What is SNAFU-Indy

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.

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:Indianapolis Community Outreach Event

October 9, 2015 at 1PM

LOCATION:
Indiana Government Center South Conference Center (Room 17)
302 W Washington Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204

http://www.in.gov/dva/2359.htm

House Readies Emergency Bill to Continue Paying Troops During Shutdown

 

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Air Force Para-rescue Jumper reunites with girl he saved after Hurricane Katrina:

 

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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, Indianapolis Community Outreach EventCare, 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:

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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.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/snafuindy462/

Department of Veterans Affairs Fast Facts

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http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/30/us/department-of-veterans-affairs-fast-facts/index.html?eref=rss_latest

Friday, September 25, 2015

Report: VA health care needs total overhaul

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VA announces $4 million in funding to help the homeless:

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Faces never forgotten:

Putting faces with names on The Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund seeks Veteran photos

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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.

read more

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Whistleblowers Criticize VA Inspector General's Oversight as 'Shoddy'

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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

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.”

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read more

Friday, September 18, 2015

University of Iowa veterans program to end, loses federal support

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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.”

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"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 18
Indiana War Memorial
431 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
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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.
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Saturday, September 12, 2015

Honoring Our Heroes Hiring Event: Kroger's Indianapolis

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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.

https://jobs.kroger.com/content/military/

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Watchdog: 900,000 veterans may have pending health care requests

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Careers for Veterans

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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.

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The original Stand Down for homeless veterans was modeled after the Stand Down concept used during the Vietnam War to provide…

Arizona veterans tell McCain that VA is better, but not cured at town hall

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