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.
