Monday, January 23, 2012

Homelessness rising among female vets

GAO: Homelessness rising among female vets
By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jan 23, 2012 17:18:33 EST
The number of homeless veteran females more than doubled between 2006 and 2010, according to estimates in a recent government report.

Citing “limited” data from the Veterans Affairs Department, the Government Accountability Office issued a report Monday suggesting that the number of homeless female veterans rose to more than 3,300 in 2010, up from less than 1,400 in 2006.

The data is flawed because no government agencies consistently track homelessness among female veterans, which raises questions about the VA’s ability to help those women.
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Vietnam Vet wins 14 million lottery, plans to buy health insurance

Napolean Elvord, Wisconsin Lottery Winner, Plays Wrong Game, Hits $14.3 Million Megabucks Jackpot
The Huffington Post Tara Kelly
First Posted: 01/23/2012

A Wisconsin man is the lucky winner of a $14.3 million Megabucks jackpot after accidentally playing the wrong lottery game, reports the Wisconsin State Journal.

But the lucky man won't be spending his cash on flashy cars or a huge new house.

Instead, the ailing veteran, who's spent five years on dialysis, plans to buy health insurance to help him get a kidney transplant, according to LimeLife.com.
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VA Releases more that 2,200 Vets' Personal Info on Ancestry.com

VA Accidentally Releases Vets' Personal Info


January 21, 2012
Stars and Stripes|by Leo Shane III
WASHINGTON -- More than 2,200 veterans had their personal information accidentally posted on the genealogy website Ancestry.com last year, a move that could potentially expose them to identify theft crimes.

Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs said all of the veterans affected by the mistake will receive free credit monitoring services to help mitigate any damage. The information posted online included veterans’ names and Social Security numbers, but not any health information.

The department said there is no evidence so far that any of the personal information has been misused, but the agency is contacting all of the individuals involved to ensure they are aware of the problem.
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Vietnam Medal of Honor Recipient John F. Baker Dead at 66

UPDATE

MoH recipient remembered at Jackson service
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Jan 27, 2012 17:58:10 EST
FORT JACKSON, S.C. — Friends, family and fellow military members gathered Friday to remember retired Army Master Sgt. John F. Baker Jr., who received the Medal of Honor for saving the lives of eight fellow soldiers in a 1966 firefight with the Viet Cong.

Baker died Jan. 20 at age 66 after collapsing at his home in Columbia. A caisson procession preceded the ceremony at the Fort Jackson Post Theater.

The Davenport, Iowa, native earned the nation’s highest award for valor in combat while serving as a private first class with 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment.
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Medal of Honor Recipient John F. Baker Dead at 66


January 23, 2012
The State, Columbia, S.C.
by Jeff Wilkinson
Army Master Sgt. John F. Baker Jr., who received the Medal of Honor for saving the lives of eight of his fellow Soldiers, killing 10 Viet Cong and knocking out six machine-gun bunkers after his unit was ambushed Nov. 5, 1966, in Vietnam, died Friday evening after collapsing in his Northeast Richland home. He was 66.

Baker and his wife, Donnell, had just returned home from supper when he collapsed, said retired Maj. Gen. Gene Rogers of Columbia, a family friend. Baker had suffered heart problems and had been using oxygen for about a year and a half, Rogers said.
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Veteran amputees best police and firefighters

Veteran amputees best police and firefighters
Jan. 22, 2012
An inaugural softball game in Mission Viejo helped raise funds for wounded veterans
Army veteran and Wounded Warrior left fielder, Nick Clark, just comes up short of cathcing this fly ball in the fifth inning in Mission Viejo Sunday.
MICHAEL GOULDING, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

By JAIMEE LYNN FLETCHER / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

MISSION VIEJO – Their motto: "Life without limbs is limitless."

The words were on full display on Sunday as a team of wounded warriors took on police and firefighters in a softball game in Mission Viejo.

The Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team faced off at Alcia mark against the Orange County Veterans & First Responders, made up of players from the Orange County Sheriff's Department and the Garden Grove Fire Department.

The players on the Wounded Warriors are all veterans of the Army or Marine Corps and all have lost a limb in active duty. The game was a fundraiser for the team, which was formed last March.
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