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VA News

VA News courtesy of Terry Dunne, American Legion:

VA Programs for Veteran Families: A veteran’s family is vital to his or her recovery from physical or mental wounds. VA offers an array of programs and benefits to families who want to assist their veterans. Coaching into Care is a VA program created to provide a coaching service for family and friends of veterans who see that their veterans are in need of help. This program helps veteran families find ways to motivate their veterans to seek care and services for physical and mental health conditions. The service is free and provided by licensed clinical social workers and psychologists. The goal of the service is to help veterans and family members find appropriate services in their community. To learn more, visit: http://www.mirecc.va.gov/coaching/index.asp.

  

Arkansas Purple Hearts Awarded: Purple Hearts were awarded Wednesday to the family of Army Pvt. William Andrew "Andy" Long, 23, of Conway, who was killed, and to Pvt. Quinton I. Ezeagwula, now 24, of Jacksonville, who survived after being shot nine times by Abdulhakim Muhammad outside a Little Rock military recruiting center on June 1, 2009. Prior to a recent change to federal law, Purple Hearts could only be awarded to military members killed or wounded by a foreign combatant. The American-born Muhammad, formerly known as Carlos Leon Bledsoe, pled guilty and is now serving a life sentence. Read more at: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/arkansas-soldiers-receive-purple-hearts-2009-attack-32158268.

Neller Nominated to Lead Marine Corps: Lt. Gen. Robert Neller has been nominated to become the 36th Commandant of the Marine Corps, succeeding the current Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford, who is expected to become the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  Neller is currently the commander of Marine Corps Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., and Marine Corps Forces Europe. He is a veteran of Iraq, Somalia and Panama. Read more at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/2015/07/01/neller-to-be-tapped-for-commandant/29567019/.

Tarawa Remains Recovered: Remains believed to belong to up to three dozen Marines killed during the 1943 World War II Battle of Tarawa have been recovered and are being returned to the U.S. for identification. One of the Marines is believed to be 1st Lt. Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman, Jr., 33, of Knoxville, Tenn., who would be posthumously awarded a Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the four day battle, fought Nov. 20-23, 1943, which saw more than 1,000 Marines killed in action. The remains were recovered by History Flight, a Florida-based nonprofit organization that is assisting U.S. government MIA search and recovery efforts through an expanded public-private partnership opportunity. Read more at: http://www.military.com/daily-news/2015/07/01/long-lost-medal-of-honor-recipients-remains-be-returned-family.html.

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We Honor Our Navy Corpsmen

I am a navy corpsman. I possess the stamina and enthusiasm of youth and the wisdom and experience of an old man.

I am 3 parts doctor, 1 part nurse, 2 parts Marine, 1 part yeoman and 3 parts mom, yet I am 100% sailor.

I am unemployable to the civilian world in my given profession, yet have been the very life line for countless Marines, soldiers and sailors since 1778.

I have carried Marines from the battle field and have been carried reverently myself by Marines who mourned my passing like that of a brother or sister.

I am young.  I am old, brave, scared and scarred.  My title has changed over the years - loblolly boy, surgeon’s steward, pharmacist’s mate, hospital corpsman, IDC - yet with all the changes I am still simply known as "Doc."

I have celebrated peace; yet felt the sting of war on the seas, in jungles, in foreign cities, in Washington D.C. and on beaches of every shade of sand - white, tan, coral and black.

I have raised hell on liberty; hope in the midst of battle, and Old Glory on Iwo Jima.

I have removed appendices on submarines and limbs in the midst of battle and many other procedures far above and beyond what I am expected to do by the normal practice of medicine because it had to be done in order to save the life of a Marine or sailor in battle or under the ice, far from a doctor's care.

I have ignored my own wounds to the point of death in order to stay at my station treating the wounded of my nation’s Navy, Marine Corps, Army and Air Force.

I have the highest number of medals of honor of any corps in the Navy, most of them presented to my wife, child or mother because I was already in Heaven at the time.

I am proud to know in my heart that every Marine who has ever fought and every sailor who has gone to sea on ships owe their very lives to those they simply, yet respectfully know as "Doc."

Attributed to Mark A. Wright, HMC(SS), USN, 14 February 2003.