Message Center

The Department of Veteran Affairs Veterans Benefits Administration has announced its partnership with the Richmond International Raceway (RIR) and driver Landon Cassill during NASCAR Weekend featuring the Air Guard 400 and the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 on September 10th and 11th, 2010 in Richmond Virginia.

This partnership is part of a growing effort to ensure the nation’s Veterans and service members learn of the opportunities and benefits offered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

“The GI Bill has had a positive impact on a lot of people,” Cassill said. “I have a good friend who served in the military and he is currently using the GI Bill to get his education. In my outreach to family members to see if anyone was using the GI Bill, I actually educated a cousin who did not know he was eligible and is now looking into the benefits that he is entitled to. I can see how the GI Bill can affect someone’s life as it has for my friend. I am looking forward to helping get the word out and having a great run with the Post-9/11 GI Bill colors on our car at Richmond.”

About Race Weekend:

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Air Guard 400 will be held September 10 & 11th, 2010 at Richmond International Raceway, located at 600 East Laburnum Avenue, Richmond, VA 23222. For tickets and directions visit the Richmond International Raceway website or call (866)455-7223

The Air Guard 400 from Richmond International Raceway will be televised live on ABC starting at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 11th.

In addition, “My Story”, a public awareness campaign featuring PSA’s that profile six Post-9/11GI Bill recipients, will be showcased. View the PSAs online!

Some really moving photos of our men and women in uniform – this is part of a continuing photo series at Boston.com.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Honestly, only one can encompass some of these images: wow.

Check out the rest of the series on their photoblog, The Big Picture.

In the newest special in Military Channel’s Coming Home initiative, original “horse whisperer” and American renaissance cowboy Monty Roberts works with three veterans of the Iraq war, each of whom suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The result is nothing short of magic.

Through an innovative yet experimental approach to coping with PTSD, Roberts shares his lifetime of experience and insight in non-violent training as he gently coaches each veteran to read the silent language of horses and reach the point of breakthrough, or “Join Up,” the moment at which a wild horse will trust and accept human contact. It is an emotional and striking metaphor for how these soldiers can work through and cope with their debilitating depression and anger. HORSE SENSE AND SOLDIERS premieres Sunday, September 19 at 10 PM on Military Channel.

“The impressive, unique work that Monty Roberts has pioneered, using untrained horses as a therapeutic tool for veterans who are trying to work through anger and depression is absolutely inspiring. We are honored that Monty and the veterans allowed us to document their deeply personal stories,” said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Military Channel, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater. “All too often we forget about the after effects of combat and, accordingly, since Military Channel is the only destination dedicated to honoring the U.S. armed forces, we are proud to showcase this special as part of our ongoing salute to our returning troops.”

Each of the three remarkable veterans profiled has struggled as a result of the trauma of war and each is experiencing difficulties interacting with their loved ones and going about their daily lives. In HORSE SENSE AND SOLDIERS, Roberts, who holds one PhD in Human Psychology and another in Behavioral Sciences for both humans and animals, only has these United States Army and Marine veterans for four short days at his Flag Is Up Farms in Solvang, Calif., where he demonstrates the deeply emotional healing power of establishing a trusting relationship with wild horses without the use of whips, restraints or physical violence.

Roberts uses his soft-spoken, nurturing style to show how to send signals through body language while interpreting silent messages from the horse establishing a trusting relationship that culminates in an affirming moment of partnership and trust between man and beast. After four transformational days, the soldiers ultimately better understand how to control their anger, confront painful memories, cope with real-life situations and move on with their lives and relationships.

This little tidbit comes to us from one of our former Webbies (and former SU grad, go figure).

In the world of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube (all of which you can find MOAA on, btw. Just sayin’.) you can get your news and information everywhere, at any time, in just about any way you want. This new project, News21, sounds pretty cool though, and is using some really innovative techniques to tell a story.

According to NPR:

News21 is a national project that encourages and supports new forms of investigative reporting and storytelling. The venture — funded by a Carnegie and Knight initiative — includes eight “incubator” universities, where students hone their reporting and digital skills in the classroom, then follow up with hands-on reporting in the field.

Pretty cool, right? Now check out the video by Juliette Lynch on the lives of veterans seeking solace after war. Very moving in its simplicity.

Juliette Lynch was part of the Syracuse University News21 team that went to Republic, Wash., for 6 1/2 weeks this summer to document the lives of veterans. The area is home to many vets who have purposely sought the isolation, peace and solitude of the remote landscape. Their stories are featured on the site — apartfromwar.org.

Video: Apart From War

Read more about the News21 project on NPR’s website, and see videos and projects by other students in the program.

Over the past months, “Operation Drive one” has been assisting military service members and their families by donating $20 per test drive at Ford’s on-base events for the National Military Family Association, one of the largest U.S. military charities.

Throughout it’s 10 base tour, Ford salutes military personnel, veterans, family and friends with events and prizes designed to provide a fun-filled day of entertainment including exciting driving challenges, interactive vehicle displays of Ford’s newest products and technologies and classic car shows, all while raising money for the National Military Family Association.

Each “Ford: Operation Drive one” tour stop includes “Drive one 4 UR Troops, ” a test drive program that allows individuals to test drive any new Ford vehicle and help raise money to support the troops and their families.

For each test drive taken at the event, $20 (up to $10,000) will be donated to the local chapter of the National Military Family Association (NMFA).

Additionally, Ford will salute twelve randomly-selected active duty and veteran service members with a trip to the Ford Championship NASCAR race weekend in November. From those twelve, two recipients will also win a new 2011 Ford Mustang and one grand prize winner will be awarded an exclusive Toby Keith concert for his or her home base. All current and former members of the military can enter to win at any of the tour stops or at www.fordoperationdriveone.com.

Read the full press release from Ford for more details.

Want to do something to show your respect for our nation’s heroes? Honor our veterans by flying them to the very memorials commemorating their service to country via the Honor Flight Network.

See their complete tour schedule to participate!

The Writer’s Center is pleased to announce that it has received a generous grant from The National Endowment for the Arts allowing us to offer four tuition-free workshops for veterans and active-duty military. Two of these workshops are being offered this fall – led by James Mathews and Jehanne Dubrow – and there will be two additional workshops to follow in Winter/Spring 2011.

Please contact The Writer’s Center at 301.654.8664 for more details. Please note: Before you can register for these free workshops, you will need to document military experience.

Visit our www.writer.org for complete details about each workshop.

With school just around the corner, many states are beginning to promote their “Back to School Sales Tax Holidays,” which feature tax-free shopping for specified items.

Fortunately, for students in military families, the same items found at local Army and Air Force Exchange Service stores are free of sales tax every day. So how do local exchanges maintain this benefit during “tax holidays?” With an additional automatic reduction of up to eight percent on all specified back to school items, of course.

“AAFES already has the no tax policy, so to give military shoppers added value we take an additional percentage off back to school items,” said AAFES Acting Chief of Staff Col. Ada Conlan. “This time of year provides an excellent opportunity to emphasize that every day is a ‘sales tax holiday’ at the exchange.”

While select states participate in “Back to School Sales Tax Holidays” from July through November, a total of 15 exchanges will offer 4.25 to 8 percent off all qualifying products.

As a value-added service, all retail facilities in participating states will match the percentage discount for those specified categories up to 8 percent throughout the duration of the “sales tax holiday.” A list of ‘sales tax holiday’ states, along with effective dates, is located at http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/sales_holiday.html.

I have the need, the need for speed! Yes, Top Gun is back. What is this, 1985? Anyway, Top Gun the movie gets a second go-’round…this time as a video game! Rad!

Top Gun will hit the PlayStation Network next Tuesday, August 17th. Check out the trailer for the launch!

Job Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans a disABLEDperson Inc. organization is proud to be part of an innovative video based virtual job fair September 16, 2010 for Disabled American Veterans. Job Search Television has graciously partnered with JOFDAV.com to provide their virtual job fair technology platform to disABLEDperson Inc.

If you are a veteran with a disability, come and register for Job Opportunities for Disabled American Veterans Virtual Job Fair September 16, 2010. Attend a job fair form the comfort of your home in complete anonymity, a public service to our disabled veteran community.

Register online now. You can opt to register with your email address only and stay anonymous throughout our virtual fair. Upload your resume with only your email address as an identifier. Stay anonymous until the interview.

All members of the disabled veteran’s community will be provided an opportunity to create a free Video Introduction of them through JSTN’s proprietary technology placing them ahead of the competition. To obtain this code, go to www.JOFDAV.com and click on the words “Video Introduction Code” at the top of the page.