McFarland to Newsmax: Navy Crashes Tied to 'Woke' DEI Focus

Article Title: McFarland to Newsmax: Navy Crashes Tied to 'Woke' DEI Focus

Article Excerpt: "...The military prioritized "woke" agendas over operational readiness, KT McFarland told Newsmax on Friday, as the former adviser to President Donald Trump discussed a study that she said found naval accidents some five years ago stemmed from a shift toward diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. ..."

Reference Source: www.newsmax.com

Medicare and VA Benefits

Article Title: Medicare and VA Benefits

Article Excerpt: "...Medicare does not coordinate with VA benefits. However, you can have both types of insurance simultaneously and benefit from doing so. Medicare and veterans benefits can be tricky as everyone has their own healthcare factors to consider. Luckily, we’re here to help. Below, we answer the most frequently asked questions about Medicare for veterans. Do Veterans Have to Sign Up for Medicare?

Yes, if you are a veteran, you’ll need to sign up for Medicare to enjoy these benefits. Both Medicare and VA benefits are available to those eligible, and for many, you can sign up for Medicare three months before turning 65. This is known as your Medicare Initial Enrollment Period, and you can avoid paying late enrollment penalties by enrolling during this time frame.

It’s also important to note that for military members and veterans enrolled in TRICARE, you must sign up for Medicare Part A and Part B to keep your TRICARE benefits. ..."

Reference Source: www.medicarefaq.com

Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act Advances in House Committee

Article Title: Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act Advances in House Committee

Article Excerpt: "...hearing which he described as being “about whether or not unelected bureaucrats can strip away Second Amendment, God-given rights from our veterans if they need help managing or their assets.”

In a post to X, Crane, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, noted that Democrats who support the status quo on bureaucrats being able to strip away gun rights often claim they do so in order to help reduce suicide among veterans, particularly combat veterans. But Crane rejected this line of thinking, saying, “When it comes to suicide, a lot of these individuals, a lot of veterans….who are struggling with PTSD and have some of these issues, one of [their] biggest issues is fear and trauma because [they] thought [they] might lose [their] life in battle against other people with guns.”..."

Reference Source: www.breitbart.com

V.A. Burial Benefits | Service-connected Death, Non-service-connected Death, Eligibility Requirements...

Article Title: V.A. Burial Benefits | Service-connected Death, Non-service-connected Death, Eligibility Requirements...

Article Excerpt: "...Service-connected Death

VA will pay up to $2,000 toward burial expenses for deaths on or after September 11, 2001, or up to $1,500 for deaths prior to September 11, 2001. If the Veteran is buried in a VA national cemetery, some or all of the cost of transporting the deceased may be reimbursed.

Non-service-connected Death

VA will pay up to $978 toward burial and funeral expenses for deaths on or after October 1, 2024 and a $978 plot-interment allowance (if not buried in a national cemetery). ..."

Reference Source: www.benefits.va.gov

Korean War veteran Luther Grace finally laid to rest in Georgia after 7 decades of uncertainty

Article Title: Korean War veteran Luther Grace finally laid to rest in Georgia after 7 decades of uncertainty

Article Excerpt: "...Master Sergeant Luther Grace, a Korean War veteran, finally returned home to Georgia after 70 years; his burial united family, friends, and veterans in honor. ...

Steve Underwood, a close family friend who has supported the Grace family throughout their journey to bring the sergeant home, attended the ceremony with his wife.

"My brother-in-law was active in the veterans and these people gave it all and give it all ..."

Reference Source: www.13wmaz.com

'Proud and humble': Brockton lines streets to honor veteran who died without family

Article Title: 'Proud and humble': Brockton lines streets to honor veteran who died without family

Article Excerpt: "...The standout was in honor of John J. Rooney, a Korean War veteran, who died April 5, a month shy of his 89th birthday. Rooney, affectionately known as "Rambo" to his friends, "was a steadfast member of the community, whose legacy of service and dedication will be cherished by all who knew him," according to his obituary written by his friend Gregory Karas of Brockton. ..."

Reference Source: www.enterprisenews.com

Settlement in works for family of Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, the J6er killed by police

Article Title: Settlement in works for family of Ashli Babbitt, the J6er killed by police

Article Excerpt: "...A settlement "in principle" has been reached in a lawsuit against the government brought by the family of Ashli Babbitt, the woman who was shot and killed by police during the Jan. 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol...charged Byrd "had negligently discharged his firearm and failed to warn Babbitt or de-escalate the situation. The suit also alleged negligence on the part of other officers near the Speaker's Lobby at the time of the shooting as well as the U.S. Capitol Police and the Capitol Police Board in failing to properly train Byrd in tactical decision-making." Babbitt was an Air Force veteran but was killed during the protests that day. ..."

Reference Source: www.wnd.com

Chapter 30 VA Benefits: How much can veterans get for full-time enrollment in non-degree programs?

Article Title: Chapter 30 VA Benefits: How much can veterans get for full-time enrollment in non-degree programs?

Article Excerpt: "...a veteran eyeing a trade school, apprenticeship, or non-degree training program, the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB-AD, or Chapter 30) might help cover the cost-and then some. While most people associate GI Bill benefits with college tuition, Chapter 30 also supports veterans who want to take a different path, like becoming an electrician, HVAC tech, or licensed welder.

The big question: how much can you actually get if you're enrolled full-time?..."

Reference Source: www.marca.com

Gulf War vet Jeff Hutchinson executed for family's murder; veterans say combat broke him

Article Title: Gulf War vet Jeff Hutchinson executed for family's murder; veterans say combat broke him

Article Excerpt: "...Florida executed Hutchinson for the quadruple murder of his girlfriend and her three children despite a letter from 129 veterans to the governor arguing that Hutchinson's mind was a casualty of war. ..."

Reference Source: www.usatoday.com

Feds descend on VA hospital to create efficiencies through a national review of agency operations

Article Title: Feds descend on VA hospital

Article Excerpt: "information-seeking visit Monday by a three-person team from the agency’s Washington, D.C., headquarters ...In a March 15 memo reviewed by The Standard, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins laid out plans to create efficiencies through a national review of agency operations, led by teams like the one in San Francisco that aim to complete their work in around one month and “streamline policies, processes, procedures, and technology.” ..."

Reference Source: sfstandard.com

Compromised Military Service Members? | A dozen+ active duty military were patrons or security guards at Gang/Illegal Infested Nightclub

Article Title: Over 100 immigrants arrested in raid on underground Colorado nightclub where active-duty military members worked, feds say

Article Excerpt: "...DEA special agents announced their presence prior to entering the nightclub, the Rocky Mountain Field Division said on X. “200 people were inside – at least 114 in the US illegally. In addition, more than a dozen active duty military were patrons or security guards,” it said. ... “What was happening inside was significant drug trafficking, prostitution, crimes of violence,” Jonathan C. Pullen, the Special Agent in Charge at the DEA Rocky Mountain Division, said at a news conference Sunday morning. “We seized a number of guns in there.”

Over a dozen active-duty military members were also at the club during the raid, and federal officials said some were working at the illicit operation. “We had active-duty service members who were running security at the club and involved in some of these crimes,” Pullen said. "

Reference Source: www.cnn.com

Army Issues New Fitness Test with Key Changes | Men and women will be required to meet the same scoring standards for 21 combat military occupational specialties

Article Title: Army Issues New Fitness Test with Key Changes

Article Excerpt: "...The Army Fitness Test will be the “official physical fitness test of record,” replacing the Army Combat Fitness Test.

Upon implementation, men and women will be required to meet the same scoring standards for 21 combat military occupational specialties.

“For those 21 [military occupational specialties] they will all be graded on the male scale, so it will be sex neutral,” Command Sgt. Maj. JoAnn Naumann told Task & Purpose. “The passing score for most people will be a 300 with a minimum of 60 in every event. For those in those 21 specialties, the passing score will be 350 with a minimum of 60 in every event.”..."

Reference Source: www.ngaus.org

Download the VA Health and Benefits App

Article Title: Download the VA Health and Benefits App

Article Excerpt: "...With the VA Health and Benefits App, you can refill prescriptions, message your care team or check your VA benefits using your smartphone. ...Kick pharmacy runs to the curb; Gone are the days of waiting in line at the VA medical center’s pharmacy. Refilling medications through the VA with the Health and Benefits app is now as easy as ordering takeout. ...Claims and appeals status updates

Checking your claim status? Now, it’s instant.

The app gives real-time updates on claims and appeals, bringing you peace of mind with just a glance at your screen.

“The app lets you track your claim from your phone,” said Thomas Turman, Navy Veteran."

Reference Source: va.gov

VA Just Updated Disability Claim Rules, Get a VA Rating Without a C&P Exam

Article Title: VA Just Updated Disability Claim Rules, Get a VA Rating Without a C&P Exam

Article Excerpt: "...On March 10, 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs introduced important changes to its M21-1 Adjudication Procedures Manual, making the rules for disability compensation claims, especially regarding when Compensation and Pension (C&P) exams are needed.

...the VA may be able to make a decision without requiring a C&P exam...."

Reference Source: www.jetauj2023.com

Hundreds of Kansas Citians raise $60K to help house homeless veterans

Article Title: Hundreds of Kansas Citians raise $60K to help house homeless veterans

Article Excerpt: "...The St. Michael’s Veterans Center says that on Thursday, April 24, hundreds of community members and organizations came together to support local veterans at the 11th annual Celebration of Heroes. St. Michael’s is a nonprofit that provides affordable housing to veterans who may be homeless or disabled in the metro.

Organization leaders noted that more than $60,000 was raised during the event to support services for area veterans. An awards ceremony also honored six recipients for their efforts to enhance the quality of life for area vets. ..."

Reference Source: www.kctv5.com

The Fall of Saigon: ‘I always relive it in my dreams’

Article Title: The Fall of Saigon: ‘I always relive it in my dreams’

Article Excerpt: "...Virginia Legionnaire Dick Cole shares insight into Operation Frequent Wind, including being on the last fixed-wing aircraft to leave Saigon on April 30. ..."

Reference Source: www.legion.org

Battle of Iwo Jima veterans share reflections 80 years later

Article Title: Battle of Iwo Jima veterans share reflections 80 years later

Article Excerpt: "...James Blane remembers being told that landing at Iwo Jima was going to be a quick and simple mission and a welcome relief to his unit, which had already done three amphibious assaults in the Pacific.

“‘Don’t worry about it. You’ll only be there about seven days..."

Reference Source: www.dav.org

San Jose family honors remains of WWII veteran returned home, identified through DNA after 80 years

Article Title: San Jose family honors remains of WWII veteran returned home, identified through DNA after 80 years

Article Excerpt: "...After more than 80 years, the remains of Lieutenant Robert McCollum are back home. On Thursday evening, his family saluted his arrival at the Mineta San Jose Airport.

Hundreds of people and the organization, Honoring Our Fallen, helped make this moment happen. ..."

Reference Source: abc7news.com

Coast Guard interdicts 19 aliens 23 miles west of Oceanside

Article Title: Coast Guard interdicts 19 aliens 23 miles west of Oceanside

Article Excerpt: "...SAN DIEGO — The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter David Duren (WPC 1156) interdicted 19 aliens aboard a 25-foot cuddy cabin approximately 23 miles west of Oceanside, California, Tuesday.

At approximately 2:15 a.m., David Duren’s boarding team intercepted a cuddy cabin matching the description of a suspected human smuggling boat and discovered 18 adult males and one adult female all claiming Mexican nationality.

All passengers aboard the cuddy cabin stated they had not had food or water for two days and were medically evaluated. No major medical concerns were discovered..."

Reference Source: www.news.uscg.mil

More than two-thirds of reserve troops are overweight: Report

Article Title: More than two-thirds of reserve troops are overweight: Report

Article Excerpt: "...The study, which calls for new policies to ensure those troops’ health, comes one day after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared during a speech at the Army War College that all military personnel “need to be fit, not fat,” echoing his past demands for more rigorous personnel standards. ..."

Reference Source: www.marinecorpstimes.com

Fort McCoy commander suspended after Trump portrait flipped to wall

Article Title: Fort McCoy commander suspended after Trump portrait flipped to wall

Article Excerpt: "...The U.S. Army has suspended a Wisconsin training base’s first female commander after discovering portraits of President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had been flipped around to face a wall.

The Army has posted an undated statement on Fort McCoy’s website saying Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez has been suspended as the base’s garrison commander. ..."

Reference Source: www.armytimes.com

Air Force lieutenant colonel will face trial for child sex crimes

Article Title: Air Force lieutenant colonel will face trial for child sex crimes

Article Excerpt: "...Lt. Col. Kevin DiFalco — an active-duty service member stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada — was arrested in 2022 by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and brought up on charges that included lewdness in the presence of a child and one charge of abuse or neglect. The Air Force ultimately opted ..."

Reference Source: www.navytimes.com

Class-Action Suit over Limits on Combat-Related Disability Pay Goes Before Supreme Court

Article Title: Class-Action Suit over Limits on Combat-Related Disability Pay Goes Before Supreme Court

Article Excerpt: "...The class-action suit, representing roughly 9,000 service members, challenges a rule that requires veterans to file compensation claims within six years of receiving a VA disability ratings decision, saying the Defense Department has wrongfully applied it to combat-related special compensation. ..."

Reference Source: www.military.com

We Served Our Great Country, Now The Democrats Want to Destroy It

Article Title: Stephen Miller Slams Democrats for Criticizing Arrest of Judge for Allegedly Shielding Migrant

Article Excerpt: "...The statement from Miller comes as Democrats such as Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have criticized the arrest of Judge Hannah Dugan, whom the FBI arrested on charges of obstructing the arrest of an illegal alien. Miller wrote: Democrats spent the last 8 years stripping Americans of due process to jail them for protected political activity; illegally spying on the Trump Campaign; manipulating and fabricating intelligence and then criminally leaking it for partisan gain; using the FBI and Intelligence apparatus to pursue political enemies; launching a coup against President Trump and his Administration; persecuting President Trump, his family, his aides and his supporters; censoring and deplatforming and blacklisting the opposition; removing opposition candidates from the ballot; maliciously fabricating false allegations to inflict outrageous financial punishments; raiding President Trump’s home and seizing his property; and weaponizing the entire legal system for the sole objective of incarcerating the Democrat Party’s chief political rival and seeking to illegally obstruct and rig the 2024 election.

Miller continued to highlight how Democrats “orchestrated and engineered a mass invasion of the United States by foreign cartels and enemy terrorists.” “And now these same Democrats howl with rage when the invasion is returned and those who criminally harbor the invaders and feloniously obstruct their removal are held accountable under law,” Miller continued. ..."

Reference Source: www.breitbart.com

Pentagon to Resume Providing Sex Change Treatments and Surgeries for Transgender Servicemembers and Their Dependents

Article Title: Pentagon to Resume Providing Sex Change Treatments and Surgeries for Transgender Servicemembers and Their Dependents

Article Excerpt: "...“Service members and all other covered beneficiaries 19 years of age or older may receive appropriate care for their diagnosis of [gender dysphoria], including mental health care and counseling and newly initiated or ongoing cross-sex hormone therapy,” the memo, signed by Stephen Ferrara, acting assistant secretary of Defense for health affairs, read.

“Service members may also receive voice therapy and appropriate surgical procedures,” the memo continued.

The return to Biden-era transgender policies comes after a judge struck down Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth..."

Reference Source: www.thegatewaypundit.com