November 13, 2013
1. Our Nation Calls.
2. Marina clinic for veterans, active military breaks ground.
3. For-profit schools taking advantage of veterans, Mississippi Center for
Justice charges.
4. Real Money.
5. Turn of fortune for vets: corporations battling it out to hire our heroes.
6. Udall calls for same-sex VA benefits for veterans.
7. Despite Obama’s rosy assessment, veterans still wait an average of 300
days for benefits.
8. Two Hour Travel.
9. VA stymied in trying to provide responses to Congress.
10. VA’s malpractice tab: $845M in 10 years.
11. DoD expands lung cancer screening for vets.
12. VA marks women's clinic expansion in central Ohio.
13. American Legion holds meeting on health care.
14. Bipartisan bills to help veterans.
15. CBT Shown to Ease Depression in Veterans Young & Old.
16. Vietnam vet helps fellow veterans.
17. VA dedicates millions more toward homeless-veteran programs.
18. Groups work to bring in Valley's homeless veterans.
19. New Randolph Co. facility will help veterans adjust.
20. Veterans Treatment Court will help vets in addiction, mental-health cases.
21. Good Day L.A. – Support for Women Veterans.
22. Event helps homeless veterans.
23. Broker-dealer is looking for a few good veterans.
24. Woodside woman receives brother's Purple Heart.
25. East Lyme students honor veterans.
26. VA / VSO-MSO Hearings as November 13, 2013:
27. Today in History:
November 13, 2013
1. Our Nation Calls. Hyperlink to Article The Huffington Post: In the midst of the
many heartfelt tributes and parades that took place this Veterans Day around the
country, there were two editorials that, taken together, speak volumes about the
obligation and the thanks that all those in service to our country deserve from
each of us… one written by a newspaper editor and the other by a retired fourstar US Army general…
2. Marina clinic for veterans, active military breaks ground. Hyperlink to Article
Monterey County Herald: Officials broke ground on the multimillion-dollar joint
Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense clinic in Marina on
Monday, Veterans Day… When it opens in two years, the three-story, 146,000square-foot facility will serve about 70,000 veterans and active military.
3. For-profit schools taking advantage of veterans, Mississippi Center for
Justice charges. Hyperlink to Article Clarion-Ledger: For-profit schools
received 14 percent of the [G.I. Bill] funds, although they enroll only 7 percent of
the students. These trends are mirrored nationally, but Mississippi veterans are
hit especially hard, as the state is chronically plagued by high rates of poverty,
increasing unemployment rates, low educational success and rampant use of
predatory loans, according to an 18-page report issued on Veterans Day by the
Center for Justice.
4. Real Money. Hyperlink to Article AJAM (Video): This 5:10 minute video
discusses the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill. The report includes commentary from VA
Deputy Undersecretary Curtis Coy. Mr. Velshi notes partnerships between VA
and non-profit organizations to measure outcomes of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill use.
5. Turn of fortune for vets: corporations battling it out to hire our heroes.
Hyperlink to Article New York Daily News: Veterans on Wall Street (VOWS), a
veterans hiring initiative, will kick off its third annual confab at Goldman Sachs
headquarters on Tuesday with a new agenda - helping companies who are eager
to hire vets… More than 300 Goldman Sachs clients from 150 different
organizations have signed on to attend the event, which for the first time will
devote an afternoon to corporate recruiters.
6. Udall calls for same-sex VA benefits for veterans. Hyperlink to Article The
Gazette: Colorado’s Democratic Sen. Mark Udall blasted a VA policy that
doesn’t recognize some same-sex marriages in a Tuesday letter to the Obama
administration.
7. Despite Obama’s rosy assessment, veterans still wait an average of 300
days for benefits. Hyperlink to Article The Washington Times: Despite rosy
platitudes from President Obama on Veteran's Day, more than 700,000 former
troops remain waiting for medical benefits owed to them from a grateful nation
because of a backlogged system that still takes an average of 300 days to
navigate.
November 13, 2013
8. Two Hour Travel. Hyperlink to Article WVLT (Video): This 3:38 minute video
details criticisms by East Tennessee residents for the long distance they must
travel two hours to reach a VA facility to receive specialized care. A mayor
offered to give a vacant hospital building to VA, but the offer was declined
because the building is too old and states that current facilities meet the needs of
the area.
9. VA stymied in trying to provide responses to Congress. Hyperlink to Article
Federal Computer Week: Congress keeps asking questions about data
security at the Department of Veterans Affairs, but the VA hasn't come up with
any answers yet. With another deadline coming this week, that appears unlikely
to change -- the VA secretary's latest plan to get Congress the answers it seeks
has been rejected by his own department's inspector general.
VA’s malpractice tab: $845M in 10 years. Hyperlink to Article Dayton
Daily News: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs paid out roughly $845
million in malpractice cases during the past 10 years — a period that has seen
the agency face scrutiny for giving bonuses to medical professionals who
provided or oversaw substandard care.
10.
11.
DoD expands lung cancer screening for vets. Hyperlink to Article
Military Times: A third military hospital has begun offering lung cancer
screenings for patients considered to be at high risk for developing the disease…
Dr. Linda Kinsinger, with the Veterans Health Administration’s Office of Patient
Care Services, said VA is excited to offer the screenings, which can lower the
risk of dying from lung cancer by 20 percent.
12.
VA marks women's clinic expansion in central Ohio. Hyperlink to
Article The News Tribune (AP): The Columbus VA Ambulatory Care Center is
nearly double the size of the previous clinic and offers a full range of health care.
Women can get primary care and care specifically geared toward female-specific
health concerns.
13.
American Legion holds meeting on health care. WZTV American
Legion holds meeting on health care ... in Nashville for veterans to discuss the
Department of Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley ...
14.
Bipartisan bills to help veterans. White Mountain Independent
Kirkpatrick, who is Arizona's only member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee and
is ... HR 3304, to authorize the Medal of Honor to veterans of the U.S. Army
for ...
November 13, 2013
15.
CBT Shown to Ease Depression in Veterans Young & Old.
PsychCentral.com A new study from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
compares how older adults and younger adults manage ...
16.
Vietnam vet helps fellow veterans. San Antonio Express Valdez said
that in 2001, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder through the
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Before the diagnosis, he drank ...
17.
VA dedicates millions more toward homeless-veteran programs.
Hyperlink to Article The Washington Post (Federal Eye): The Department of
Veterans Affairs on Tuesday announced a nearly $14 million surge in funding for
programs to assist homeless veterans… The agency approved nearly $9 million
in grants for transportation and renovated housing for homeless veterans, in
addition to roughly $5 million to boost services for special populations such as
women, the elderly and those who are chronically or mentally ill.
18.
Groups work to bring in Valley's homeless veterans. Hyperlink to
Article WFSB-TV (Video): It's a hard reality to comprehend, but when the men
and women of the U.S. military take off their uniforms after they have served and
protected the nation, too many wind up on the streets… The U.S. Department of
Veteran's Affairs set a goal to end homelessness among veterans by 2015.
19.
New Randolph Co. facility will help veterans adjust. Hyperlink to
Article Palladium-Item (The Muncie Star Press): Often unemployed and
suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental health issues, some
veterans turn to drugs or alcohol as a means to cope, becoming homeless in the
process. On any given night, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, there are 62,900 homeless veterans… Now homeless
veterans in East Central Indiana will have a place to turn for help.
20.
Veterans Treatment Court will help vets in addiction, mental-health
cases. Hyperlink to Article News-Sentinel: Veterans who run into trouble with
the law in Allen County may have an alternative that helps them tackle addiction
or mental-health problems… Allen Circuit Judge Thomas Felts and Allen
Superior Judge Frances Gull on Tuesday announced the creation of the Joint
Veterans Treatment Court for Allen County.
Good Day L.A. – Support for Women Veterans. Hyperlink to Article
KTTV (Video): The 4:23 minute report highlights the organization New
Directions, which provided support to formerly Homeless Women Veterans could
not get support from VA.
21.
November 13, 2013
22.
Event helps homeless veterans. San Antonio Express According to
the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, a group of Vietnam veterans hosted the
first stand down in San Diego, Calif., in 1988. Several community ...
23.
Broker-dealer is looking for a few good veterans. NEWS.GNOM.ES
Mischler is the oldest broker-dealer with a service-disabled veteran-owned
business ... and the only one certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs.
24.
Woodside woman receives brother's Purple Heart. Hyperlink to Article
San Jose Mercury News (The Daily News): On Veterans Day, Teresa Dentino
received the Purple Heart her brother, Sgt. Merle "Denny" Dentino, should've
received more than 40 years ago after being killed by friendly fire near Khe Sanh.
25.
East Lyme students honor veterans. Hyperlink to Article The Day:
Attendees at the annual ceremony applauded as principal Judy DeLeeuw gave
medals to U.S. Navy veterans Robert Farrior, a third-class machinist mate, and
Doug Medley, a senior chief torpedoman, at a podium in front of the school's
veterans' memorial garden. The Connecticut Veterans Wartime Service Medals
were bestowed on behalf of the state Department of Veterans Affairs.
26.
VA / VSO-MSO Hearings as November 13, 2013:
 November 13, 2013. Economic Opportunity Subcommittee, House
Committee on Veterans Affairs, hearing entitled, “VA’s Independent Living
Program – A Program Review.”
 November 13, 2013. HVAC, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
will conduct a hearing entitled “Correcting Kerfuffles – Analyzing
Prohibited Practices and Preventable Patient Deaths at Jackson VAMC.”
 November 14, 2013. HVAC will hold a round table discussion entitled
“Addressing Operational Challenges to Ensure Accurate and Optimal VA
Third Party Collections.”
 November 20, 2013. (Rescheduled) HVAC will conduct an oversight hearing
entitled “Building VA’s Future – Confronting Persistent Challenges in VA
Major Construction.”
November 13, 2013
27.























Today in History:
1642 – First English Civil War: Battle of Turnham Green – the Royalist forces
withdraw in the face of the Parliamentarian army and fail to take London.
1775 – American Revolutionary War: Patriot revolutionary forces under Gen.
Richard Montgomery occupy Montreal, Quebec.
1851 – The Denny Party lands at Alki Point, before moving to the other side of
Elliott Bay to what would become Seattle, Washington.
1887 – Bloody Sunday clashes in central London.
1901 – The 1901 Caister Lifeboat Disaster.
1914 – Zaian War: Berber tribesmen inflict the heaviest defeat of French forces
in Morocco at the Battle of El Herri.
1918 – Allied troops occupy Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.
1927 – The Holland Tunnel opens to traffic as the first Hudson River vehicle
tunnel linking New Jersey to New York City.
1941 – World War II: The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal is torpedoed by U-81,
sinking the following day.
1942 – World War II: Naval Battle of Guadalcanal – U.S. and Japanese ships
engage in an intense, close-quarters surface naval engagement during the Battle
of Guadalcanal.
1947 – The Soviet Union completes development of the AK-47, one of the first
proper assault rifles.
1950 – General Carlos Delgado Chalbaud, President of Venezuela, is
assassinated in Caracas.
1954 – Great Britain defeats France to capture the first ever Rugby League
World Cup in Paris in front of around 30,000 spectators.
1956 – The Supreme Court of the United States declares Alabama laws requiring
segregated buses illegal, thus ending the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
1965 – The SS Yarmouth Castle burns and sinks 60 miles off Nassau with the
loss of 90 lives.
1966 – In response to Fatah raids against Israelis near the West Bank border,
Israel launches an attack on the village of As-Samu.
1969 – Vietnam War: Anti-war protesters in Washington, D.C. stage a symbolic
March Against Death.
1970 – Bhola cyclone: A 150-mph tropical cyclone hits the densely populated
Ganges Delta region of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), killing an estimated
500,000 people in one night. This is regarded as the 20th century's worst natural
disaster.
1974 – Ronald DeFeo, Jr. murders his entire family in Amityville, Long Island in
the house that would become known as The Amityville Horror.
1982 – Ray Mancini defeats Duk Koo Kim in a boxing match held in Las Vegas,
Nevada. Kim's subsequent death (on November 17) leads to significant changes
in the sport.
1982 – The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C. after a
march to its site by thousands of Vietnam War veterans.
1985 – The volcano Nevado del Ruiz erupts and melts a glacier, causing a lahar
(volcanic mudslide) that buries Armero, Colombia, killing approximately 23,000
people.
1985 – Xavier Suarez is sworn in as Miami, Florida's first Cuban-born mayor.
November 13, 2013









1986 – The Compact of Free Association becomes law, granting the Federated
States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands independence from the United States.
1988 – Mulugeta Seraw, an Ethiopian law student in Portland, Oregon is beaten
to death by members of the Neo-Nazi group East Side White Pride.
1990 – In Aramoana, New Zealand, David Gray shoots dead 13 people, in what
becomes known as the Aramoana Massacre.
1995 – A truck-bomb explodes outside of a US-operated Saudi Arabian National
Guard training center in Riyadh, killing five Americans and two Indians. A group
called the Islamic Movement for Change claims responsibility.
2000 – Philippine House Speaker Manny Villar passes the articles of
impeachment against Philippine President Joseph Estrada.
2001 – War on Terrorism: In the first such act since World War II, US President
George W. Bush signs an executive order allowing military tribunals against
foreigners suspected of connections to terrorist acts or planned acts on the
United States.
2002 – Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq agrees to the terms of the UN Security
Council Resolution 1441.
2002 – The oil tanker Prestige sinks off the Galician coast and causes a huge oil
spill.
2007 – Russia officially withdraws from the Soviet-era Batumi military base,
Georgia.