The Birmingham VA site updated this weekend with news of open registration for this year’s upcoming Golden Age Games. The National Veterans Golden Age Games is the “only national multi-event sports and recreational seniors’ competition program for older veterans.” Designed to improve the quality of life for all older veterans, these games include those with a wide range of abilities.

The Golden Age Games will be held in Birmingham June 1-5, 2009. The Birmingham VA is the official host of the games. Over 700 Veterans from all over the coun competing in 16 different events. This will be an exciting set of games.

The Golden Age Games are sponsored by the Department of Veteran Affairs, Veterans Canteen Service, and Help Hospitalized Veterans. All registration packages must be received no later than March 31, 2009.

For more information about the games, please visit the website at www.veteransgoldenagegames.va.gov

The VA will need over 1,300 volunteers for this event. If you are interested in volunteering, contact the Voluntary Service office at (205) 933-4396.

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Courtesy of Channel 19 in Huntsville:

Alabama troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan will now get a booklet to help them deal with post-war stress and readjusting to family life. Gov. Bob Riley unveiled the 63-age Reintegration Action Plan on Thursday. The booklet will be given to all returning troops from Alabama. It includes information to help service members make a successful transition.

A Pentagon task force last year reported that nearly half of all Army National Guard soldiers who served in Iraq or Afghanistan reported psychological problems when they came home. Riley said the new booklet will help troops better understand the readjustment process, and it recommends places to get help.

Link: www.alabamareturningveterans.org

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Published yesterday in the Tuscaloosa News:

The Department of Defense launched on Tuesday the National Resource Directory, a collaborative effort between the departments of Defense, Labor and Veterans Affairs. The directory is a Web-based network of care coordinators, providers and support partners with resources for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them.

The directory offers more than 10,000 medical and non-medical services and resources to help service members and veterans achieve personal and professional goals along their journey from recovery through rehabilitation to community reintegration.

The directory is expected to be a valuable tool for wounded, ill, and injured service members and their families as they wind their way through the maze of benefits and services available to them in their transition to civilian life. It is organized into six major categories: Benefits and Compensation; Education, Training and Employment; Family and Caregiver Support; Health; Housing and Transportation; and Services and Resources. It also provides helpful checklists, Frequently Asked Questions, and connections to peer support groups.

This looks like a great tool! The link is: www.nationalresourcedirectory.org

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I received an email from another Alabama CTL with information about Applebee’s salute to our military for this upcoming Veterans Day:

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants invite all active duty and veterans to one of 164 participating restaurants nationwide to pull up a chair for a delicious meal and heartfelt thanks this Veterans Day. With gratitude for their service and sacrifice, active duty and veterans will eat free at participating locations on Veterans Day (November 11, 2008) during regular business hours.

Veterans and active duty with proof of United States military service will be able to go to one of the participating Applebee’s and select one complimentary entrée from a selection of delicious favorites: a savory House Sirloin, hearty Riblet Basket, zesty Fiesta Lime Chicken®, a juicy Quesadilla Burger or fresh Oriental Chicken Salad. All the traditional sides are included.

“It’s an honor to host an event that helps the neighborhood come together and say thanks to our veterans and active servicemen and women,” said Mike Archer, President, Applebee’s Services, Inc..

Proof of military service includes:

• U.S. Uniform Services Identification Card
• U.S. Uniform Services Retired Identification Card
• DD214
• LES
• Citation or Commendation
• Photograph in uniform
• Veterans Organization Card

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I received an urgent message from fellow Bama Angel Bonnie regarding the Tuskegee VA’s needs:

I spoke with a Volunteer officer (Lisa) yesterday regarding her immediate needs. This facility has had a sudden influx of new patients both at the their hospital and nursing home. There has been an increase of homeless vets showing up now as well.

Please send what you can ASAP of the following:

• Full sizes can be used in the nursing home, hotel sizes can be used in hospitals and by the homeless vets. Anything will help as they are having to take $$$ from other programs to purchase basic necessities.

• Body wash
• Toothpaste, Toothbrushes
• Deodorant
• Shampoo
• Body lotion
• Vaseline

Please send what you can, or send gift cards from Walmart to purchase these supplies.

CHECKS/CASH DONATIONS:

Please specify in a letter which account or program you wish your donation to support. Also include a name and complete address for acknowledgment of donation.

Please mail to:
Attn: William H. Petty
Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System
2400 Hospital Road
Tuskegee, AL 36083

PLEASE be sure to note that you are a Soldiers’ Angel. We are developing a relationship with all of these VAs and we WANT them to know that we are here for them and they can count on us!

Thanks Angels!

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The Huntsville Times reports that a Scottsboro businessman established an account at Regions bank to help the family of Nick Bradley, a Scottsboro soldier seriously wounded in Afghanistan.

Bradley, 25, a staff sergeant in the Air Force’s 96th Wing (security forces), was injured by a roadside bomb last Sunday. He was flown Tuesday to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where his father-in-law, Scottsboro Police Chief Ralph Dawe, said he’s in stable condition.

Donations to the Nick Bradley Fund may be made at Regions Bank, located at 510 E. Laurel St. in Scottsboro. For more information, call the bank at 256-259-1516.

Tuscaloosa News reports:

Michael J. Parham, son of Doretha Parham and Michael J. Johnson, both of Tuscaloosa, completed Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. Parham is a 2008 graduate of Central High School.

Congratulations, Michael!

The Birmingham News reports an Alabama Guard initiative that is helping troops who return from war duty via the state’s Army Guard’s Yellow Ribbon reintegration program.

The Yellow Ribbon help included information about job opportunities and insurance and veterans benefits, plus activities and baby sitters for soldiers’ children. It also sought to give the soldiers and their loved ones a chance to discuss with chaplains and counselors what they face as they seek to resume the way of life they knew before deployment.

For more information, call 2nd Lt. Matthew Spivey at 334-558-4132.

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The Madison County Record writes that the Redstone Arsenal is honoring military retirees with Military Retiree Appreciation Day going on September 5th and 6th. Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer and Madison Mayor Arthur “Sandy” Kirkindall will proclaim September 6th as Military Retiree Appreciation Day in their respective cities.

Me personally, I would greatly love to see that happen elsewhere in Alabama!

Event information:

September 5th: the event will be at the Redstone Officers and Civilians Club (ROCC) from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Throughout the day special MWR activities will be held at various locations across Redstone Arsenal with bus tours leaving from the ROCC.

September 6th: the event begins with a pay-as-you-go breakfast buffet at 7 a.m. in the ROCC. The event finishes out with dinner at The Soldatenstube ending at 10 p.m.

For more information, call: (256) 876-2022

The Anniston Star had a flurry of happenings printed this morning:

Warrant Officer candidate Bill Braxton of Jacksonville, above, participated in a 10K road march on July 13. Braxton had to successfully complete the road march within two hours while carrying a weapon and a 35- to 40-pound rucksack. The road march is a requirement for the Warrant Officer Candidate School at the National Guard Training Center at Fort McClellan. Braxton currently works in the ROTC department at Jacksonville State University.

* * *

Warrant Officer candidate Matthew Otwell of Anniston, above, participated in a 10K road march on July 13. Otwell had to successfully complete the road march within two hours while carrying a weapon and a 35- to 40-pound rucksack. The road march is a requirement for the Warrant Officer Candidate School at the National Guard Training Center at Fort McClellan. Otwell is following in his father’s footsteps. Retired Chief Warrant Officer Randy Otwell, Matthew’s father, retired from the Alabama Army National Guard with more than 40 years of service.

* * *

Tabatha L. Burris recently joined the U.S. Army under the Delayed Entry Program. She also went for Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood in Waynesville, Mo. She is the daughter of Teresa Burris of Villa Rica, Ga., and John Burris of Anniston.

* * *

Army Reserve Pvt. Sonya Y. Smith has graduated from Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. She is the daughter of Earline Penn of Anniston and is a 2003 graduate of Anniston High School.

* * *

Army Reserve Pvt. Haleem R. Santiago recently graduated from Basic Combat Training at Fort Sill in Lawton, Okla. He is the son of Hector R. and Belinda G. Santiago of Anniston and is a graduate of Saks High School.

* * *

Navy Seaman Landon M. Ford, son of Judy L. Davis of Jacksonville, recently completed U.S. Navy Basic Training at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill.

* * *

Navy Ensign Nicholas F. Vilardi, whose wife, Cynthia, is the daughter of Sharon D. Downing of Salem and Jonathan C. Mattox of Ashland, recently completed the Navy Nuclear Power Training Unit course at Naval Nuclear Power Training Command at Goose Creek, S.C.

Congratulations, soldiers!!

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Courtesy of Lori with the SA VA Team:

As volunteers honor our returning heroes by taking them fishing deep in the American wilderness, wounded veterans discover that sharing stories around a campfire helps them adjust to life back home.

This inspiring film was shown this July in Congress to help lawmakers understand some of the issues facing our returning soldiers and has been recommended by our country’s leading veterans advocacy groups.

This video is available on DVD through the Soldiers’ Angels Store, and costs $25.00 (this includes shipping).

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I received the following release via Lori at the SA VA Team:

Soldiers’ Angels VA Team Announces New Project

PASADENA, CA July 19, 2008 - Thousands of troops are returning home and making regular trips to their local VA Hospital for evaluation, treatment or rehabilitation, and regular health care. With the high cost of gas, these vital trips are becoming more and more of a burden for some veterans.

Now the Soldiers’ Angels VA Team is stepping up to help with the Tank Support program. Grateful Americans can help give a veteran some “tank support” by purchasing a gasoline gift card. All gas cards received will be sent to the VA Hospitals across the country to help ensure returning OEF/OIF Veterans get the checkups and medical care they need.

“It’s so important that our returning heroes get regular evaluations and basic healthcare after having been in combat,” says Soldiers’ Angels founder Patti Patton-Bader. “The Tank Support program is an important way to help veterans to stay on top of their ongoing healthcare needs.”

Supportive Americans can help returning veterans by purchasing a $10.00 gas card today at any chain gas station in their area, or ordering online through www.svmcards.net and using the shipping address below. People can also make a donation to the Soldiers’ Angels Veterans’ Support Team at www.soldiersangels.org and indicate that it is for the Tank Support program.

Gas cars should be mailed to:

Soldiers’ Angels Tank Support
914 Tourmaline Dr.
Newbury Park, CA 91320

Soldiers’ Angels is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing aid and comfort to the men and women of U.S. military and their families. Comprised of 200,000 volunteer members in over twenty different teams and programs, their activities include letters, care packages, and comfort items to the deployed, and support for their families at home. They also provide assistance to the wounded, continuing support for veterans, remembrances and comfort for families of the fallen, and immediate response to unique difficulties. For more info - www.soldiersangels.org or soldiersangels@gmail.com

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The Birmingham Barons will be celebrating Military Appreciation Night Saturday, July 12th, when they take on the Carolina Mudcats.

According to the Patriot Guard Riders site, “the Birmingham Barons will be honoring those veterans who have served our country and soldiers who are presently active duty with a discounted $3.00 General Admission ticket.”

Sounds good to me!

For more information, you can call the Birmingham Barons at (205) 988-3200 or visit their website at www.barons.com.

Anyone interested in joining the Patriot Guard Riders in the infield should contact them at their website, www.patriotguard.org.

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