Veterans News – February 22, 2016

Welcome back from the Weekend folks. Hope yours was a great and safe one. Wishing you and yours the best! Not a ton of News for today, but enough to keep you reading for a while if you elect to do so.

For Today: If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought. - Peace Pilgrim

Bonus for Today: Mind is the Master power that molds and makes, And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills, Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills:— He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass: Environment is but his looking-glass. – James Allen - "As A Man Thinketh"

Sign The Code: http://www.codeofsupport.org/read-the-code/ Thank you folks!

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Veterans News

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Supreme Court of the United States BLOG (SCOTUSblog) – Below BLOG article written by Lyle Denniston on the matter of SDVOSB, Kingdomware Technologies, Inc., Supreme Court Case regarding Veterans First program at VA. http://www.scotusblog.com/2015/06/court-to-rule-on-veterans-rights-in-business/ Sent in by Laurie Artis, USMC Veteran and great Vets Advocate. Thanks Laurie.

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DOD Contracts Awarded for Monday, February 22, 2016.

http://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/670931/source/GovDelivery

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Defense News Early Bird Brief for Monday, February 22, 2016.

http://view.editorial.sightlinemg.com/?j=fe551270736d027b7612&m=ff011577756600&ls=fdcc1574746702797514777266&l=fe8b13707d6c007d7c&s=fe1f13787563037a761273&jb=ffcf14&ju=fe2811737d65007e761078&r=0

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One Vet One Voice - San Francisco Veterans Town Hall Collaborative this Wednesday, February 24, 2016, Features Troops For Fitness and USC Veterans Survey. Short fuse notice on this one folks. For you Vets in an around the Bay Area please take note and please pass it along.

http://us8.campaign-archive1.com/?u=1d3dd6d60fd06521bb7f5acea&id=cfcc2d523c&e=feb96ff6a6

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VA Media Summary and News Clips for Monday, February 22, 2016. Please see attached pdf.

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Reserve Officers Association (ROA) SmartBrief for Monday, February 22, 2016. http://www2.smartbrief.com/servlet/encodeServlet?issueid=0B7377CC-88F9-4043-81AC-27ED187ABC96&sid=22cbe9eb-3ef0-4eca-8105-ef9f466dc32d

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POLITICO Morning Defense for Monday, February 22, 2016. A Daily Briefing from Inside Washington’s National Security Apparatus.

http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-defense/2016/02/provisional-truce-reached-as-bombings-hit-syria-us-airstrikes-killed-two-serbian-hostages-defense-pacs-tilt-more-toward-gop-212810

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Your 5:00 pm Daily ExecutiveBiz Headlines.

http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=9447c61bfb9058cb4553aedbf&id=6a1589743e&e=a823c4dfb6

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Your 12:00 pm Daily ExecutiveBiz Headlines.

http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=9447c61bfb9058cb4553aedbf&id=aedd2ab384&e=a823c4dfb6

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Your 6:00 am GovConWire - Top News from Executive Mosaic.

http://us4.campaign-archive2.com/?u=9447c61bfb9058cb4553aedbf&id=b354eb2480&e=a823c4dfb6

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A Variety of Veterans Related News from a Variety of Sources

Stars and Stripes Fred Cherry, POW in North Vietnam for seven years, dies at 87. When beatings failed to bring him around, Fred Cherry's North Vietnamese jailers assigned a self-described "Southern white boy" as his cellmate, hoping that racial antipathy between the two men would weaken his resolve and produce a propaganda triumph for North Vietnam. The plan failed. The two men became fast and lifelong friends.

Stars and Stripes Kerry: 'Provisional agreement' reached on Syria ceasefire. Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Sunday that a "provisional agreement in principle" has been reached with Russia for a temporary truce in the Syrian civil war, and it could start within days.

USNI News U.S. Navy Ditching BlackBerry for iPhones, Androids

. The ubiquitous handheld device is being phased out by Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command for thousands of Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI) users by the end of April.

PennLive Was this guy a soldier?: Pa. court grants veterans hiring preference to cadet who quit West Point. Should a former cadet who never graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and who didn't spend a day in the Army afterward, be entitled to a veterans hiring preference for a state government job? The answer, according to a Commonwealth Court panel, is, Yes.

Army Times Army's new fitness tests: New details emerge from leadership. The Army is on the eve

of rolling out new MOS-specific, gender-neutral fitness tests, and new details have begun to emerge.

Marine Corps Times West Coast Marines complete first M27 Designated Marksman Course. The Marksmanship Training Unit aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, has completed the inaugural Designated Marksman Course for the M27 Infantry Assault Rifle, the first of its kind for West Coast Marine infantrymen.

Defense News US Navy in Talks To Use Iceland's Keflavik Air Base Again. The government of Iceland is engaged in a dialogue with the United States over the proposed future deployment of Navy P-8 Poseidon submarine "hunter" aircraft from a renovated Keflavik Air Base.

Air Force Times Cheating site Ashley Madison is popular with Air Force. The hack of notorious cheating website Ashley Madison - whose uber-classy motto is "Life is short. Have an Affair" - is continuing to cause embarrassment around the country. And now, it's the Air Force's turn.

Military Times: Lawmakers push to link Veteran’ COLA with Social Security. Veterans always get the same annual cost-of-living increase as Social Security recipients. But there’s no guarantee that will continue. That’s why lawmakers are again pushing for new legislation that would permanently tie together the two rate increases, and thus avoiding a potential payout hiccup if congressional politics stalls what is normally routine business.

Politico Magazine: Oversight of GI Bill dollars challenged. The Post-9/11 GI Bill, with its promise to help a generation of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans build successful middle-class lives through education, has shelled out more than $58 billion for 1.5 million veterans and their family members since 2009. But along the way, for-profit colleges dinged by federal and state regulators for serious misdeeds have been able to keep the Veterans Affairs Department's seal of approval…

The Huffington Post (The Blog): Women in the Armed Forces: Where Can We Go From Here? Today's article, like so many of them, is a bit of a mixed bag. I want to talk about women in the military, and what kind of medical care they're receiving once they return home from active duty. Let's take a brief look at the current state of affairs, what promising new developments are headed our way, and what we can do to help better the situation as time passes.

WFED-AM (Federal News Radio): MSPB vs Congress: It’s war! Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald frequently recounts how many people VA has fired in the last couple of years, as if that’s the answer to the department’s many problems. Some people do need to go. But you don’t get to

excellence on scalps alone.

CNN (Video): Senator: Fire VA’s mental health director. In the wake of a scathing report about failures in the Department of Veterans Affairs suicide hotline, Sen. Mark Kirk is demanding that the VA fire its director of mental health. "The horrific revelations contained in the recently released VA (Office of the Inspector General) investigative report include repeated instances of the VA ignoring veterans' needs for suicide assistance," Kirk wrote in a letter to VA Secretary Robert McDonald.

TWC News – Austin (Video): Department of Veterans Affairs Hosts Hackathon for Veterans with PTSD. The Department of Veterans Affairs is holding a hackathon this weekend to create solutions for veterans with brain injuries and PTSD. Innovators from across the country are focusing on improving access to car, new ideas for rehabilitation and community re-integration for all veterans.

The New York Times: Veterans Seek Greater Emphasis on PTSD in Bids to Upgrade Discharges. Since 2001, more than 300,000 people, about 13 percent of all troops, have been forced out of the military with less-than-honorable discharges. Congress has recognized in recent years that some of these discharges were the fault of dysfunctional screening for PTSD and other combat injuries, and it has put safeguards in place to prevent more — including requirements for mental health professionals to review all discharges.

Detroit News Audit: Veterans home did not properly investigate abuse. State legislators plan to hold investigative hearings on "a troubling pattern of mismanagement" at the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, which a new state audit finds failed to properly investigate allegations of abuse and neglect.

The News-Star: VA Chief: Agency could ‘cease to exist as we know it’. Louisiana Veterans Affairs Secretary Joey Strickland told lawmakers his agency can limp through the rest of this fiscal year under midyear budget cuts, but warned potential cuts next year could wipe out the department.

Messenger-Inquirer: ‘You still suffer’, Agent Orange catching up to Vietnam Vets. Snow fell outside the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 696 as its members held their monthly meeting Feb. 9. Although attendance was down, most of those present were Vietnam veterans receiving some percentage of disability benefits from their exposure to Agent Orange -- a herbicide sprayed by the United States military during the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971.

Military.com (Mental Health Weekly Digest): New Report Calls for Halt to Research on Gulf War Health Effects. Gulf War Illness is the "signature" health problem of 1991 Gulf War veterans, affecting an estimated 24-33 percent of the nearly 700,000 who served, according to a new report of the

Institute of Medicine, but researchers say its recommendations, "turn science on its head."

Seacoastonline.com: ‘There are no answers, just guesses’, Desert Storm Vet says Gulf War Illnesses Not Understood. Lynn Santosuosso is a combat veteran of Operation Desert Storm who cites a list of health problems she said were caused by her active duty exposure to toxins and that the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department is not doing enough to help her.

Salon: War’s toxic legacy: Iraq, the burn pits & the tragedy the military needs to be held accountable for. Excerpted from "The Burn Pits: The Poisoning of America's Soldiers". From November 2003 to April 2009, in a lonely area of the Iraqi desert approximately twenty miles north of Baghdad, the United States operated a military base called Camp Taji. The camp was located in what is known as the Sunni Triangle, which in the early days of the Iraq War was one of the most battle-torn areas in the country.

Westside Today: Brentwood Beat: The West L.A. VA Campus; So Far, Terrific. It was a great day over at the West L.A. VA Campus on January 28. It was a year almost perfectly to the day when both parties to a lawsuit between the ACLU and the VA was settled in favor of attempting to work out a friendlier approach to providing more housing and services to homeless veterans in the area.

Journal News: Veteran in NY? There’s an app for that. A new mobile app from the state is meant to digitally connect veterans with information on health care, housing, employment, education programs and other services. The new app, launched late last month, provides veterans with quick access to benefit information and crisis hotlines, as well as a long list of state and local veteran facilities and offices.

WKXW-FM (101.5): Rutgers launches program to help NJ Veterans. Rutgers University has launched a new statewide initiative to speed up the process for New Jersey veterans trying to get medical and mental health care. Veterans Total Care Initiative is a six-month pilot program supported by a $5 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Health.

Midland Daily News: 12,000 Veterans to be called by Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center on Feb 29. The Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center hopes to reach out to more than 12,000 veterans in the state during an event on Feb. 29 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. “A new way to connect to veterans was recently attempted with much success at the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System and we wanted to be next in line,” Dr. Himanshu Singh, acting medical center director, said.

WPSD-TV (NBC-6, Video): Terminally ill Veteran’s final wish fulfilled. How far would you go to help

make a terminally ill man’s final wish come true? Hundreds of people came out to the Marion VA Friday afternoon to support and cheer on a local veteran during his final ride. Staff, friends and total strangers pitched in to make the day one Walter Vernell Holderfield would never forget.

The Washington Times (AP): Veterans Affairs program provides comfort to Vets in hospice. A Department of Veterans Affairs program offered at several facilities in the Chicago area seeks to provide companionship in a veteran’s final days. The No Veteran Dies Alone program is active in about one-third of Veterans Affairs facilities nationwide, according to officials.

Stars and Stripes Fallen US WWII hero's Army dog tag found on Pacific island . More than 70 years after Pfc. Thomas E. Davis was killed in the war's final battle, a tangible reminder of him has been found on the Pacific island of Saipan - one of his Army dog tags.

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VETERANS EVENTS

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Jennifer Schaus & Associates – Schedule of Upcoming Events (Procurement related and Veterans Small Business Events) in and around the Washington, DC area.

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=81fa7f67-09e6-45c7-8146-4e9804d905a9&c=c88ed930-bfa9-11e3-b2df-d4ae526edc76&ch=c945cd20-bfa9-11e3-b395-d4ae526edc76

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Federal Business Council (FBC) 2016 List of Conferences and Events: Lot of events going on and set-up and managed by FBC. Here is the list that takes us through to October 2016.

https://www.fbcconferences.com/search.aspx

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Job ZONE Listing of Job Fairs for 2015 through 2016.

http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=0990c1fbb840ccb617b5992e6&id=383110f983&e=4c98ba860d

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Business Diversity: Driving Economic Growth and Entrepreneurship. On February 24th, the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), in partnership with the Multi-Cultural Chambers Alliance and Community Business Partnership, will present just-released data from the U.S. Census Bureau that highlights the growth of minority, woman and veteran business ownership in the United States, the Washington area and Fairfax County – and their growing impact on the national and local economy. Cost Free! For more information and to register for this event, please go to below link. Thanks to Ms. Karen Smaw, FCEDA for getting this information to us!

http://www.fairfaxcountyeda.org/register-business-diversity-driving-economic-growth-and-entrepreneurism

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Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce – Government Contracting Forum – The Changing Landscape in the Government Services Market. New date is February 25, 2016. There is a $60.00 fee to attend. Go here for detailed information and to register:

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=2b35aebe-a8cf-4a0f-955b-860398f4ad3d&c=654b34e0-c049-11e3-b39b-d4ae529cddd3&ch=665b4550-c049-11e3-b39d-d4ae529cddd3

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Veterans Legal Services Clinics to offer Free Estate Planning Services. March 1, 2, 3, and 4, 2016. The Office of the Commonwealth of Virginia Attorney General is partnering with the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) and the Virginia State Bar to host Veterans Legal Services Clinics to provide FREE estate planning services to low income veterans. Simple Wills, Powers of Attorney and Advance Medical Directives will be offered at each Clinic. Space is limited, be sure to apply today! Click on the follow link for additional information: http://www.oag.state.va.us/index.php/programs-initiatives/veterans-assistance-resources/veterans-legal-services-clinic Thanks to Tina Parlett Calhoun at DVS for getting this to us. Thanks Tina!

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Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce – National Center for Veteran Institute for Procurement once again announces VIP. March 1 – 3, 2016, and June 21 – 23, 2016. VIP Grow is a 3-day, 27-hour comprehensive certification program designed for veteran businesses to increase their ability to win government contracts by establishing best business practices. Classes are instructed by industry experts, government officials, and agency representatives. To date, 546 Veteran-owned businesses nationwide have graduated from the program. VIP is offered at no cost to participants. Enrollment is open to Veteran-owned businesses nationwide and limited to one executive from each business.

Class size is limited to 50 individuals per session. As I understand from a number of Veterans that have attended VIP, this is an OUTSTANDING program. Two sessions are now available but better sign up quick! Go here for more detailed information. http://myemail.constantcontact.com/VIP-Grow---Spread-the-Word-to-Arm-Vets-to-Win.html?soid=1101128334983&aid=D95rd9q3xcc

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VA OSDBU Announces the NASA/JPL and the City of Pasadena Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Industry Day. Tuesday, March 1, 2016 7:00 AM,Pasadena Convention Center, 300 East Green Street, Pasadena, CA 91101. Registration is Free. Go here for details and to register:

http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USVAOSDBU/bulletins/12b94ae

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Virginia Beach Veterans Recruiting Event - Organized by Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS); Virginia Employment Commission, and Regent University. Cost Free – March 14, 2016, 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM. Regent University Library Building, Virginia Beach, VA. Virginia's Department of Veterans Services, Virginia Employment Commission, and Regent University invite you to a one-of-a-kind workforce recruiting event! Companies and agencies here in Virginia recognize the talent Veterans bring to their workforce, and want to meet with you to talk about their job openings. Résumés are required for registration, and we will ensure these employers know what you're looking for in a company while they search for the prime candidate. Go to following link for more information and to register.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/virginia-beach-veterans-recruiting-event-tickets-21260027314

Thanks to Tina Parlett-Calhoun, Virginia DVS, for getting this scoop to us!

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6th Annual Veteran Women Owned Small Business Seminar. March 17, 2016,

8:30 AM - 4:30 PM. Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA. Go here for details and to register: https://wave2016.busyconf.com/bookings/new

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Disabled Veteran Business Alliance (DVBA) SoCal Construction Expo. March 29, 2016, 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM, Camp Pendleton, CA. Please go here for details and to register:

https://www.trailblz.info/disabledvetba/eviewer.aspx?vid=982A79B20E20692635F0F410A2DC6265F587A8AE974E99817240CC2E96B75F42

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Montgomery County Chamber Foundation Presents – “VIP Start,” a new addition to the National Center for Veteran Institute for Procurement programming. April 5-7, 2016, Bolger Center, Potomac, MD. This 3-day, 27-hour comprehensive certification program is designed for veteran owned businesses that want to enter or expand their business growth into the federal market place through best business practices. VIP Start is offered at no cost to participants. The Curriculum is designed to accelerate the rate at becoming procurement ready. VIP Start does not focus on teaching how to start a business; rather, it focuses on how to do business with the government. For details and to register:

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=4a439f1a-babc-46eb-96cc-e643f5e6d07c&c=654b34e0-c049-11e3-b39b-d4ae529cddd3&ch=665b4550-c049-11e3-b39d-d4ae529cddd3

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Federal Business Council, Inc. (FBC) Announces the 26th Annual Government Procurement Conference. Wednesday, April 6, 2016, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC.

http://www.fbcinc.com/e/procurement/default.aspx Hope to see you there!

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Early Bird Registration - Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) GovConNet Procurement Conference. Thursday, May 12, 2016, 7:30am - 3:00pm, The Universities at Shady Grove, 9630 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, MD 20850. For more information and to register: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=08c96955-1f83-4caf-b177-027760fb00db&c=654b34e0-c049-11e3-b39b-d4ae529cddd3&ch=665b4550-c049-11e3-b39d-d4ae529cddd3

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Disabled Veteran Business Alliance (DVBA), Annual Small Business Conference and Expo – Keeping The Promise Across America. May 18 – 19, 2016, AT@T Stadium, Arlington, TX. Go here for details: https://www.trailblz.info/disabledvetba/eviewer.aspx?vid=7A40B15FD53A16BC205F14255E38294AF8302D7A135342C2F34374D09F80C489

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13th Annual Elite SDVOSB Network National Conference/Convention, San Antonio, Texas, August 24

– 26, 2016. For details: http://www.sdvobconference.com/

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Save the Date: VA OSDBU Announces the 2016 National Veterans Small Business Engagement. November 1 – 3, 2016, Minneapolis, MN.

http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USVAOSDBU/bulletins/12dadbb

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Folks! If you want to be REMOVED from the Vets News Distribution List, just send me an e-mail with the subject line "REMOVE!"

Prayers and blessings for you and your loved ones and for our amazing Troops and their loved ones everywhere.

Godspeed all....Wayne

Wayne M. Gatewood, Jr., USMC (Ret)

Founder, President, CEO

Quality Support, Inc.

Established 1989, VA CVE-Verified SDVOSB

AIMS Consolidated Schedule GS-00F-0068M

MOBIS - Schedule 874

8201 Corporate Drive, Suite 220

Landover, MD 20785

301-459-3777 - Fax 301-459-6961

http://www.qualitysupport.com/

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and

appreciated by their Nation." - George Washington