Brigade Quartermasters, Ltd. - Field Gear

14 December 2010

Comedy Hypnotist to Entertain Returning US Soldiers

Glenn Miller, The Master of Comedy Hypnosis, will entertain troops returning from a two-year tour in Iraq and Afghanistan at Ft. Stewart, Georgia early next year. Proceeds from the show will be donated to the soldiers and their families.

Captain Shane McKinley, after reviewing many comedy hypnotists, contacted Ft. Lauderdale, FL based “Dinney” Dinofer, personal Manager of Miller, inquiring as to the cost of having Miller perform. It was an immediate decision by Dinofer and Miller that Miller would perform for the troops gratis on Friday, January 28, 2011.

Miller, who was the #1 comedy hypnotist on Carnival Cruise Lines for 4 years, now appears on Royal Caribbean Cruise lines as well as conventions, corporate dates, universities, colleges and social events.

Ft. Stewart is an Army post primarily in Liberty County and Bryan County in South Georgia. The population at the 2000 census was 11, 205. Fort Stewart was built in January of 1941. Main residents are members of the 3rd Infantry Division. The Fort Stewart Military Reservation includes approximately 280,000 acres making it the largest military installation in the Eastern United States.

The show that Glenn Miller is presenting is audience participation and is one that will entertain the troops, but the main purpose is to raise money. Hopefully residents in the nearby communities will support the fundraiser.

Year-long G.I. Bill 'fix-it' Campaign by Legion Pays Off with Senate Vote

/PRNewswire/ -- A concentrated lobbying effort by The American Legion and fellow VSOs (veterans service organizations) has culminated in U.S. Senate passage of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Improvements Act of 2010. The legislation expands and improves educational assistance for veterans who served in the armed forces after September 11, 2001.

"This is great news," said Jimmie L. Foster, National Commander of The American Legion. "This bill rectifies the inequities and shortcomings of the well-intentioned but incomplete Post-9/11 G.I. Bill and makes it whole."

Among other things, the new measure expands Post-9/11 G.I. Bill benefits to include financial assistance to veterans pursuing training in vocational schools and through distance learning programs. Presently, assistance under that legislation is available only to those veterans attending degree-granting colleges and universities. The act also expands benefits to certain members of the National Guard and Reserve forces and provides students with an annual allowance for the purchase of textbooks while streamlining the application and benefits award processes.

Passage of the bill is the product of an intensive lobbying campaign by The American Legion that began immediately after implementation of the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill last year. Bob Madden, assistant director of the Legion's economic division, testified before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee in July and strongly urged support of many of the provisions that were ultimately included in the new measure. Commander Foster emphasized the importance of the "fix-it" bill during his testimony before a joint session of Congress shortly after he took office in September. At the time he said, "The American Legion urges enhancement to the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill that would give veterans a more robust educational benefit." His championship continued the legacy of The American Legion in seeking educational benefits for veterans. The Legion drafted the original World War II-era G.I. Bill -- the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 -- and was integral in the writing of the Post-9/11 bill as well as its latest enhancements.

The Senate measure, sponsored by Senator Daniel Akaka, a World War II veteran and beneficiary of the 1944 G.I. Bill, now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration. A vote in that chamber may come as early as Thursday of this week. The bill is supported by many House members, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee Bob Filner.

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01 December 2010

Georgia loses another brave soldier: Pfc. Austin G. Staggs, 19, from Senoia

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of six soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Nov. 29, in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when an insurgent attacked their unit with small arms fire. 

                Pfc. Austin G. Staggs, 19, of Senoia, Ga.  

Sgt. 1st Class Barry E. Jarvis, 36, of Tell City, Ind. 
Staff Sgt. Curtis A. Oakes, 29, of Athens, Ohio. 
Spc. Matthew W. Ramsey, 20, of Quartz Hill, Calif. 
Pfc. Jacob A. Gassen, 21, of Beaver Dam, Wis.
Pvt. Buddy W. McLain, 24, of Mexico, Maine. 

They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.