As the Federal Times pointed out, Democrats in the House and Senate had originally proposed a 3.8 percent increase for federal workers, but the proposal died in the Republican controlled House. While pay for members of the military increases depending on length of service and rank, PayScale.com notes that the average salary for a solider is just over $40,000 a year, a number that most people agree is too low.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Monday, December 7, 2015
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
White House announces In-State tuition for veterans, families:
“…The administration also plans to ramp up efforts to curb deceptive enrollment tactics used by schools aiming to recruit more veterans, Reuters reported.
While Mr. Obama is pushing his administration to enact these changes as quickly as possible, he is also urging Congress to move forward on three pieces of legislation to help improve veterans’ education, administration officials said…” read more
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Collecting items to make care packages for deployed military - men, women and dogs!!!!
I am collecting items to make care packages for deployed military - men, women and dogs!!!! Kelly McKinney
Many of the items needed are things that you already buy or may have lying around to spare. With a few exceptions (such as books, magazines, DVDs, etc) all items should be new and in their package. These items may not seem like much, but they mean a lot to our soldiers. Spread the word and maybe collect items from your friends and coworkers. smile emoticon You may feel free to bring them by my office at the Humane Society. For now I plan to collect until November 18th. I will then drive the donations to the Kokomo chapter of US War Dogs for them to mail on our behalf to the Middle East.
ITEMS FOR DOGS
K9 Warming Mats (Winter Months)
K9 Boots, Medium & Large (All Year)
K9 Doggles (All Year)
Collapsible Nylon Dog Bowls
Kong 3” Rubber Balls
Kong toy w/ rope attached
Large Rope Chews
K9 Shampoo & Conditioner
K9 Grooming Tools-Combs, Brushes, etc.
K9 Nail Clippers
K9 Beds or Sleeping Mats
K9 Blankets (Winter Months)
K9 Toothpaste & Toothbrush
K9 Eye Drops
K9 Ear Wash
K9 Advantix, Flea and Tic Treatment
K9 Salves for paws/noses
Towels to wipe paws
True Chews Chicken Jerky
True Chews Beef Bully Sticks
K9 Treats Made in the USA ONLY
ITEMS FOR SOLDIERS
Beef Jerky
Coffee / Tea / Hot Cocoa
Sugar & Creamers
Condiments-Hot Sauce, Ketchup, etc
Lemonade Mix, Ice Tea Mix, Crystal Light
Powdered Gatorade
Instant Foods / Oatmeal /Grits / Ragu Express/ Kraft Easy Mac
Crackers and Cheese
Power Bars
Dried Fruit
Microwave Popcorn
Bubble Gum / Hard Candy
Instant Soup
Tuna / Small Canned Foods
Chex Mix / Chips in Container / No Bags
Fruit Cups
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Salad Dressings / No Glass bottles
Rice, Microwavable
Meals, Microwavable
Razors / Shaving Cream (Non Areosol)
Deodorant
Toothbrushes / Toothpaste
Dental Floss
Eyeglass Lens Cleaner
Soap / Shampoo / Conditioner
Combs and Brushes
Lip Balm / Chapsticks
Sun Block
Clorox Wipes
Baby Wipes
Moisturizing Eyes Drops / Saline Nasal Spray
Hand Cream / Skin So Soft
Liquid Hand Sanitizer
Nail Files / Nail Clippers
Kleenex (travel size)
Eye Drops (for dry eyes)
Throat Lozengers / Cough Drops
Cooling Bananas / Neck Scarves
Hand Warmers
Breath Mints
Heavy Duty Socks
Feminine Hygiene Products
Hair Bands / Hair Clips
Nail Polish & Remover Wipes
Nail Clippers / Nail Files/Emory Boards
Q-Tips
Hair Spray (Pump)
Small Mirrors
Shampoo & Conditioner
Soap
Cotton Balls
Paperback Books and Magazines
Electronic Hand-held Games
Playing Cards
Yo-Yos
All-in-one Tools
Board Games
Duct Tape
Movies DVD, new or used
Crossword or Sudoko Puzzle Books
Cigars
AAA, AA, C & D Batteries
Writing Materials
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Our Annual List of Veteran's Day Discount is up!
note: some discounts start tomorrow (Sunday) GlennDL
Friday, October 23, 2015
Lack of Oversight on Primary Care Staffing Puts Veterans at Risk: GAO
The Government Accountability Office on Thursday warned a House of Representatives panel on veterans' health that a lack of oversight in ensuring veterans hospitals have the right number of professional and support staff to provide primary care may be putting patients at risk.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Friday, October 16, 2015
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
5K Walk/Run for Veterans” though historic Fort Benjamin Harrison
…in Indianapolis, Ind., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015. Leading the Walk will be American Legion National Commander Dale Barnett, Department of Indiana Commander Larry Lowry, with words from Lawrence, Ind., Mayor Dean Jessup to begin the day.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
IDVA Commission Meetings
IDVA Commission Meetings
-
Times and locations are subject to change please check back here to see if there has been an adjustment to the time and place for these meetings.
NEXT MEETING:
October 9, 2015 at 1PM
LOCATION:
Indiana Government Center South Conference Center (Room 17)
302 W Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Indianapolis Community Outreach Event
Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs
Wednesday, October 7, 2015 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM (EDT)
38th Division National Guard Armory
Drill Floor/Gym
3912 West Minnesota St
Indianapolis, IN 46241
One stop shop for Veterans, Service Members, and Dependents
Assistance with Remission of Fees, VA Benefits, Claims Process, Care, Employment, Education and much more!
Employers on site will be conducting "pre-interviews". Please dress accordingly, if you have a resume please bring.
We will have the Woman’s Veteran Coordinator at our event as well.
Stop by and see how your Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs is able to help assist you.
Thank you for your service and dedication.
Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs
Deanna Pugh
Director of Veterans Employment and Education
317-232-3910
or toll free 1-844-480-0009
Help promote SNAFU-Indy462:
Situation Normal All Fouled Up: A resource and portal for Central Indiana Veterans. This website is meant to provide Veterans (with an emphasis on Indiana Veterans) with an online resource center for all things related to Veterans. We try to post links to Veteran centric websites that provide information for Veterans and their families. We also try to post articles or links to articles that may be of interest to Veterans and their families.
If you want to share information, events, calendar/dates, links, or to notify us of 'bad' links email it to me at indianaglenn@gmail.com.
Comment link: You can post comments on any post or article on this website by using the the comment links on the bottom every post.
Friday, September 25, 2015
Faces never forgotten:
Putting faces with names on The Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund seeks Veteran photos
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) needs your help to put a face with each of the 58,307 names listed on The Wall. Pictures collected so far are online on The Wall of Faces where family and friends can leave remembrances, and will be displayed permanently in the future Education Center at The Wall. Each “face” is a story of a life cut short that is to be remembered and honored. VVMF is committed to finding a photo to go with every name on The Wall to further preserve the legacy of those who sacrificed all in Vietnam.
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Whistleblowers Criticize VA Inspector General's Oversight as 'Shoddy'
Sep 22, 2015 | by Bryant Jordan
Veterans Affairs Department whistleblowers on Tuesday questioned the competence of the inspector general's office, whose work they characterized as "shoddy."
They also called on Congress to better fund the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which is tasked with protecting federal employees from prohibited personnel practices.
Four witnesses -- three VA employees and one the brother of a VA psychologist who committed suicide after being fired for complaining of patient overmedication at a hospital -- told members of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee that the inspector general's office had shown itself to be incapable of revealing serious department problems… read more
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
4th Annual Veterans’ Remembrance Ceremony: Sept., 26, 2015 @ 6pm
Indiana War Memorial, Indianapolis, Indiana
Monday, September 21, 2015
Veteran group hosting Trump lost nonprofit status.
“As for the assertion that "Veterans for a Strong America" is just him, Arends says he works in tandem with six volunteer board members and that he has a database of more than 500,000 members who have contacted the organization.”
Oh yeah, you can buy a database of names and addresses… GlennDL
“The group's chairman, Joel Arends of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said the organization was appealing the IRS decision. He would not provide AP with copies of any tax returns, which would show how much money the group has collected over the years and how it spends its money. By law, such records are supposed to be available to the general public for inspection.”
Friday, September 18, 2015
Operation Desert Storm: What were you doing in the service 25 years ago?
“And back then, most National Guard and Reserve units hadn’t deployed anywhere since World War II, except for a small few that may have had individuals supporting Grenada/Panama. Yes, back in the day, one weekend a month WAS one weekend a month and two weeks a year at a real post for training.”
"A champagne unit is a US military unit staffed by celebrities or people from wealthy or politically powerful families. Such units have often been part of the National Guard, and assigned to lower-risk duty inside the United States. The term is pejorative, with the connotation that such units were havens for those with connections who wished to avoid conscription into more dangerous duty while still gaining the prestige afforded in the United States to military service. Over a century earlier, such a unit was called a silk-stocking regiment after the New York's 7th Regiment....
Vietnam War
During the Vietnam war, service in the National Guard and Reserve components were seen as a way to avoid combat. Although some number of Guard and Reserve units were in fact "called-up" to combat duty in every US war since they were founded, the risk was especially low in the 1970s. Only 8700 of these soldiers were sent to Vietnam, 0.3% of the personnel who served. Furthermore, a greatly disproportionate number of famous, wealthy, and/or politically connected young men received slots in the Guard or Reserves during Vietnam, including 360 professional athletes such as Bill Bradley and Nolan Ryan.
Commenting on this disparity, General Colin Powell wrote in his autobiography, "I am angry that so many sons of the powerful and well placed and many professional athletes (who were probably healthier than any of us) managed to wrangle slots in Reserve and National Guard units. Of the many tragedies of Vietnam, this raw class discrimination strikes me as the most damaging to the ideal that all Americans are created equal and owe equal allegiance to our country."
147th Fighter Group
One well known champagne unit was the Texas Air National Guard 147th Fighter Interceptor Group, at Ellington Field in Houston. During the Vietnam War many well-connected sons landed in this posting, sometimes with the help of politicians such as Ben Barnes.
- Lloyd Bentsen Jr., son of Lloyd Bentsen
- George W. Bush, son of George H. W. Bush
- John Connally III, son of John Connally Jr.
- the son of John Tower
- James R. Bath
- seven members of the Dallas Cowboys
No More Champagne
The Total Force Policy, implemented in the aftermath of the Vietnam War by General Creighton Abrams, has eliminated the Guard's and Reserve's shelter from combat. In 2004, National Guard and Reserve units comprised 40 percent of all US forces serving in Iraq. As of 2006, 270,000 Guard members (60% of the total force) had been deployed overseas for the maximum amount of time allowed by military regulations."
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Indianapolis POW MIA Council, Inc. - Annual Remembrance Ceremony
12:00 noon
September 18Indiana War Memorial
431 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Until July 18, 1979, no commemoration was held to honor America’s POW-MIAs, those returned and those still missing and unaccounted for from our nation’s wars.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
Honoring Our Heroes Hiring Event: Kroger's Indianapolis
You have a passion for serving others and understand the value of building relationships and these are qualities shared by the Associates of The Kroger Co. and our family of companies in the hundreds of communities where we operate across the country. Since 2009, more than 17,000 veterans have joined our ranks. Providing our people with the career opportunities, flexibility and resources to fulfill their dreams is our priority. Hundreds of Kroger Associates across the country continue to serve in the armed forces, as reservists and on active duty. Also, a newly formed veteran’s affinity group helps you connect with fellow veterans in the workplace through education, mentoring and networking opportunities. The Kroger Co. and our family of stores offer competitive wages, benefits and room for career advancement in a fast-paced, results oriented environment.
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Monday, September 7, 2015
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Third Female Enters the Final Phase of Army Ranger School: UPDATE!!
9-3-2015
United States Army announced Wednesday that it is opening its legendary Ranger School to women on a full-time basis, following the historic graduation last month of two female soldiers.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Veterans Stand Down
Stand Downs are typically one- to three-day events providing supplies and services to homeless Veterans, such as food, shelter, clothing, health screenings and VA Social Security benefits counseling. Veterans can also receive referrals to other assistance such as health care, housing solutions, employment, substance use treatment and mental health counseling. They are collaborative events, coordinated between local VA Medical Centers, other government agencies and community-based homeless service providers.
The original Stand Down for homeless veterans was modeled after the Stand Down concept used during the Vietnam War to provide…
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