FW: VFW Action Corps Weekly, August 22, 2014

Thank You

Robert Serge

VVA 17 Member

Blog Master

To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember 

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Subject: VFW Action Corps Weekly, August 22, 2014
To: rserge1@outlook.com
From: tmorris@vfw.org
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 14:05:13 -0400

August 22, 2014 In This Issue: 1. VA Committees Hold Field Hearings 2. Two WWII Soldiers Identified 1. VA Committees Hold Field Hearings: Members of the House and Senate VA Committees continue to use their August recess to review the care and services the Department of Veterans Affairs is tasked to provide to veterans. Some of the areas House and Senate leadership have traveled to include New Mexico, where VFW provided testimony on mental health services; South Dakota, where infrastructure and access to care issues were discussed; and Hawaii, where a shortage of doctors has contributed to long wait times on all the islands. VFW Post 2780 in Traverse City, Mich., will host a meeting next week to delve into rural and Native American access to care.  The Senate VA Committee also announced plans to hold hearings in October to evaluate the implementation of the recently signed VA Access, Accountability and Choice Act, which contained provisions aimed at fixing many of these issues. The VFW will continue to monitor all aspects of the new law and keep you up to date here in the Action Corps Weekly newsletter. For testimony and field hearing webcasts, visit the House VA Committee website at http://veterans.house.gov/. For the Senate VA Committee field hearing in Hawaii, go to http://www.veterans.senate.gov/hearings/the-state-of-va-health-care-in-hawaii81914. 2. Two WWII Soldiers Identified: The Defense POW/MIA Office recently announced the identification of remains belonging to two soldiers who had been missing in action since World War II. Identified are: Army Pfc. Lawrence S. Gordon, 28, a Canadian citizen who was buried Aug. 13 in Canada. On Aug. 13, 1944, Gordon and elements of the Reconnaissance Company, 32nd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, were fighting near Carrouges, France, when his M8 armored car was struck in the gas tank by German anti-tank fire. His remains were not recovered after the attack. Read more at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/news/news_releases/2014/documents/release_gordonl.pdf. Army Pfc. Cecil E. Harris, 19, of Shelbyville, Tenn., will have a funeral service Aug. 29 in Chattanooga, and buried Oct. 22 in Arlington National Cemetery. On Jan. 2, 1945, Harris and elements of the Company D, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, were attacked and forced into a more defensive position near Dambach, France. He was reported missing after the attack. Read more at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/news/news_releases/2014/documents/release_harris.pdf. To sign up new veterans' advocates, click here: http://capwiz.com/vfw/mlm/signup.htm. As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories either fill out our online form by clicking here, http://www.vfw.org/Forms/Capitol-Hill-Blog-Submissions/, or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.

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