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IAVA | February 4, 2021

IAVA Weekly SITREP

As the leading voice for the post-9/11 community, IAVA continues to create awareness on issues and topics impacting our community. Below are articles and news sources from the past week:

Thursday, February 4

IAVA NEWS COVERAGE

Yahoo! Finance: BNY Mellon Wealth Management Adds Senior Client Strategist in Newport Beach, CA

BNY Mellon Wealth Management has today announced the appointment of Kevin May as Senior Client Strategist in Newport Beach, CA. Kevin supports client relationship experience, which includes initiating relationships and delivering needs-based solutions based on client investment objectives. He is an Advisory Board Member at San Francisco State University, consulting across activities including strategic planning and big data integration, in addition to being an active supporter of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and other veteran related charitable organizations.

VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE

LA Progressive: Joe’s Peace Force? 

When it comes to foreign policy, President Joe Biden’s new cabinet and advisers are well stocked with retired generals, reconstituted neocons, unapologetic hawks, and similar war enthusiasts. When it comes to President Biden’s commitment to slow climate change and clean up the environment, why not do something in military terms? America’s armed forces have an enormous appetite for fossil fuels. The Pentagon also has a sordid record when it comes to the poisoning of the environment. (Consider the legacy of Agent Orange in Vietnam, or the military’s burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan, or the birth defects and severe health problems that were linked to the munitions its forces used in assaulting the Iraqi city of Fallujah in 2004.) 

CBS News: Confronting a legacy of racism at the Department of Veterans Affairs

Denis McDonough is poised to become the next secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, pending a full confirmation vote from the Senate. One issue he’s likely to face is pressure to address the department’s legacy of racism. 

The New York Times: Family of Man Attacked by Fire Ants at V.A. Facility Before His Death Sues U.S.

By Azi Paybarah

The family of a military veteran who died in 2019 after he was bitten all over his body by fire ants while at a Veterans Affairs facility in Atlanta filed a wrongful-death lawsuit this week against the U.S. government and a pest control company. The lawsuit, filed Monday in Federal District Court in Atlanta, claims that Joel Marrable, 73, an Air Force veteran who had advanced lung cancer, died prematurely because he suffered more than 100 fire ant bites in two attacks shortly before his death.

Stars and Stripes: Debt collection goes on while VA ‘exploring options’ to reinstate pause

By Nikki Wentling 

The Department of Veterans Affairs is “exploring options” to pause debt collections again after the billing restarted last month. The debt collection had been stalled for nine months to address financial hardships caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The pause expired Jan. 1.

WGEM: Local suicide prevention group launches to help veterans in need of support 

By Dylan Austin

Together with Tri-State Veterans, a newly formed local chapter of a national organization, is raising awareness into alarming suicide rates among Veterans. “There were 168 veterans in the state of Illinois in 2017 that committed suicide,” said Richard Elsenpeter, the chairperson of Together with Tri-State Veterans. “We know that veterans have a higher suicide rate than the general population. It’s one and a half times greater than other people,” said Chuck Johnson, who is the administrative coordinator of Behavioral Health Services at Blessing Health System.

CNN: Secretary of Defense orders all military to pause and review handling of extremism in ranks

By Barbara Starr, Zachary Cohen, Ellie Kaufman and Oren Liebermann

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has ordered a staggered pause of operations across the entire US military so commanders can have “needed discussions” with service members about the issue of extremism over the next 60 days, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby announced on Wednesday. Austin hopes the pause, known as a stand down, will accomplish two things — he wants leaders of each branch to be able to communicate their expectations of how their troops should behave, and leaders to “gain insight” from members on the “scope of the problem from their view,” Kirby said.

WJCT: Florida Senator Pushes Mental Health Hotline For Veterans

For veterans, mental health struggles aren’t unusual. But Sen. Gayle Harrell (R-Stuart) says for many, COVID-19 has made addressing those mental health concerns more difficult. “Not only do they have the challenges from PTSD frequently, reintegrating back into our communities, but today with COVID the isolation that people feel and the difficulty that there is makes it even more difficult for them,” Harrell says. Harrell wants to ensure getting help is as simple as picking up the phone. She’s sponsoring a bill that creates a statewide program to let veterans dial a dedicated support line staffed by their peers. 

Wednesday, February 3

IAVA NEWS COVERAGE

The Day: Bill would allow state benefits to veterans kicked out for sexual orientation

Julia Bergman

Connecticut veterans who were other than honorably discharged from the military due to their sexual orientation would be able to access state veterans benefits currently denied to them under a proposal introduced in the General Assembly by state Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague. Osten’s proposal is backed by the Connecticut chapter of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which was instrumental in passing the 2018 law.  Steve Kennedy, Connecticut team leader of IAVA, said Osten’s bill is a good effort but he worries that it leaves out veterans who were not explicitly discharged for their sexual orientation but for related charges, such as “failure to adapt” or “a pattern of misconduct.”

The Christian Science Monitor: Military and vets stormed Capitol. Should they get special treatment?

By Anna Mulrine Grobe

In the wake of the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, America’s top military leaders issued a rare and eyebrow-raising letter to troops warning that the “violent riot” was a “direct assault” on Congress as well as on the nation’s constitutional process – and also an act of sedition. Jeremy Butler, a former Navy officer and now a reservist, was previously stationed at the Pentagon and spent many hours on Capitol Hill. Sitting in his New York City apartment watching the news on Jan. 6 “was literally like watching your home being invaded,” he says. Now the CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Mr. Butler says the first order of business is for the government to do “an excellent job tracking down everyone who took part in this.”

VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE

Stars and Stripes: VA sends mobile Vet Centers to provide counseling on Capitol Hill

By Nikki Wentling

Two mobile Vet Centers will set up near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday to provide free mental health services to Capitol Police, lawmakers, congressional staff and National Guard members who need counseling after the Jan. 6 attack in Washington.

Stars and Stripes: VA secretary nominee Denis McDonough moves forward in the confirmation process

By Nikki Wentling

The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee voted Tuesday to advance the nomination of Denis McDonough as the next secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The committee voted for McDonough unanimously, paving the way for his confirmation. The nomination next goes to the Senate floor. It was uncertain Tuesday when the vote would take place.

USA Today: Confront military’s white supremacy and nationalism head-on, or it will get worse: Veteran [Opinion]

By Charlotte Clymer

Military veterans account for 7% of the adult population of the United States, according to a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau last year. NPR looked into the backgrounds of those charged so far in the violent Capitol attack last month by supporters of then-President Donald Trump and found that nearly 20% are veterans — meaning those who have served in the military were nearly three times more likely than non-veterans to have been involved, despite having taken an oath to defend the Constitution. 

Forbes: Curing PTSD With A Shot: The New Treatments That Are Changing Lives

By Alison Escalante

Now mounting research evidence shows that innovative therapies can help those with post-traumatic stress. Even better, they help much faster than conventional treatments do. One of these is a shot called the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB), and it works by an injection into the bundle of nerves that sends signals of fight or flight to the body. This calms things down fast for those with post-traumatic stress, and gives them a chance to heal. But SGB is not the only trauma therapy helping people quickly and without medication. New psychotherapies are getting results in 3-5 sessions.

CNBC: Tom Moore, the British war veteran who raised millions for health service, has died

Britain’s Captain Tom Moore, the World War II veteran who lifted a nation’s spirits by raising millions of pounds for health service workers battling the coronavirus, died on Tuesday aged 100 after he contracted Covid-19.

AP: Senate panel OKs military doctor tapped to lead health dept.

By Michellie Liu

South Carolina senators are moving quickly to greenlight the military doctor tapped to lead the state’s beleaguered health and environmental agency. The Medical Affairs committee voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend Dr. Edward Simmer, the nominee chosen in December by the board of the Department of Health and Environmental Control, to the full Senate. He would be the agency’s first permanent director in more than half a year.

Military.com: Hundreds of Doctors Fired by VA May Still Be Treating Veterans, GAO Finds

By Patricia Kime

Up to 227 medical providers dismissed from the Department of Veterans Affairs over poor-quality care may be treating veterans through the VA’s networks of private physicians, a Government Accountability Office review has found.

Tuesday, February 2

VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE

Stars and Stripes: Veterans groups ask Congress to double VA’s construction budget

By Nikki Wentling

Several national veterans’ organizations are urging Congress to give the Department of Veterans Affairs nearly $4 billion in the next federal budget for overdue construction on medical facilities, doubling its current budget for those projects.

Military Times: Veterans group launches podcast series for Black History Month on Black veterans and their mental health

By Diana Stancy Correll

Ellsworth “Tony” Williams, CEO of Veterans Counseling Veterans, has been concerned about the racial unrest the country is facing, so he and his organization are launching a podcast series for Black History Month to address veterans’ mental health issues through the lens of the Black community. The series will discuss issues including how PTSD impacts Black veterans and their family members, Black veterans’ experience with military sexual trauma, and research related to Black veterans’ mental health. “I believe understanding is the bridge to empathy,” Williams told Military Times. “And that’s what we’re lacking right now — the bridge to empathy.”

The New York Times: ‘Mind Boggling’ and ‘Deadly.’ This Is the Trump V.A.’s Racist Legacy. [Opinion]

By Jasper Craven

A recent nationwide survey taken by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National VA Council, the union that represents 265,000 V.A. employees, found that 76 percent of respondents said they’d “experienced racially charged actions” on the job at the V.A. National V.A. firing and promotion figures, obtained by AFGE through a recent public records request, suggests a disproportionate number of firings among staff members of color. Black veterans have found themselves disproportionately frozen out of the V.A.s ancillary benefits — for home loans, unemployment benefits, and the G.I. Bill.

ABC 13 News: Veterans service provides healing opportunities in nature, outlet for entire family

By Ken Corn

The Special Liberty Project has opened its East Coast Retreat Center on a farm just outside of Franklin, North Carolina. CEO Jessica Merritt says the new center is the first to offer nature-centric healing programs to the entire veteran family including families that have lost a loved one during military service and veteran suicide survivors. “Our organization is very unique because we not only serve families who have lost a loved one serving in the military but we also serve veteran suicide spouses and their children,” Jessica said. “The whole point of the organization is to bring families that have experienced a similar traumatic experience together in nature.”

The Baltimore Sun: Veterans View: Silencing the stigma and getting help [Opinion]

By Ed Rothstein

Silencing the stigma remains a relentless problem for those who have worn the uniform. The influx of urgent information and the reality of disturbing situations create stressors that service members, veterans, and their families know all too well and it’s unending. As the former Fort Meade garrison commander, Ed Rothstein knew that his decades in uniform took some kind of toll on him. He also hesitated to reach out and like so many other service members and civilians, he was confronted with the stigma of asking for help.

Defense News: A long to-do list awaits Biden’s deputy defense secretary nominee

By Aaron Mehta and Joe Gould

Kathleen Hicks, President Joe Biden’s pick for deputy defense secretary, is expected to cruise through her Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, paving her way into the Pentagon in the coming weeks. When she gets there, experts said, she will have plenty to do. Among the myriad big picture challenges facing Biden’s national security team: shifting from the Middle East to competition with China, responding to cyber and gray zone threats, repairing frayed alliances with NATO, South Korea, Japan and Australia, and steering the department towards new technologies at a time when budgets are expected to be flat or shrink.

Fox Carolina: Transitional home for women veterans now open in Spartanburg

Monday, February 1, 2021 was the official open date for a women veterans transitional home in Spartanburg. “There’s nothing in the Upstate at all for women veterans who are facing homelessness,” said Travelle Moseley of Operation Rehabilitation. The organization’s top priority is to help veterans. The home offers space for women, and a chance to thrive in life through education and case management.

Forbes: Retired Veteran Beaten By Police Urges Supreme Court To Close Loophole That Let Cops Choke Him

By Nick Sibilla

Shortly after he graduated from high school in El Paso, José Oliva served in Vietnam, spending the war’s deadliest year in charge of 12 men, all of whom survived. When he came home, Oliva spent decades working in law enforcement, but suffered his most dangerous engagement after he retired, when he was brutally choked and beaten by police while trying to see the dentist. “I feared for my life,” Oliva said. “I survived the bloodiest year in Vietnam, and here I was fearing for my life as these officers beat and choked me in a VA hospital in my own hometown. It was three against one, and they had guns. I knew better than to resist.”

Monday, February 1

IAVA NEWS COVERAGE

Patch.com: State Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Restore LGBTQ Benefits To Vets

State Representative Raghib Allie-Brennan (D-Bethel), State Representative Jeff Currey (D-East Hartford) and State Senator Alex Kasser (D-Greenwich) introduced legislation last week to restore state benefits for Connecticut service members discharged for no other reason than their sexual orientation or gender identity. “Less than honorable discharges impact veterans’ abilities to collect benefits, secure employment, and reintegrate into the civilian world,” said Steve Kennedy, Connecticut team leader for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. 

VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE

CNN: Disproportionate number of current and former military personnel arrested in Capitol attack, CNN analysis shows

By Sara Sidner, Anna-Maja Rappard and Marshall Cohen

Active military personnel and veterans are over-represented among the first 150 people to be arrested and have records released for federal offenses in the violence and insurrection at the US Capitol. Analysis by CNN of Pentagon records and court proceedings show 21 of the 150, or 14%, are current or former members of the US military. 

Radio.com: 500,000 veterans vaccinated at VA as deadliest month of pandemic draws to a close

By Abbie Bennett

The Department of Veterans Affairs has provided at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to about half a million veterans so far as VA closes out the deadliest month of the coronavirus pandemic for its patients and staff so far.

The Washington Post: The military said it wants to fight white supremacy. What is it waiting for? 

By Eric Lichtblau

The attempted insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6 — after which veterans and active-duty service members accounted for at least 27 of the initial arrests, or nearly 20 percent of the total — exposed the crossover of military personnel to violent extremism and white supremacy. The participants included a former Navy SEAL and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, photographed on the Senate floor wearing tactical gear and carrying zip-tie handcuffs. The military was overrepresented among the rioters.

Business Insider: US veterans deported to Mexico want Biden to let them ‘back into their country’ before cartels get to them

By Luis Chaparro

Thousands of US veterans deported to Mexico, some of whom have been forcibly recruited by cartels, are asking the Biden administration to let them “back into their country.” On a letter to President Joe Biden, the Deported Veterans Support House, writing “on behalf of thousands of US deported veterans,” asked Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to stop deportations of US veterans and to welcome back those who are already on foreign soil.

Yahoo: Parachuting with a Purpose: Local US Marine Corps Veteran BASE Jumps to Raise Awareness of Veteran Suicide

The number of service men who were killed in action in 2019 is the same number of veterans who die by suicide each and every day. Pittsburgh Veteran Tristan Wimmer is returning to the skies of his hometown to bring attention to this national crisis.

The New York Times: How Trump’s Focus on Antifa Distracted Attention From the Far-Right Threat

By Adam Goldman, Katie Benner and Zolan Kanno-Youngs

As racial justice protests erupted nationwide last year, President Donald J. Trump, struggling to find a winning campaign theme, hit on a message that he stressed over and over: The real domestic threat to the United States emanated from the radical left, even though law enforcement authorities had long since concluded it came from the far right. A warning in a 2009 homeland security report that military veterans returning from combat could be vulnerable for recruitment by terrorist groups or extremists prompted backlash from conservatives, forcing the homeland security secretary at the time, Janet Napolitano, to apologize and retract the report. An edited version was eventually issued, but the lesson about the political risks of highlighting far-right extremism lingered inside the department.

Friday, January 29

VETERAN NEWS COVERAGE

Military.com: National Guard Mission at Capitol Counts Toward GI Bill Benefits

By Nikki Wentling

Thousands of National Guard soldiers who deployed to Washington this month after the deadly mob takeover of the U.S. Capitol earned education benefits for the mission, a National Guard leader clarified Thursday.

The Washington Post: Bill adds canine support for veterans in treatment courts

By Jacob Steinberg

Maryland legislators are introducing a bill that would allow for certain support dogs to assist veterans participating in a rehabilitation process through the Veterans Treatment Courts.

*Also published in Chron

Times of San Diego: UCSD, VA Researchers Find Possible Genetic Links For Susceptibility to PTSD

By Debbie Sklar

By analyzing the genomes of more than 250,000 military veterans, a team of scientists led by researchers at UC San Diego and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System have identified 18 specific, fixed positions on chromosomes known as loci, which appear associated with post- traumatic stress disorder, it was announced Thursday.

FOX 5 News: Womack, Moulton introduce bipartisan resolution honoring National Guard troops

On Thursday (Jan. 28), U.S. Representatives Steve Womack of Arkansas and Seth Moulton of Massachusetts introduced a bipartisan resolution to honor the dedicated service of U.S. National Guard members. The bill commends and recognizes all the brave men and women who were instrumental in providing a safe and secure environment for the 59th Presidential Inauguration. 

IAVA is the voice for the post-9/11 veteran generation. With over 400,000 veterans and allies nationwide, IAVA is the leader in non-partisan veteran advocacy and public awareness. We drive historic impacts for veterans and IAVA’s programs are second to none. Any veteran or family member in need can reach out to IAVA’s Quick Reaction Force at quickreactionforce.org or 855-91RAPID (855-917-2743) to be connected promptly with a veteran care manager who will assist. IAVA’s The Vote Hub is a free tool to register to vote and find polling information. IAVA’s membership is always growing. Join the movement at iava.org/membership.

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