Message Center

The American Wartime Museum, a new national museum in the Washington, D.C. area, has announced its future location on a prime, 67-acre site at Interstate 95 in Prince William County, Virginia. This world-class museum will focus on the stories of American men and women who have served our country in uniform and on the home front from World War I forward.

Unique features of the American Wartime Museum will include authentic replicas of wartime scenes called “Landscapes of War,” operational tanks and aircraft, live-action demonstrations and interactive exhibits for the entire family. The museum will also house the National Veterans Visitor Center – a place where MOAA members can hold reunions, connect with other veterans and record their wartime stories.

Through its immersive experience, the American Wartime Museum will engage visitors in learning about their heritage, their freedom, and the sacrifices of millions of Americans – from veterans of all military branches, to POW/MIAs to those who supported the cause at home.

Initial site work for the museum begins this fall while the grand opening is planned for Veterans Day, November 11, 2014. To learn more about the American Wartime Museum, visit www.nmaw.org or email your story of service to info@nmaw.org.

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!

Congratulations!

The Department of Defense has announced the recipients of the 2010 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest recognition given by the U.S. Government to employers for their outstanding support of their employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve. Marking the 15th anniversary of the award, instituted in 1996 under then Secretary of Defense William Perry, this year’s honorees range from a small plumbing company to a state government to a large grocery store chain. The 2010 recipients are:

• Bill Bragg Plumbing ˆ San Francisco, Calif.
• City of Irvine Police Department ˆ Irvine, Calif.
• Dollar General Corporation ˆ Goodlettsville, Tenn.
• East Carolina University ˆ Greenville, N.C.
• Food Lion ˆ Salisbury, N.C.
• Franklin‚s Printing ˆ Murfreesboro, Tenn.
• Hawaii State Government ˆ Honolulu, Hawaii
• Intuit ˆ Mountain View, Calif.
• Legacy Sports International ˆ Reno, Nev.
• Logistics Health Inc. ˆ La Crosse, Wis.
• MERCK and Company Inc. ˆ Whitehouse Station, N.J.
• Michigan Department of State Police ˆ Sterling Heights, Mich.
• Newmont Mining Corporation ˆ Denver, Colo.
• Southern Company ˆ Atlanta, Ga.
• Yerecic Labelˆ New Kensington, Pa.

The Military Vehicles Exhibition & Conference is August 11-12 at the Cobo Convention Center in Detroit, Mich. Join the major stakeholders from DoD and military, OEMs, component manufacturers, service providers, and academia for a comprehensive exhibition, program updates, technical education, and networking opportunities – all under one roof!

Register to attend today and use code “MOAA” to receive 25 percent off the Main Conference or a Free Expo Pass.

Be a part of the Air Force Association’s Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition, September 13 – 15, 2010. The conference will once again be held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on the Potomac, in National Harbor, just across the river from historic Alexandria and minutes from downtown Washington, DC.

AFA is bringing together Air Force leadership, industry experts, academia and current event specialists, from around the world to discuss the issues and challenges facing America and the aerospace community today.

Registration is now available online at www.afa.org.

Three days of addresses, forums and workshops on relevant topics:

• Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley
• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen
• Four Star Forum hosted by CSAF Gen Norton Schwartz
• Pulitzer-prize winning writer/commentator Charles Krauthammer
• See the full agenda online.

Meet best selling authors at one of our multiple book signings:

• Neil Sheehan
• Dale Brown
• Warren Kozak
• Richard Reeves
• See the full list of authors online.

Register online for the 2010 Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition.

Military veterans seeking civilian jobs and HR managers looking to recruit them will gather June 26-27 at the San Diego Convention Center in California to learn how to network with one another, translate the military and corporate lingo that separates them, and adjust to workplace cultural differences.

The military-focused program, “Military Veterans: Transitioning Skills to the New Economy” is a first for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and will debut during the SHRM 2010 Annual Conference & Exposition to address the recruitment and retention issues for U.S. military veterans.

The event is free for military personnel and veterans (preregistration required). Among HR professionals, registration for the military program is free but open only to those already registered to attend the SHRM conference at large.

Military participants include the:

• Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR);
• Veteran’s Employment & Training Service (VETS, a Department of Labor program);
• Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces; and
• Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP, a Department of Labor program)

The keynote speaker lineup will include Eric Greitens, a Navy SEAL officer, Rhodes and Truman scholar, Draper Richards Fellow, White House Fellow, and founder and chairman of The Mission Continues.

Other speakers from private-sector companies, the ESGR, the VETS, the ODEP, and the Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces will be announced as confirmed.

Dr. Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense, was named as recipient of the 2010 American Patriot Award given by The National Defense University Foundation. Washington’s most powerful and influential leaders will gather to celebrate his lifetime of patriotism and to witness his receiving this prestigious award at the American Patriot Award Gala on Friday, November 5, 2010, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. Secretary Gates will be recognized for his outstanding contributions to the intelligence, national security and defense communities throughout his impressive career in government.

Past recipients of the American Patriot Award include former President George H.W. Bush; General Colin Powell; Dr. Henry Kissinger; General David H. Petraeus, USA, and the Extraordinary Men and Women of CENTCOM; Senator Bob Dole; Senator John W. Warner and Representative Ike Skelton; Senators Daniel Inouye and Ted Stevens; Astronaut and Senator John Glenn; former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger; and The Men and Women of our Nation’s Defense Team.

The American Patriot Award Gala is one of Washington, D.C.’s most illustrious events, attended by nearly 600 guests, including senior Administration officials, Members of Congress, senior military officials, Ambassadors, dignitaries, and corporate and community leaders.

Beyond honoring the recipients, the Gala showcases and supports the National Defense University and its crucial mission of preparing military and civilian leaders from the U.S. and other countries to examine national and international security challenges through multidisciplinary educational and research programs, professional exchanges, and outreach. It is the only university providing a common educational experience for all the various professional communities engaged in national security. The main campus is located at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C.

“As a true patriot, Secretary Gates is most deserving of the National Defense University Foundation’s American Patriot Award because of his inspirational leadership and selfless dedication in serving our nation’s ideals, values and democratic principles,” said Brigadier General William J. Leszczynski, Jr., USA (Ret), President and CEO, National Defense University Foundation.

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund announced it will officially open the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), a 72,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art research, diagnosis and treatment center for servicemembers and veterans with diagnosed Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and psychological health conditions, in a ceremony held at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD on June 24, 2010.

“We are tremendously excited to open the doors to this incredible facility that will help to treat our men and women in uniform who have suffered these invisible injuries of the brain and memory,” said Arnold Fisher, Honorary Chairman of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. “Traumatic Brain Injury and psychological health conditions – largely caused by IED explosions in Iraq and Afghanistan – are the signature wounds of our current overseas conflicts in the war on terror. As Americans, it is our obligation to care for these men and women who have fought and sacrificed for our freedom.”

NICoE was funded by the generosity of the American people through a fundraising effort mounted by the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which provides assistance to our nation’s military heroes who have been critically injured in the performance of their duty, and their families.

The funding for NICoE was topped off with a $3 million donation from legendary TV personality Bob Barker,  longtime host of “The Price Is Right.” Barker, a World War II veteran himself, was motivated to action last year when he read about the economy having slowed the fundraising efforts for the center.

NICoE will feature the most advanced equipment and facilities for diagnosis and treatment. Improvements in screening, diagnosis, and treatment will be fed back out to the military and VA hospitals and medical facilities across the country. Long-term follow-up care will also be incorporated into the system plan to ensure that, once soldiers separate from the military, they do not separate from whatever continued treatment they need.

On Tuesday, May 11, the American Heart Association (AHA) in partnership with CGI, as a Healing Heart Society Champion, honored six members of the United Stated Military at the 7th annual Physician’s Reception.

This annual event is the premier appreciation reception for Greater Washington Region physicians in recognition of their significant life-saving contributions to and impact on the community and for their support of the American Heart Association.

Through the leadership of Physician Reception host CGI, the six doctors honored this year are all active duty Military who are fighting cardiovascular diseases and saving lives in the battlefield and on the home front. The six honorees included:

• Saira Aslam, MD, United States Navy
• Craig Dobson, MD, United States Army
• Brian Hemann, MD, United States Army
• Mark Kolasa, MD, United States Air Force
• John Stephen Thurber, MD, United States Navy
• Todd C. Villines, M.D., F.A.C.C, United States Army

Photo courtesy of the American Heart Association. From left to right. – George Schindler, President CGI Federal, Dr. Saira Aslam, Dr. Todd Villines, Dr. Brian Hemann, Dr. John Stephen Thurber and Cheryl Campbell, Vice President of CGI Federa

This weekend is about celebrating the men and women who serve our country in uniform. With all of the events taking place around the country, we’d like to hear how YOU are celebrating the holiday.

Taking the kids to an air show? Or going to a local war memorial to pay respects to those who have fallen in combat?

Not able to get out this weekend? There are movies and specials, concerts and tv programs dedicated to the honor military servicemembers, too!

Plenty of ways to celebrate the sacrifices made every day in our name- what do you plan to do?