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“Ideas are the heart of innovation and VACI provides a dynamic ecosystem that lowers the barrier of entry for innovation within VA,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “The new Innovation Fellows Program, Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program, and Partnerships Program will bring proven innovators from government and the private sector into VA to focus on high-opportunity areas.”

Launched in 2010, VAi2 established a portfolio of more than 120 innovation projects that help VA identify, test, and evaluate promising solutions that enhance the accessibility and quality of care and services delivered to Veterans. As a permanent part of the department, VACI, which will be the new name for VAi2, will continue to tap talent from government, industry, and the entrepreneurial community. Also, VACI will add several new programs that expand VA’s capacity to embrace innovative ideas and address VA’s most critical challenges.

VACI has launched a new web site, released its first annual report, and announced thirteen new awards from its industry innovation competition. These awards respond to needs identified by VA senior leadership and are focused on teleaudiology, prosthetic socket redesign, Blue Button, and automating the sterilization process for reusable medical instruments.

With the integration of VAi2 into the Center for Innovation, VA is taking a leadership role in making innovation a core competency and an ongoing practice in the second-largest federal agency. “By knitting together innovative talent and 21st century solutions into a vital ecosystem, we ensure that VA meets the evolving needs of current and future Veterans with energy and imagination,” said Director of VACI Jonah Czerwinski.

For more information about VACI, see our new website: www.innovation.va.gov.

Being healthy includes physical and mental fitness. Reducing stress, even in situations that are normally stressful no matter what, is one way to help control your mental fitness.

Some advice from our friends at the Real Warriors Campaign:

Finding a job can be a stressful experience, and it is common to feel nervous, anxious and excited before an interview. For a successful interview, it’s important to make the right first impression, communicate your skill set effectively and be at your best. This article highlights some of the resources available to help you build confidence and reduce stress during the job interview process. No matter the specifics of the interview, this article will provide you with the right resources to help you prepare for, and ace, your next job interview.

To continue your physical and mental health education, check out the Real Warriors website for tips on staying healthy!

Echoes’ January – April 2013 edition is now available in Adobe Portable Document Format (5MB) and Microsoft Word 2007 (162 KB) format from the links below. If you would like to change your email address for receiving Echoes, please register again. Your new information will overwrite your old.

Get the latest edition of Echoes online:

• Download the Adobe PDF
• Download the Microsoft Word
• If you encounter problems with these links, you may also download Echoes from http://www.armyg1.army.mil/rso/echoes_issues.asp

New in this edition! e-Echoes has two extra pages of articles not found in the hard copy edition.

Some features in this edition include:

• Army Turns Around Management of Arlington National Cemetery
• Mississippi Supreme Court Rules on Former Spouse Protection Act Case
• Vets Twice as Likely to Develop Lou Gehrig’s Disease
• Fighting the War Within: Combating Suicides
• Army Explains “Soldier for Life” Mindset
• Who Makes Decisions for You When You’re Incapacitated?
• Smartcard Pilot Ends/DS Logon Required for Retirees
• Exchange “Shuttle Program” Delivers to Small Posts

Download the Echoes App for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch at Apple’s iStore, or download the Echoes App for Android Phones at the Android Marketplace!

Because it’s Friday, and we love starting our weekend with dogs:

Two-hour Animal Planet Special Premieres February 21, at 8 PM ET/PT

Dogs are said to be man’s best friend. In Afghanistan, dogs are best friends, partners and comrades in arms; they’re also often the best defense against the Taliban’s weapon of choice –improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, hidden randomly in the sand. Because the MWDs are so adept at identifying these weapons before they explode, the dog teams have become one of the Taliban’s prime targets. While they’re providing invaluable intelligence, these dogs form unbreakable bonds with the handlers who train them. To their handlers, MWDs are not merely gear; they’re weapons with hearts, minds and souls.

Lance Corporal Kent Ferrell and his MWD, Zora: Lance Cpl. Ferrell, 22, of Bel Air, Maryland, grew up with a golden retriever that had a huge impact on his life. Now, as a MWD handler, he develops a deep bond with his German shepherd, Zora, on the front lines; their partnership is pragmatic and personal; many lives depend on Zora’s ability to sniff out IEDs before they explode, but to Lance Cpl. Ferrell, Zora is more than a defense weapon – she’s his sister in arms. As a warrior dog, she’s prepared to make the biggest sacrifice of all.

Corporal Drew Nyman and his MWD, Emily: Raised in Emporia, Kansas, 23-year-old Cpl. Nyman’s parents owned a pet shop, so it comes as no surprise that he’s a natural around dogs. Cpl. Nyman wants to make it home to see his wife and newborn son, so it’s imperative, as a MWD handler, to understand what his canine partner, Belgian Malinois Emily, is thinking at all times; any miscue could be the difference between life and death. Cpl. Nyman and Emily are a combat-tracking team. Emily doesn’t sniff out explosives; she smells humans, and she’s looking for Taliban insurgents deep in the heart of enemy territory. Do Cpl. Nyman and Emily survive their tour of duty, and can they handle the trauma of the battlefield?

Staff Sergeant Len Anderson and his MWD, Azza: Staff Sgt. Anderson, 29, from Chestertown, South Carolina, is training for his new role as kennel master with his MWD Azza, a veteran Belgian Malinois who detects bombs. In his role, Staff Sgt. Anderson could remain safely in the compound. He believes real leaders lead from the front, so he receives special permission for Azza and himself to join his troops on patrol outside the wire. Anderson and Azza get caught in the crossfire, and a Glory Hounds cameraman becomes part of the story himself when he drops his camera to help save Staff Sgt. Anderson’s life.

Lance Corporal Durward Shaw and his MWD, Falko: Lance Cpl. Shaw, 21, of Denton, Texas, is Falco’s first-ever MWD handler. Falko, a German Shepherd mix, is an attack dog and an explosive-device tracker; both handler and dog are newbies in Afghanistan and are part of a security detail operating on Afghanistan’s notorious Highway One, a critical supply artery that’s also one of the deadliest roads in the country. Lance Cpl. Shaw is eager to put his and Falko’s abilities to the test, but every step outside the wire is a step into the unknown. He also is determined to make it home to his wife and his newborn daughter, whom he’s never met, so he relies on Falko to help him stay alive.

In Glory Hounds, as in war, some dogs and handlers come home, some return forever changed, and some don’t come home at all.

Local organizations are joining together under the Points of Light Project “Community Blueprint” to help servicemembers returning from the battlefield. They assist them in transition to the civilian workforce, and with counseling and mental health services, in order to prepare them for their new careers outside the military.

The Veterans Council of Indian River County (Fla.) works on these issues in their community, focusing on transition services, mental health issues, and reintegration. They are able to put veterans and their families in touch with the needed services locally:

“Their job in the Army and Navy is to break things and shoot people. How do you transition that into the civilian world?” said Col. Zickert. [Veterans Council President of Indian River County]

The Veteran’s Council smooths the transition and provides help.

Visit Points of Light for more information on the Community Blueprint initiative for veterans!

Community Blueprint from MOAA on Vimeo.