ACE Launches Web Site To Connect Veterans to Higher Education

/PRNewswire/ -- As the nation prepares to observe Veterans Day, the American Council on Education (ACE) today launched www.TodaysGIBill.org, a comprehensive college guidance web site to provide information and inspire veterans to enroll and succeed in higher education.

Created with the support of Lumina Foundation for Education, TodaysGIBill.org is designed for returning and about-to-return veterans interested in going to college, as well as family members and dependents receiving transferable benefits.

The passage of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 greatly increased benefits available to veterans. However, research indicates that despite the generosity of the new benefit, obstacles still remain for veterans considering postsecondary education, including juggling family and work responsibilities, transitioning to life after military service, adjusting to classroom life, and accessing and using benefits.

In order to increase the number of veterans enrolling in and completing a college education, TodaysGIBill.org provides detailed information that will help demystify the college selection, admissions and financing processes. The site offers guidance on college preparation, transferability of credits, institution and program choice, application timelines and benefit eligibility.

"More than 2 million service men and women have earned Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits, which they can use at more than 4,000 accredited, degree-granting institutions nationwide. TodaysGIBill.org provides clear, concise information that we hope will ease the transition from soldier to student," said ACE President Molly Corbett Broad.

"The development of human capital is a cornerstone of today's economic vitality," added Jamie P. Merisotis, president and chief executive officer of Lumina Foundation for Education. "Veterans are an exceptionally well-prepared and often unrecognized group that can help meet the need for millions more Americans with high quality postsecondary degrees and credentials. This important web site will provide veterans with the critical information and resources they need to succeed."

"Our focus group and survey research has shown that after leaving the military, it can be challenging for veterans to find reliable, one-stop sources of information about all of their education options. TodaysGIBill.org will help them make the most of their benefits, identify 'veteran friendly' campuses, and find the college or university that fits them best," said James Selbe, ACE assistant vice president for lifelong learning.

The site highlights success stories of current student veterans who are pursuing a college education. "It was important to me to make sure that my military service only postponed my time in college, not gave it away," said Matt Randle, an Army veteran and student at the University of Arizona who is featured on TodaysGIBill.org. "There was a maze of paperwork and bureaucracy to tackle, but without my GI Bill benefits, I wouldn't be enrolled in college, enjoying the experience and investing in myself."

To reach veterans who are seeking information about their benefits and their education options, ACE is engaging a wide range of veteran-service organizations, military-focused publications and social media outlets like Twitter (www.twitter.com/todaysgibill).

TodaysGIBill.org is part of ACE's Serving Those Who Serve: Higher Education and America's Veterans, a broad-based initiative designed to promote access to and success in higher education for more than 2 million service members and their families who are eligible for newly expanded benefits under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008. Resources available include information on campus best practices, a Q&A document on provisions of the new GI Bill, and an issue brief on the challenges veterans face when transitioning to campus.

Founded in 1918, ACE is the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, representing more than 1,600 college and university presidents, and more than 200 related associations, nationwide. It seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key higher education issues and influence public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives.

Lumina Foundation for Education is committed to enrolling and graduating more students from college -- especially low-income students, students of color, first-generation students and adult learners. Our goal is to increase the percentage of Americans who hold high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by 2025. Lumina pursues this goal in three ways: by identifying and supporting effective practice, through public policy advocacy, and by using our communications and convening power to build public will for change.

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Clayton State Veterans Day Events… Nov. 11, Nov. 12

Clayton State University will be celebrating Veterans Day on Wednesday, Nov.11 and Thursday, Nov.12 with several events and displays.

The University's tribute to veterans will begin on Nov. 11 with an outdoor ceremony in the Lawson Amphitheater, adjacent ot Swan Lake on the Clayton State campus. The ceremony will run from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and will include a “Posting of Colors” by the Clayton State ROTC program, which will provide the Color Guard and music for the ceremony. Clayton State Assistant Professor of Marketing Dr. David Furman, a veteran, will provide the keynote address.
Also on Nov. 11, a veterans reception/mixer will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the James M. Baker Center. The public is invited, including all local VFW groups, who will be honored guests. The Clayton State ROTC program and the Clayton State Student Veterans Association (SVA) will have information tables set up on Main Street outside of the reception/mixer.

At the same time, and running until 6 p.m., on Main Street in the Baker Center, an Appreciation Banner will be available for everyone to write messages of gratitude for veterans both on and off campus. The Appreciation Banner will be on three tables set up on Main Street. The Appreciation Banner will be available through Thursday, Nov. 12. There will also be war memorabilia displays on Main Street, contributed by faculty and VFW members.

At 6 p.m. in the ballroom of the Student Activity Center, students, faculty, staff and the public are invited to come out and learn to swing dance.

The displays, including the Appreciation Banner and the ROTC and SVA displays, will continue on Main Street through 2 p.m. on Nov. 12. AT the conclusion of the displays, the Appreciation Banner will be rolled up and delivered to the VA Hospital/Hospice. In addition, the SVA will hold a prize drawing for a dozen give-a-ways at 2 p.m.

A unit of the University System of Georgia, Clayton State University is an outstanding comprehensive metropolitan university located 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta.
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Department Receives First H1N1 Vaccine Shipments

The Defense Department has started receiving H1N1 vaccines and will begin distributing doses in the coming weeks.

The Health and Human Services Department is distributing the vaccines, manufactured by four producers, to the department. Because rates of production vary among the manufacturers, supplies are expected to be limited initially, but to increase over time, said Ellen P. Embrey, acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.

The department “is working closely with HHS to receive its full allocation of vaccine as soon as possible,” Embrey said. Vaccinations are mandatory for military members, and as the quantity of doses on hand grows, officials anticipate Defense Department facilities will receive sufficient numbers to make the vaccine available to all of the department’s employees and beneficiaries, she said.

Meanwhile, Defense Department officials have implemented a plan to maintain mission readiness while ensuring those at greatest risk get vaccinated as soon as possible. Vaccines first will be made available to deployed personnel, bases that receive new military accessions, such as basic training installations and the service academies, and all health-care workers assigned to military medical treatment facilities.

Department providers should balance mission requirements with guidelines laid out by the Centers for Disease Control in determining who should receive vaccine when supplies are limited, Embrey said.

The arrival of the vaccines comes as CDC officials underscore the importance of remaining vigilant amid the rising incidence of flu nationwide.

“I would reiterate that we have more virus, more vaccine, and we have more treatment,” CDC Director Thomas Frieden told reporters at an Oct. 30 news conference in Atlanta. “We encourage the prompt treatment of people who have underlying conditions.”

CDC officials have identified groups they consider at a high risk of developing severe illness if they contract the flu: pregnant women, household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months, health-care and emergency medical services personnel, people between 6 months and 24 years of age, then those between 25 and 64.

President Barack Obama is “deeply concerned” about H1N1, Frieden said.

“He’s directly involved, he’s briefed regularly, he asks a series of important and relevant questions, and he wants to make sure that we are doing absolutely everything we possibly can to respond effectively as we can,” he said.

In determining how to distribute supplies, Embrey said, military commanders, in collaboration with their medical authorities, will determine the best method to allocate the vaccine when demand exceeds supply. As more vaccine is received, it will be made available to all active-duty servicemembers, civilian employees, members of military reserve components and National Guard personnel.

Immunization for both seasonal flu and H1N1 is mandatory for all military personnel and is highly recommended for beneficiaries. When the first cases of H1N1 were diagnosed in April, a defense official said, the department bought 2.7 million doses of the vaccine for mission-assurance purposes.

HHS later provided 1 million doses to the Defense Department, raising the number to 3.7 million, according to Dr. Robert Morrow, the preventive medicine programs and policy officer for the Bureau of Navy Medicine and Surgery’s force health protection function.

In addition to vaccines being received for operational personnel, Defense Department medical treatment facilities are receiving vaccine for family members based upon a separate allocation to each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Officials also have completed an agreement with HHS to provide vaccine for family members living outside the United States.

Vaccine for family members, like that for the active-duty and civilian work force, will arrive at military medical treatment facilities incrementally, Embrey said.

By John J. Kruzel American Forces Press Service
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President Obama's Defense Team Reverses Decision and Completes Missile Defense Fields in Alaska

/PRNewswire/ -- Riki Ellison, President and Founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org went on record today praising President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on their decision to build and complete 14 additional ground-based interceptor silos in Alaska. His comments on this significant national decision are as follows:

"It is with great respect to the Department of Defense and to the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, that their decision to only field half of the Ground Based Interceptor (GBI) silos in Missile Field 2 at Fort Greely, Alaska, has been reversed, as the Department of Defense will now fully construct, complete and field all of the 14 silos in Missile Field 2. This decision by the Secretary of Defense is sound, cost-effective for the U.S. tax payers and a forward risk reduction position for our nation and our public for their security against threats of long-range ballistic missiles. The United States can now have the capability and capacity to deploy 44 Ground-Based Interceptors (GBIs) in 44 silos. This is a significant decision that will allow our nation to have a 'hedge' and lower the risk to our national security if in the future Iran, North Korea or other rouge nation states choose to threaten the United States with intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMS)."

"With this decision, the current long-range ballistic missile defense for all of our nation, including Hawaii and Alaska, will have (20) silos in Missile Field 3, (14) Silos in Missile Field 2, (6) Silos in Missile Field 1 in Fort Greely, Alaska and (4) silos in Vandenberg AFB, California for a total of (44) silos. However, the 6 silos in Missile Field 1 in Fort Greely are still scheduled to be 'moth balled' once missile field 2 is constructed and in full operation."

"The Administration is standing firm on deploying 30 GBI's for our nation's protection but clearly has the opportunity to increase those numbers up to 44 if the threat becomes more apparent. A decision is still being decided by the Department of Defense whether or not to field all of the silos in missile field 2 in Fort Greely, Alaska with Ground-Based Interceptors. We encourage and support a decision to fully deploy the 14 missiles in missile field 2, as deploying the GBIs in the newest silos would lower cost, reduce risk and hold higher confidence for those that command and man the missile defense system."

"We applaud and appreciate the rational thinking done by the President, the Department of Defense, the National Security Council and the current Administration to complete missile field 2 in Fort Greely. We also extend our gratitude to the support given by the leadership from Democratic Senator Mark Begich of Alaska and his colleagues for bringing the decision on Missile Field 2 for reconsideration to the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates. MDAA has been at the forefront of this issue and had the honor and privilege of visiting Fort Greely, Alaska this past September to view the missile fields."

Ellison closed his comments saying: "This significant and definitive decision by the Secretary of Defense and the President to reassess the current world and future threats to our national security and homeland is a leap forward from what it was earlier for the protection of the American public from long range missiles."

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Murtha is open to raising taxes to fund a troop surge in Aghanistan

Rep. John Murtha on Thursday said he is open to raising taxes if President Barack Obama decides to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Read more: http://www.thehill.com/homenews/house/65553-murtha-is-open-to-raising-taxes-for-afghanistan-war
By Roxana Tiron - 10/30/09 06:00 AM ET

President Signs Legislation Committing U.S. to Iraq Withdrawal

/PRNewswire/ -- President Barack Obama today signed legislation that that formally recognizes the U.S. obligation to withdraw from Iraq and requires the Pentagon to provide quarterly reports on the progress of that withdrawal.

This is the first time since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 that Congress has passed legislation that affirms that the United States is committed to leaving Iraq by a specific date, two national Quaker organizations, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) and the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) said today.

"We congratulate Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin and House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton for including this important milestone in the 2010 military authorization bill," said Aura Kanegis, Director of Public Policy for the American Friends Service Committee. "The U.S.-Iraq bilateral agreement is so central to public discourse in Iraq, but too often forgotten in the U.S." The United States and Iraq signed a bilateral agreement in November 2008 that commits the United States to withdraw all military forces from Iraq by December 31, 2011.

The legislation signed by President Obama today requires the Pentagon to report to Congress every three months on progress to withdraw all U.S. troops, withdraw or transfer to Iraqi authorities all military equipment, close down or transfer to Iraqi authorities military bases, and release or transfer to Iraqi authorities all Iraqi detainees before the December 31, 2011 deadline.

"The first congressional effort to signal support for complete withdrawal was the ban on establishing permanent bases in Iraq," said Jim Fine, the Legislative Secretary on Foreign Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. "Now the Pentagon will issue month by month reports on the progress made to close down bases or transfer them to the Iraqi government, which adds new teeth to this historic provision."

With this law, Congress has established unprecedented oversight of the progress made towards complete withdrawal from Iraq.

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Secretary of the Army Says Military Ready to Lift Gay Ban

/PRNewswire/ -- The Secretary of the Army, John McHugh, indicated this weekend that the Army is prepared to lift the ban on openly gay service if the Commander-in-Chief and the Congress decide to end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, a prospect that has gathered steam in recent weeks. McHugh, formerly a Republican congressman from the conservative 23rd district of New York, is the highest official inside the Pentagon to express such support. He told the Army Times on Sunday that there was no reason to fear that major difficulties would result from lifting the ban, and that he would help implement the policy change when the time comes. "The Army has a big history of taking on similar issues," he said, with "predictions of doom and gloom that did not play out." He also suggested that repeal may come in phases, with early action involving, for example, allowing open gays to serve in some occupations and not others.

"What we're seeing is a tipping point in the opinions of both military and civilian leaders on this issue," said Dr. Nathaniel Frank, senior research fellow at the Palm Center. "The Army is the largest of the services and the most heavily involved in our wars abroad, and for Secretary McHugh to state clearly that it can handle repeal sends a strong signal to the other service secretaries that they can do the same."

Dr. Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center, said Secretary McHugh's comments were enormously significant. But he pointed out that there is no research to support the idea of letting gay soldiers serve in some units but not others. "The rationale for the ban applies equally across all job categories," he said. "So if it's okay to be an openly gay Arabic interpreter, it's also okay to be openly gay in the infantry or on a submarine. Since conduct rules apply across the board, there's just no basis for applying different standards to different specialties."

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3rd HBCT Soldiers make their mark in Kuwait

The temperature outside is climbing into the mid-nineties as Sgt. John Direny, a water treatment specialist assigned to Company A, 203rd Brigade Support Battalion, meticulously paints the small letters on the mural he is crafting. The mural, painted on one of the hundreds of concrete road barriers that dot Camp Buehring, has been a two day project so far and he still has a long way to go.

“It takes time to get it right,” he explains. “I had someone to help me paint the Marne patches the first day, but the rest I’ve done on my own.”

A few barriers down, Sgt. TJ Forbes and Pfc. Skylar Humburd, both assigned to Headquarters Troop, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, work on their own mural for their Squadron. Around the corner, two more Soldiers, Sgt. Mario Benjamin III, an MP assigned to the 317th Military Police Battalion, and Pfc. Joe Sudik, an infantryman assigned to Headquarters’ Troop, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, are painting the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team’s mural.

Countless murals like these decorate the 8 foot barriers that surround and protect the roads, living pads and buildings on Camp Buehring. For the Sledgehammer Soldiers working on their unit’s mural, the chance to add to this collection is an opportunity to add to their unit’s reputation and history.

“It is very important that we let the Soldiers that follow us know that we were here,” said Direny. “We got ready to go to war just like them. When they see this, hopefully, they will see that we did our best to represent our unit, the brigade and the 3rd Infantry Division.”

Forbes has deployed with the 3rd HBCT three times and each time he has painted one of these murals for his unit. During his current trip to Buehring, he checked to see how his last mural was holding up against a year and a half of sun, sand and wind.

“It’s still there,” he said. “It still looks good, in my opinion.”

Forbes understands that the mural represents more than his artistic ability on display.

“It’s about unit pride and building up morale,” he said. “I imagine a few of our new scouts saw the old one and realized that they are part of a unit that has done this before. Hopefully, that makes them walk a little taller and prouder.”

He also considers an important part of his unit’s up-coming deployment.

“You have to believe in what you are doing and the unit you are a part of,” he said. “How you view your unit is also the way you view the Army as a whole. We want Soldiers that take pride in who they are, what they are doing and the group they are a part of. I think this is a part of that.”

by Sgt. Ben Hutto
3rd HBCT Public Affairs

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Pew Applauds Congress for Including Military and Overseas Voting Solutions in Final Defense Authorization Bill

/PRNewswire/ -- Today, Congress enacted the National Defense Authorization Act which includes provisions that will resolve several key voting problems for American military service members and citizens overseas. The bill encompasses the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act, which is sponsored by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), co-sponsored by Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT) and supported by a bipartisan group of senators and representatives. It will expedite the transmission of absentee ballots to military personnel and civilians abroad to provide more time for them to vote in U.S. elections and return their ballots in time to be counted. In the last federal election, it is estimated that as many as one in four ballots requested by these voters was not counted.

"The election system has failed our service members and citizens abroad for decades. The MOVE Act marks significant progress toward making it easier for those who defend and represent democratic ideals around the world to participate in our democracy here at home," said Doug Chapin, director of Election Initiatives for the Pew Center on the States, a division of The Pew Charitable Trusts that has advocated for improvements to the election system. "We applaud Senators Schumer and John Cornyn (R-TX) for their leadership, along with Representatives Robert Brady (D-PA), Susan Davis (D-CA) and Dan Lungren (R-CA) for championing these critical steps forward for military and overseas voters."

In January 2009, the Pew Center on the States issued the report, "No Time to Vote: Challenges Facing America's Overseas Military Voters," the first-ever detailed public analysis of states' voting systems for service members living abroad. The report found that 25 states and the District of Columbia do not provide adequate time for overseas service members to vote and have their ballots counted.

In accordance with Pew's recommendations, the provisions would ensure adequate time to vote by:

-- requiring ballots to be sent to military and overseas voters at least
45 days before an election;
-- expediting the voting process by requiring voter registration
applications, absentee ballot applications and blank ballots to be
made available electronically to them;
-- eliminating the notarization of military and overseas ballots in the
remaining states that currently require it; and
-- expanding the opportunity for Americans abroad to use the Federal
Write-In Absentee Ballot (FWAB) in all federal elections and using
technology to allow voters to access election information
electronically.


"The MOVE Act is a significant step in the right direction by Congress," said David Becker, project director of Election Initiatives for the Pew Center on the States. "To finish the job, we need to extend these reforms to state elections and modernize the means by which we register and provide information to voters. The changes will not be helpful if ballots are simply sent faster to outdated addresses of those who have been deployed elsewhere. Voter registration updates should be automated to ensure that the records for highly mobile populations, such as military personnel, are accurate."

The Pew Center on the States is working on a full complement of election system reforms for military personnel and civilians abroad. Since January, Pew has supported efforts by the Uniform Law Commission to draft a model law for states, which would extend recommended federal protections to state elections.

In addition, Pew's Voting Information Project (VIP), developed in partnership with Google, Inc. and state and local election officials, makes important voting information available electronically. Using VIP, for example, military and overseas voters could generate customized ballot listings to assist them with casting federal, state or local write-in absentee ballots.

Pew also aims to improve the nation's outdated voter registration system by examining options for building a system that is more efficient and accurate, while reducing costs and administrative burdens. Pew continues to gather data, analyze research and work with election officials to diagnose performance issues in the current voter registration system and propose fact-based, practical solutions to guide the modernization process.

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AFGE Thanks Congress, President Obama for Advance Funding for Department of Veterans Affairs

/PRNewswire/ -- The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), today, praised President Barack Obama for signing the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act which will provide advance funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"This victory comes after years of advocating by AFGE and numerous veterans' organizations," said AFGE National President John Gage. "AFGE thanks President Obama for keeping his campaign promise to us and -- more importantly to America's veterans -- to guarantee advance funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs."

Present at the historic signing were AFGE National Secretary-Treasurer J. David Cox and Women's and Fair Practices National Vice President Augusta Thomas.

The Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act authorizes Congress to approve veterans medical care funding one year in advance to better meet the anticipated demand for veterans health care services.

"The advanced funding will give the Department of Veterans Affairs up to a full year to plan for the most effective and efficient way of delivering medical care," said National Secretary Treasurer and retired VA nurse J. David Cox. "America's veterans deserve this. This is a step in the right direction for the agency."

"Congress also included a requirement that the GAO audit VA's budget projections," explained Women's and Fair Practices National Vice President Augusta Thomas. "This move will further stabilize an agency where the current system of politics-driven funding clearly was not working."

"We are happy to move onward into a new era for the VA," said NVAC President Alma Lee. "And we look forward to VA health care dollars being used for patient needs and adequate front line staffing, not for excessive executive bonuses and new layers of management."

AFGE represents 90 percent (185,000) of the VA employees in more than 170 locals with 40 percent of its overall members being veterans. AFGE understands the dedication and work veterans have put in for this country; it should not go unnoticed. This is a milestone victory that will ensure medical attention to those who have served this country. It also stops the delay on the purchase of medical equipment or the hiring of doctors and nurses.

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