foundation in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. For more information and to

register:

http://www.womenvetsrock.org/events/

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Don't Miss the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) Government

Contracting Forum. Thursday, January 28, 2016, 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, Bethesda Pooks Hill

Marriott. Cost is $60.00. Go here for more detailed information and to register:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Don-t-Miss-the-MCCC-Government-Contracting-

Forum.html?soid=1101128334983&aid=z6UtFBDgJ8o

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Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce – National Center for Veteran Institute for

Procurement once again announces VIP. March 1 – 3, 2016, and June 21 – 23, 2016. VIP

Grow is a 3-day, 27-hour comprehensive certification program designed for veteran businesses

to increase their ability to win government contracts by establishing best business

practices. Classes are instructed by industry experts, government officials, and agency

representatives. To date, 546 Veteran-owned businesses nationwide have graduated from the

program. VIP is offered at no cost to participants. Enrollment is open to Veteran-owned

businesses nationwide and limited to one executive from each business. Class size is limited to

50 individuals per session. As I understand from a number of Veterans that have attended VIP,

this is an OUTSTANDING program. Two sessions are now available but better sign up

quick! Go here for more detailed information. http://myemail.constantcontact.com/VIP-

Grow---Spread-the-Word-to-Arm-Vets-to-Win.html?soid=1101128334983&aid=D95rd9q3xcc

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VA OSDBU Announces the NASA/JPL and the City of Pasadena Service-Disabled

Veteran-Owned Small Business Industry Day. Tuesday, March 1, 2016 7:00 AM,Pasadena

Convention Center, 300 East Green Street, Pasadena, CA 91101. Registration is Free. Go here

for details and to register:

http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USVAOSDBU/bulletins/12b94ae

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Folks! If you want to be REMOVED from the Vets News Distribution List, just send me an e-

mail with the subject line "REMOVE!"

Prayers and blessings for you and your loved ones and for our amazing Troops and their loved

ones everywhere.

Godspeed all....Wayne

Wayne M. Gatewood, Jr., USMC (Ret) Founder, President, CEO

Quality Support, Inc.

Established 1989, VA CVE-Verified SDVOSB

AIMS Consolidated Schedule GS-00F-0068M

MOBIS - Schedule 874

8201 Corporate Drive, Suite 220

Landover, MD 20785

301-459-3777 - Fax 301-459-6961

http://www.qualitysupport.com/