Courtesy of the Birmingham VA site:

The Birmingham VA Medical Center has been selected as the host site for the 2009 National Veterans Golden Age Games. The games will be held from May 31- June 5, 2009.

Courtesy of The Birmingham News:

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “Military veterans age 55 or older who receive health care at any VA medical facility are eligible to compete.”

…

The featured sports in the games will consist of swimming, bicycling, golf, shot put, discus, 10-meter air rifle, table tennis, dominoes, shuffleboard, horseshoes, nine-ball, bowling, checkers, and croquet. Each event has seven age categories

(…)

Breaking news from The Birmingham News:

About 140 members of the Anti-Terrorism Battalion, a Bessemer-based Marine Reserve unit, are expected back in the U.S. next week after completing a tour in Iraq.

The reservists, with the battalion’s Charlie Company, hail from battalion sites in Jackson, Miss., Tallahassee, Fla., and Chicopee, Mass. The unit’s ranks also include about 33 Alabamians.

Charlie Company has been in Anbar province since September, attached to the 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment. Its mission has included protecting convoys carrying supplies and prisoners, searching houses, patrolling streets and manning checkpoints.

Master Gunnery Sgt. David Holladay, a

(…)

Courtesy of the Birmingham VA site, I’ve learned that the Birmingham VA Medical Center will be sponsoring a Welcome Home Celebration for Alabama’s veterans this month. These brave men and women will be returning from military service in Iraq and Afghanistan. This event takes place Saturday, April 26, from 11 AM to 2 PM at the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center. Additionally admission to the Space and Rocket Center is free for all OEF/OIF Veterans and their families!

For more information about this event, click here.