Message Center

NEW YORK, NY (April 27, 2010) – The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and the Fisher House Foundation today announced that each has received a $6.5 million donation from the VA Data Theft Litigation Settlement Fund. The Settlement Fund was created following the resolution of a class action filed after the May 3, 2006 theft of computer equipment from the home of a VA employee. The federal court overseeing this case approved the Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF) and the Fisher House Foundation to be the cy pres recipients of any money left in the Settlement Fund following the distribution of court-approved payments. The $13 million contribution represents the remaining balance in the Settlement Fund following all court-approved payments, including payments to class members, administration costs, and attorneys’ fees. A formal check presentation was made today in New York to IFHF Chairman Arnold Fisher and Fisher House Chairman Kenneth Fisher on behalf of the veterans who brought the lawsuit and George Burns, the New York Regional Counsel for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The donation to the IFHF will be used to fund the construction and outfitting of equipment inside the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), a state-of-the-art rehabilitation hospital being constructed on the grounds of the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. The center will study and provide world-class rehabilitation services to members of the armed forces dealing with diagnosed cases of PTSD and TBI. The contribution to the Fisher House Foundation will go towards the Foundation’s capital program to fund the construction of additional Fisher Houses at military installations and VA Medical Centers around the country.

“We are forever grateful to our military veterans for their service to our country – and now even more grateful for their generosity,” said Arnold Fisher, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. “The NICoE center will be a world class facility for treating traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, an injury that may not leave visible wounds, but must be treated with serious urgency. This contribution in support of the NICoE center is yet another reminder of how much our veterans have given and continue to give to our great country.”

“Every day, our service men and women risk their lives to protect our freedoms,” said Kenneth Fisher, Chairman and CEO of the Fisher House Foundation. “As a nation, we owe a debt of gratitude to our military veterans that, I fear, we will never be able to pay back. Today’s donation is an incredible symbol of how veterans insist on ‘paying it forward’ to help future generations of those serving in our military. At the Fisher House Foundation, we are truly humbled and grateful for this gift.”

There will be a formal ribbon cutting ceremony for the NICoE in Bethesda, Maryland in June to formally recognize and thank those involved in making these donations possible.

PHOTO (L-R): John Rowan, National President/CEO, Vietnam Veterans of America; Ken Fisher, Chairman, Fisher House Foundation; Arnold Fisher, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund; Doug Rosinski, Counsel, OgletreeDeakins; Jeff Goldenberg, Murdock Goldenberg Schneider & Groh, LPA; George Burns, Regional Counsel, Veterans Affairs; John Murdock, Murdock Goldenberg Schneider & Groh, LPA.

Photo credit: Kathy Lloyd Boehm.

The Mother’s Day at The Wall ceremony allows us to recognize the sacrifices of the loved ones — in particular the mothers — left behind by those who gave their lives.

Each year, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund honors the mothers by asking teachers and students to make Mother’s Day cards to be read by some of these moms at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Mother’s Day. After reading the cards, the mothers process to The Wall and lay the cards at its base. To learn more about how you can get involved, e-mail vvmf@vvmf.org.

This year’s ceremony will be held Sunday, May 10 at 9 a.m. The ceremony is open to the public and we encourage you to attend if you’re in the Washington, D.C. area.

Yes, battlefield to board room IS in the cards for many military servicemembers after they separate. And apparently we’re not the only ones who’ve noticed! Fortune magazine has featured several stories in a recent issue, just on this topic.

Military servicemembers bring real-life leadership skills to bear in the corporate sector, which is good business. Some huge multi-national companies like Coca Cola and Walmart are even running mentor programs with and for former military!

Check it out!

• Battle-tested: From soldier to business leader
• The new warrior elite (A fantastic set of profiles on military servicemembers who moved into leadership positions or mentoring programs after service!)
• Warriors in the workplace

Beginning with the 2010-11 award year, a student who is not eligible for a Pell Grant but whose parent or guardian was a member of the U.S. Armed Forces and died as a result of service performed in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001 may be eligible to receive the Iraq and Afghanistan Service Grant.

Check back on the Student Federal Aid website after July 1, 2010 for more info!

By Rick Brink, DeCA East Public Affairs Officer

FORT LEE, Va. – The Defense Commissary Agency opened its newest commissary April 6 with a grand opening ceremony for a new shopping center that includes an exchange and pharmacy at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss.

A crowd of approximately 1,000 patrons welcomed the new store, built with Hurricane Katrina relief funds. The hurricane, which struck in August 2005, wiped out the commissary and Army and Air Force Exchange Service store. Both have since been operating out of temporary facilities.

Philip E. Sakowitz Jr., DeCA director and CEO, joined AAFES Commander, Army Maj. Gen. Keith Thurgood; Rep. Gene Taylor, 4th Congressional District, Miss.; Air Force Lt. Gen. Richard Newton, deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel, Headquarters, Air Force; and Air Force Brig. Gen. Ian Dickinson, commander, 81st Training Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, to give remarks for the occasion.

“Today is about thanks,” Sakowitz told the crowd. “Thanks to everyone who worked to make this wonderful facility possible. Wait till you get inside. It will warm your heart. Now you get to enjoy shopping in the Defense Commissary Agency’s newest store with the convenience of having the exchange and pharmacy under the same roof.”

The new commissary, with 24 checkouts, eight of which are self-checkouts, has more than 50,000 square feet of sales area – triple the sales area of the temporary commissary. It is also slightly larger than the one destroyed by the hurricane flood waters. The entire shopping mall is sited well above the Katrina flood level.

Built with energy-saving and environmentally friendly features, the new store is an expansive, well-lit facility, which will add to shopping enjoyment. It features a deli, bakery, sushi to go and rotisserie chicken, fresh produce, fresh meats, chill, frozen and grocery sections that include an assortment of more than 24,000 items.

“This is a great day for all of us at Keesler,” said Gordy Harris, store director of the commissary. “Our customers have been very appreciative of what we’ve been able to offer over the past years, and now they get to enjoy their shopping more because of what we can offer in this great facility.”

Photo caption: Three-year-old Carlos Hurtado Jr. looks up after spinning the wheel for a health and fitness prize in the Keesler Air Force Base Commissary produce department as Ed Klein looks on. Prizes ranged from coupons for fresh fruits and vegetables to hula hoops, flying disks and jump ropes. (DeCA photo by Rick Brink)

The FBI has asked for MOAA members’ assistance in gathering information leading to the arrest of James “Whitey” Joseph Bulger, a former Boston crime boss on the FBI’s Top 10 list for 19 counts of RICO-murder, plus extortion, money laundering, and narcotics violations.

Bulger, whose story was the basis for The Departed (Warner Brothers, 2006) served in the Air Force and considers himself knowledgeable in military history, especially World War II history.

The FBI contacted MOAA because of Bulger’s potential connections in the military community.

For more information on Bulger, including how to submit information for the FBI’s $2 million reward, visit www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/fugitives/bulger.htm or www.moaa.org/fbi.

See full-page FBI Wanted Poster of Bulger (PDF)

I know it’s short notice, but if you’re in the D.C. area and interested in military family issues, this looks like a great line up of panelists at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. This will be a full day of panels and discussion on April 30 2010, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Panels include:

• Provisions for the welfare of soldiers and their families, past and present.
• Treatment of physical wounds, post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries.
• Family impact.

Keynote will be given by Brig. General Loree Sutton, M.D.

Get more info on the event at the Woodrow Wilson Center website!

Regional winners were announced in the Radio-Television Digital News Association’s Edward R. Murrow Awards program. Darci Marchese’s WTOP Radio series on wounded warrior issues was built primarily from interviews acquired at the 2009 Defense Forum Washington sponsored by MOAA and USNI, and was among those selected for honors.

Congrats, Darci!

Audio News Documentary
WTOP-FM – Washington, DC
The War That Never Ends
Listen to the winning entry

The Organization for Autism Research officially launched Operation Autism at www.operationautismonline.org, a website specifically designed for military families that have children with autism. The site offers information on autism, autism treatments, the military healthcare system, and raising a child with autism in the military community.

Millions of Americans with disabilities rely on hope to get them through each day; hope for a breakthrough; hope for gaining or reclaiming independence; and hope for a friend. Each year, hundreds of them find hope at a handful of organizations across the country that train assistance dogs for people with disabilities. The new primetime PBS documentary, Through a Dog’s Eyes, follows the life-changing journey of recipients as they go through the heartwarming and sometimes difficult process of receiving and being matched with a service dog.

Jennifer Arnold, founder of one of the nation’s largest service dog organizations, Canine Assistants, shows her unique teaching methods and lets viewers have an intimate look at the canine-recipient matching process. Based on the book of the same name by Jennifer Arnold, Through a Dog’s Eyes, premiering April 21, 2010 at 8pm ET/7pm CT (check local listings), will have you seeing dogs in a whole new light. The documentary is narrated by Neil Patrick Harris and funded by Milk-Bone® brand.

Through a Dog’s Eyes will explore the science behind Jennifer Arnold’s teaching methods and follow the stories of recipients as their lives begin to change with the help of some very special dogs. Produced by tpt National Productions, in association with Partisan Pictures, Through a Dog’s Eyes offers inspiring, hopeful stories that show how dogs can affect everyone’s life.

“This film will change the way people think about their own dogs,” said Naomi S. Boak, Executive Producer, who also produced the critically acclaimed and Primetime Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer’s. “Through a Dog’s Eyes shows the importance of the human-canine bond and how, when fostered, that bond can grow into a beautiful, life-changing relationship.”

Through a Dog’s Eyes is an optimistic, buoyant documentary that follows the journey that a handful of recipients go through as they meet their new best friend—a Canine Assistants dog.

• Bryson Casey, 30, served in Iraq as a captain with the National Guard. Upon his return home to Kansas City, Mo., Bryson suffered a debilitating injury in a car accident, and is now a quadriplegic. Will Wagner, Bryson’s Canine Assistants dog, be up to the task of providing him with companionship, as well as helping to navigate the simple tasks of daily life?
• Aiden, 6, lives in Denver, Colo. Aiden was born with cerebral palsy and spends most of his time in a wheelchair. Aiden hopes that his dog Nala will help him at school with routine tasks such as picking up pencils, as well as offer silent support in social situations. Will Nala’s presence helps break down barriers and allows other children to feel more comfortable around Aiden? Viewers will be inspired by Aiden’s never-ending optimism and his zeal for life.
• Destiny, 11, lives in La Vergne, Tenn. Destiny and her dog, Salsa, immediately fell in love with each other during Canine Assistants’ training camp in November. Suffering from a rare form of epilepsy, Destiny has constant low-level seizures around the clock. Will Salsa have the ability to alert Destiny of impending seizures, providing comfort not just to Destiny, but to her family? Her parents are hoping to offer their daughter a measure of freedom she has never before experienced.
• Twins, Chase & Connor, 6, live in Largo, Fla. The twins both have a form of cerebral palsy known as spastic diplegia, which affects the muscles of the lower body. Both boys hope their Canine Assistants dogs will help with everyday tasks and be companions. But will Chase realize his dream of one day walking with the support of his dog Oakley?

Bryson and Wagner

Through a Dog’s Eyes also follows the drama as recipients are matched with their canine companions and as they learn how to work with their new partners. It’s an inspiring family journey. Arnold describes her teaching methods and discusses the life-changing impact these dogs have on recipients. In addition, the world’s foremost dog expert, Dr. Ádám Miklósi, head of the Department of Ethology at the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary, and founder of the Family Dog Research Project, takes a role in Through a Dog’s Eyes by analyzing the organization’s training methods and discussing how science supports the training philosophy.