Veterans
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During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.
He is the son of Kimberly Graziano of Clearlake, Calif.
Hopper graduated in 2006 from Carlé Continuation High School, Lower Lake, Calif., and in 2008 from Universal Technical Institute, Sacramento, Calif.
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The event will start at 10 a.m. in the social hall.
Jane Graham will coordinate volunteers to make holiday cards to send to servicemen and women overseas. This is a fun project in cooperation with Operation Tango Mike.
The goal is to make 100 cards in one day that will be shipped in November care packages.
“Even if you think you do not have have crafting talent you can be sure there will be all sorts of things for you to do including stamping, punching, gluing and stuffing envelopes,” Graham said. “There is no cost to participate and I am designing samples so everyone can follow the steps and make it go faster.”
Folks can come for a couple hours or stay for the entire time.
Men and women are more than welcome but please no young children. If you have questions, e-mail Graham at
Middletown Community United Methodist Church is located at 15843 Armstrong St., Middletown.
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- Written by: Ginny Craven
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Some very special people recently organized a very unique event to support Operation Tango Mike. It was created by folks wishing to bolster the ongoing effort to send care packages and support to deployed troops.
On a beautiful Lake County evening, a crowd gathered at the home of Allen and Donna Thomas for wonderful food and dynamic entertainment. Guests were greeted at the gorgeous lakeside setting with champagne, wine and delicious food.
Many local business and community members also provided prizes for raffles and silent auction items.
As the sun began to set over Clear Lake the duo known as Rodeo Drive performed. At once, the crowd was transported to Broadway, opera houses, and multiple decades in time. Randy and Marilyn showcased their talents, singing selections including show tunes, rock, ballads and jazz.
The performance included a song dedicated to the troops that moved many to tears. Then, the crowd joined the duo in a moving rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
At the end of the evening, the entire affair received rave reviews with comments such as, "Reserve my seat for next year!"
Much to everyone's delight, host Allen Thomas alluded to hosting a similar event next year. If the 2010 soirée was any indicator, the 2011 evening will sell out fast.
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"These grants wouldn't have happened without the extraordinary partnerships forged with community organizers," said Shinseki. "These investments will provide transitional beds to veterans who have served honorably, but for various reasons now find themselves in a downward spiral toward despair and homelessness."
The Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program provides grants and per diem payments to help public and nonprofit organizations establish and operate new supportive housing and service centers for homeless veterans.
The $41.9 million is broken into two categories.
About $26.9 million will help renovate, rehabilitate or acquire space for 1,352 transitional housing beds.
A second group of awards, valued at $15 million, will immediately fund 1,216 beds at existing transitional housing for homeless veterans this year.
The awards will cover daily living costs based upon the number of homeless veterans being served in transitional housing.
A key component of VA's plan to eliminate homelessness among veterans within five years, the grants and per diem payments helped reduce the number of veterans who were homeless on a typical night last year by 18 percent to about 107,000 veterans within one year.
VA's strategy to eliminate homelessness among veterans is to implement a "no wrong door" approach, meaning veterans who seek assistance should find it in any number of VA's programs, from community partners or through contract services.
Under the secretary's action plan to end homelessness among veterans, VA will continue to offer a full range of support necessary to end the cycle of homelessness by providing education, jobs, health care and counseling, in addition to housing.
VA will increase the number and variety of housing options available to homeless veterans and those at
risk, including permanent, transitional, contracted, community-operated and VA-operated housing.
Most importantly, VA will target at-risk veteran populations with aggressive support intervention to try to prevent homelessness before it starts.
For more information, visit VA's Web page for VA's National Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Office at www.va.gov/homeless.
Additionally, VA has a National Call Center for Homeless Veterans, 1-877-4AID VET (1-877-424-3838), www1.va.gov/HOMELESS/NationalCallCenter.asp.
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- Written by: Office of Congressman Mike Thompson
The Air Force’s Aeromedical Evacuation (AE) flights help guarantee our wounded service men and women are quickly reunited with their families and given the best medical care.
“These men and women put their lives on the line on a regular basis to protect their fellow Americans,” said Congressman Thompson (D-CA). “When it comes to getting wounded military personnel off the battlefield, the Air Force crews do not hesitate to go into dangerous situations to evacuate our troops. These flights have increased the survival rate to 98 percent, the highest survival rate of any war in U.S. history. This wouldn’t be the case without the brave Airmen who carry out our Aeromedical Evacuation flights.”
Since Sept. 11, 2001, AE flights have been responsible for transporting over 74,000 patients from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Today, a soldier injured on the battlefield in Afghanistan or Iraq will be back in an American hospital in an average of three days. This is over seven days faster than during Operation Desert Storm and over 40 days quicker than during the conflict in Vietnam.
Operated by some of our county’s most dedicated nurses, medical technicians, physicians, pilots and support crews, AE is a Total Force effort – which includes members from Air Force Active Duty, Reserve and Air National Guard – operating at over 30 Air Force Bases in the U.S. and abroad.
Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, CA is home to 349th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron.
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- Written by: Department of Veterans Affairs
"Hispanic Americans have enriched our country beyond measure-in science and technology, education, the arts, sports, business, government-and in our military," Secretary Shinseki said.
As a major health care and benefits provider, VA recognizes that to deliver quality services it must maintain a work force that reflects the communities it serves.
VA has always strived to recruit, develop and retain a diverse, high-performing workforce and was named one of the top places of employment for federal agencies when it comes to diversity in
2009.
VA facilities nationwide will celebrate the month-long observance with local ceremonies, activities and programs.
The theme of this year's Hispanic Heritage Month is “Heritage, Diversity, and Honor: The Renewed Hope of America.”
The dates of the observance coincide with the anniversary dates (in different years) of the independence of seven Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico and Chile.
Hispanic colonists settled in Florida, Louisiana and New Mexico, and two of the oldest communities in the United States – St. Augustine, Fla. (1565) and Santa Fe, N.M. (1610) – have had Hispanic inhabitants since they were established.
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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Chapter 951 of Vietnam Veterans of America will hold its monthly potluck dinner on Tuesday, Oct. 12.
The potluck will start at 6 p.m., with the meeting at 7 p..
The group will meet at Saint Mary Immaculate Parish Hall, 801 N. Main St.
All Vietnam-era veterans, veterans of all eras, their families and friends, and members of the general public are cordially welcomed.
Contact the group at www.vva951.org/contact.html.
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SAN FRANCISCO – Swords to Plowshares, a local veteran service agency, is hosting its third annual Veteran Career Fair.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 14, at the San Francisco Veterans War Memorial Building, Green Room, 401 Van Ness Ave.
The career fair is free and open to any veteran who would like to learn more about training programs and job opportunities in the Bay Area.
“Veterans often have a difficult time transitioning the skills they learned while serving in the military into civilian jobs. At Swords to Plowshares we help veterans pursue job training programs, develop career goals and link them with local employers,” said Dave Lopez, Director of Employment and Training at Swords to Plowshares.
In addition to job placement, Swords to Plowshares offers a variety of job training programs throughout the Bay Area at no cost to veterans.
Recently, the community-based group was awarded more than $1 million in funding to expand its employment and training programs to local veterans.
Career Fair attendees can learn more about pursuing specialized job training programs in high-growth, high-wage industries, such as the clean energy sector. Dozens of Bay Area companies will be on hand.
Learn more about the work of Swords to Plowshares, and ways in which you can help, by visiting www.stp-sf.org.
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- Written by: Department of Veterans Affairs
WASHINGTON, DC – Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving in Vietnam and other areas will have an easier path to access quality health care and qualify for disability compensation under a final regulation that was published Wednesday in the Federal Register by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The new rule expands the list of health problems VA will presume to be related to Agent Orange and other herbicide exposures to add two new conditions and expand one existing category of conditions.
Last October, based on the requirements of the Agent Orange Act of 1991 and the Institute of Medicine's 2008 Update on Agent Orange, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki determined that the evidence provided was sufficient to award presumptions of service connection for these three additional diseases.
“It was the right decision, and the president and I are proud to finally provide this group of veterans the care and benefits they have long deserved,” he said.
The final regulation follows Shinseki's determination to expand the list of conditions for which service connection for Vietnam veterans is presumed. VA is adding Parkinson's disease and ischemic heart disease and expanding chronic lymphocytic leukemia to include all chronic B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia.
In practical terms, veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a "presumed" illness don't have to prove an association between their medical problems and their military service. By helping veterans overcome evidentiary requirements that might otherwise present significant challenges, this "presumption" simplifies and speeds up the application process and ensure that veterans receive the benefits they deserve.
The secretary's decision to add these presumptives is based on the latest evidence provided in a 2008 independent study by the Institute of Medicine concerning health problems caused by herbicides like Agent Orange.
Veterans who served in Vietnam anytime during the period beginning January 9, 1962, and ending on May 7, 1975, are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides.
More than 150,000 veterans are expected to submit Agent Orange claims in the next 12 to 18 months, many of whom are potentially eligible for retroactive disability payments based on past claims.
Additionally, VA will review approximately 90,000 previously denied claims by Vietnam veterans for service connection for these conditions. All those awarded service-connection who are not currently eligible for enrollment into the VA health care system will become eligible.
This historic regulation is subject to provisions of the Congressional Review Act that require a 60-day Congressional review period before implementation.
After the review period, VA can begin paying benefits for new claims and may award benefits retroactively for earlier periods.
For new claims, VA may pay benefits retroactive to the effective date of the regulation or to one year before the date VA receives the application, whichever is later. For pending claims and claims that were previously denied, VA may pay benefits retroactive to the date it received the claim.
VA encourages Vietnam veterans with these three diseases to submit their applications for access to VA health care and compensation now so the agency can begin development of their claims.
Individuals can go to a Web site at http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm to get an understanding of how to file a claim for presumptive conditions related to herbicide exposure, as well as what evidence is needed by VA to make a decision about disability compensation or survivors benefits.
Additional information about Agent Orange and VA's services for veterans exposed to the chemical is available at www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange.
The regulation is available on the Office of the Federal Register Web site at www.ofr.gov/.
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