"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." Thomas Jefferson
On this Armed Forces Day, we honor those defending our nation, freedom and liberty 24 hours a day/7 days a week:
"There on the beaches of Normandy, I began to reflect on the wonders of these ordinary people whose lives were laced with the markings of greatness." Tom Brokaw, The Greatest Generation
Dog Tags Returned To WWII Veteran
Most people never heard of Willie Wilkins, a 90-year old WWII veteran. But they need to know his story.
Mr. Wilkins, a North Carolina native, entered the Army at age 18. He served in the US Army Quartermaster Grave Registration Unit in 1944. He remembers losing his dog tags as he picked up dead soldiers on the battlefields of France. "He didn't let losing his dog tag stop him. He was too busy keeping track of the dog tags of the dead soldiers he was burying," said his daughter, Carol Wilkins.
In 2001, Anne_Marie Crespo, a French woman, was working in her garden. While digging up her yard, her shovel hit some metal. It turned out to be an old, worn dog tag. Presuming the owner of the dog tag was dead, she held a private memorial service in her home for him and all of the U.S. soldiers who gave their lives to help liberate France.
The dog tags ended up in the hands of Philippe Clerbout. His father was liberated by Americans from a Nazi POW camp. He wanted to find out if the owner of the dog tag was still alive. After reaching out to French and American authorities, he learned Mr. Wilkins was still alive and living in Newark, NJ.
Last week, Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, surprised Wilkins by giving him the dog tag during a ceremony marking V-E Day, the end of WWII in Europe.
"Daddy was smiling. He was laughing and clapping," said his daughter.
NY Post
Vietnam Veteran Receives Bronze Star 50 Years Later
Robert L. Rimpson was a Marine in Vietnam 50 years ago.
When he was 19, Rimpson, along with his squad leader, Sgt. Robert O'Malley, came under intense small arms fire. Rimpson and O'Malley assaulted the trench line from where they were receiving the small arms fire. After clearing the trench line, Rimpson, injured from shrapnel wounds, moved under enemy fire to help evacuate other injured squad members to a chopper landing zone for evacuation.
Robert Rimpson was recommended for an award while on active duty but after he was discharged he lost contact with the Marine Corps. He was once again recommended for an award in 2010. On May 4, 2013, he was finally awarded the Bronze Star for his heroism.
"I've never been more proud to be a Marine," said Pfc. Rimpson after receiving his medal. He is also a Purple Heart recipient.
Note: Sgt. Robert O'Malley received the Medal of Honor for his heroism that same day (image below)
Military.com
Some People Live An Entire Lifetime And Wonder If They Made A Difference In The World, The Marines Don't Have That Problem...Ronald Reagan
My respect for many celebrities is conspicuous by its absence. Nevertheless, there are a host of celebrities who deserve our thanks and respect for having served this great nation. Although the number of celebrities who served in recent times is scarce, the number who served from previous generations is exceptional. We honor them here:
Audie Murphy, Medal of Honor Recipient
Steve McQueen, USMC and coolest actor in the history of Hollywood
Clint Eastwood, US Army and second coolest actor in the history of Hollywood
James Earl Jones, US Army and the best voice in Hollywood
Elvis, US Army and the King of Rock and Roll
Morgan Freeman, USAF, and adds meaning to cool.
Drew Carey, USMC
Jimmy Stewart, Brig.General U.S. Army/USAF Reserve WWII Bomber Pilot and flew on a B-52 mission in Vietnam
Paul Newman, US Navy. Always about the eyes, the blue eyes.
Kirk Douglas, US Navy. Makes Russel Crowe look like a chump.
Chuck Norris, USAF and only guy to almost beat Bruce Lee
Jackie Robinson, US Army and #42. One of the greatest baseball players of all time.
"The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example." Benjamin Disraeli
In Memoriam: MIT Police Officer Sean A. Collier
MIT Police Officer Sean A. Collier, 26, was allegedly slain by the Boston bombing suspects last week.
Officer Collier was found in his police vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds. Earlier, he was responding to a disturbance near the MIT campus in Cambridge. His gun was not drawn.
"He was born to be a police officer, " said MIT Police Chief John DiFava. Officer Collier was a member of the MIT police department since January 2012.
Officer Down Memorial Page + NY Post
Ten First Responders Die In Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion
It is now believed that of the 14 people killed in last Wednesday's West Texas plant explosion, ten were first responders. All were members of local volunteer fire departments, five from West, Texas volunteer FD.
"We have lost our friends and neighbors," said Rev. John Crowder of the First Baptist Church in West, Texas.
AP + CBS News
My HealtheVet
My HealtheVet is new tool gives veterans more control over their health care. It helps veterans plan and focus on what is important to them.
My HealtheVet is simple, easy to use, private and secure. Veterans can view their VA appointments anytime, anywhere. It allows veterans to view all of their VA appointments. It also allows veterans to view and print their appointments. In addition, it gives veterans appointment details such as x-ray, blood draws or EKG's.
For more information, simply access www.myhealth.va.gov.
Job Fairs For Veterans
For a complete listing of up-coming job fairs, visit www.military.com and access "veteran jobs."
Go Forward Without Fear...Abe Lincoln
Father Emil Kapaun: An Angel To Many
Army Chaplain, Fr. Emil Kapaun, will be awarded the Medal Of Honor on April 11, 2013, for his heroic service to his fellow soldiers as a prisoner of war during the Korean War after his capture in 1950.
Even as he own body was racked with illness, he continued to minister to his fellow prisoners. He was remembered for his humility, bravery and kindness. Even before his capture, he continuously went out under heavy mortar fire and shelling to rescue wounded soldiers.
Father Kapaun died from pneumonia on May 23, 1951, at age 35 still a prisoner of war.
VA Experiencing a 900,000 Backlog In Disability Claims
The pressure keeps mounting on the VA to process disability claims faster. To date, 900,000 disability claims are pending from veterans of all past and present wars. On average, it takes over 400 days for military personnel to go through medical examination, evaluation boards, VA rating and out-processing before finally receiving disability checks as civilians.
VA Secretary Eric Shineski has promised that his transformation plan will end the VA backlog by 2015. We'll be watching Mr. Secretary.
Philadelphia Firefighter Dies Fighting Blaze
The willingness of America's veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude...Jeff Miller
Honoring Our Women Veterans
March is Women's History Month. It's also an appropriate time to specifically honor our female warriors and veterans.
Today, there are almost 23 million veterans. Of those, more than 1.8 million are veterans. It is estimated by 2020, women veterans will make up 10% of all veterans. Women make up 14% of active duty personnel and 18% of the Guard and Reserves. For these reasons and more, we honor them here:
"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat." Sir Winston Churchill
Physical Proof Found For Gulf War Illness
Researchers at Georgetown University reported that Gulf War illness is caused by damage to the brain. Scans of brains were able to find anomalies in the bundle of the nerve fibers that intercept pain signals. In other words, it's clear that Gulf War illness is not purely psychological.
It is believed that over 250,000 veterans of the Gulf War in 1991 are affected.
Lead author of the study, Rakib Rayhan, said, "We're able to say 'There is something here...Take these veterans seriously.'"
USA Today + PLOS ONE Journal
Does The VA Hide Vets' Health Data?
According to Steven Coughlin, a former epidemiologist in the VA, Department of Veterans Affairs officials purposely manipulate or hide data that would support veteran claims. Coughlin claims the VA does this to prevent paying costly benefits. This is not the first time such allegations have been made against the VA especially with regard to Gulf War illness and PTSD claims.
Coughlin made his claims to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs last week.
Army Times
Summary Of Veteran Employment For 2012
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the jobless rate for all veterans fell to 7.0 for 2012. Currently, there are 21.2 million veterans
The rate for male veterans was 6.9% and 8.3% for female veterans.
Hero Firefighter, Just Back From War, Saves Four
