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Veterans
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Gov. Jerry Brown this week announced the following appointments to the California Mexican American Veterans Memorial Beautification and Enhancement Committee.
Mario P. Diaz, of Oakland, has held multiple positions at the Wells Fargo Foundation since 1989, including vice president and community affairs representative for the San Francisco Bay Region, program officer and program assistant.
He was a coordinator for the Healthwise Senior Program at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital from 1986 to 1988 and was a syndications note clerk at Wells Fargo from 1981 to 1985.
Diaz was an accountant in the international banking group at Security Pacific National Bank from 1978 to 1981. He is the current chair of The Mexican Museum Board of Trustees.
Helen Galvan, of Santa Maria, was a teacher at the Santa Maria-Bonita School District from 1978 to 2006 and a teacher at the Santa Barbara Unified School District from 1976 to 1978.
She is state chair of the American GI Forum Women of California and is founding board member of the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Guadalupe Cultural Arts and Education Center. Galvan earned a Master of Education degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Ricardo Reyes, of South Gate, has been political coordinator at Service Employees International Union, United Long Term Care Workers since 2011 and also owner of Veterans Energy Transition Solutions since 2012.
He was an administrative assistant at TELACU Education Foundation, Veterans Upward Bound Program from 2010 to 2011 and director of military outreach at The Veterans Project from 2009 to 2010. Reyes was a consultant at Brave New Foundation from 2008 to 2009 and held multiple positions at S and D Mortgage Inc. from 2005 to 2008, including senior mortgage consultant and branch manager.
He was an infantry rifleman in the United States Marine Corps from 2000 to 2004. He is a member of the South Gate Citizens Advisory Committee and the Truman National Security Project.
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SACRAMENTO – Flanked by members of the Patriot Color Guard on the steps of the State Capitol, on Monday Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D-Davis) joined the Daughters of the American Revolution, veterans and their families in dedicating a wreath to commemorate the sacrifice of armed service members.
“From the smallest town to the National Cemetery at Arlington, it’s a time for the families and friends of those lost to come together in a very solemn and beautiful holiday testament to their service,” Yamada said.
The ceremony was duplicated at statehouses across the country and at the U.S. Capitol Monday to inaugurate a week-long series of holiday events coordinated by Wreaths Across America (WAA), an organization with the mission of memorializing, honoring and teaching about the contributions of fallen service members, veterans and their families.
Yolanda Vega, a Gold Star Mother whose son, Senior Airman Jonathan Antonio Vega Yelner, was killed in Afghanistan in 2008, offered heartfelt gratitude for the commemoration.
“On behalf of the boys and girls - because they were boys and girls to us - I want to thank you,” she said. “We honor them because they honor us.”
A series of WAA events will culminate this Saturday in wreath laying ceremonies at military cemeteries nationwide, including Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon.
Assemblymember Yamada, a longtime member of the Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee, and whose district is home to this national cemetery, has participated in the annual WAA events at the State Capitol since her first term in the Legislature.
“These events are both solemn and celebratory, and a reminder that we should be supporting veterans and their families every day,” Yamada said.
The wreath laying will take place at 9 a.m. this Saturday at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery, 5810 Midway Road in Dixon. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early.
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Army National Guard Pvt. Jesse L. Weaver has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches, and field training exercises.
Weaver is a 2011 graduate of Kelseyville High School in Kelseyville, Calif.
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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Operation Tango Mike and the Kelseyville Lions Club will hold the “Hotcakes for Heroes” pancake breakfast on Sunday, Dec. 9.
It will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Lions Club, 4335 Sylar Lane.
On the menu are pancakes, eggs, sausage, biscuits, gravy, juice and coffee.
The suggested donation is $7 per person.
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WASHINGTON, DC – The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that GI Bill is now a registered trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and VA is the sole owner of the mark.
“We will continue to support our veterans by helping them obtain the best education of their choosing—a right for which they have bravely served, and which they have truly earned,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We all want veterans to be informed consumers in their educational pursuit.”
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) praised the VA’s announcement. “I am so pleased that ‘GI Bill’ is now a registered trademark of the VA,” Boxer said. “This is an important step toward ending the predatory practices that for-profit schools use to target our veterans and ensuring that veterans have access to accurate, comprehensive information about their education benefits.”
In March, Boxer led a group of 14 Senators in asking VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to file a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the phrase “GI Bill” to combat this growing problem.
On April 26, President Obama signed Executive Order 13607, directing the VA, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Education to undertake a number of measures to “stop deceptive and misleading” promotional efforts that target the GI Bill educational benefits of servicemembers, veterans, and eligible family members and survivors.
One of the key components of the order was for VA to register the term “GI Bill” as a trademark in order to protect individuals and ensure they are directed to the right resources to make informed decisions.
In addition, VA obtained the rights to the GIBill.com Web site after the original owners agreed to give up the site.
VA is taking a proactive approach in continuously taking action to eliminate fraudulent marketing and recruiting practices.
“Trademarking ‘GI Bill’ is a great step forward in continuing our mission to better serve this nation’s servicemembers, veterans and their families,” said Allison A. Hickey, VA undersecretary for benefits.
VA will issue terms of use for “GI Bill” within the next six months.
“We want to ensure the right balance with these new guidelines so that our stakeholders can still promote GI Bill and we can prohibit others from using it fraudulently,” said Curtis L. Coy, deputy undersecretary for economic opportunity.
Since August 2009, VA has paid over $23.8 billion in Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to more than 866,000 veterans, servicemembers and dependents.
VA received more than 478,000 fall 2012 enrollments for Post-9/11 GI Bill.
For more information on GI Bill programs, please visit www.gibill.va.gov or call 1-888-GI-Bill-1 (1-888-442-4551) to speak with a GI Bill representative.
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WASHINGTON, DC – On Thursday the U.S. Senate unanimously passed Sen. Barbara Boxer’s amendment banning anyone convicted of a felony sexual assault from joining the armed forces.
The policy was put in place administratively by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in 2009, but Sen. Boxer’s amendment would codify the ban into law, making the change permanent.
“We owe it to our brave service members to do everything we can to protect them from sexual assault,” Sen. Boxer said. “The Senate’s action today will strengthen the military’s zero tolerance policy for these heinous acts of violence by permanently banning those convicted of felony sexual assault from serving in our military.”
In 2011 alone, 3,192 incidents of sexual assault were reported in the military. According to the Department of Defense, this figure may significantly underestimate the actual number of sexual assaults and the actual number may be closer to 19,000 annually.
In addition, service members who receive a conduct waiver – including a sexual assault waiver – are more likely to commit a sexual assault.
According to a report recently published by the Army, soldiers that entered the military with conduct waivers were more likely to commit a felony sex crime while on active duty than soldiers who entered the military without waivers.
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The Department of Veterans Affairs has developed a new public service announcement (PSA) to let women veterans know they've come to “The Right Place” when seeking VA health care.
“We want to send a very clear message to women veterans that VA is here to meet your health care needs,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “It is important that women veterans receive the high-quality health care and benefits they have earned through their service.”
The number of women using VA health care has doubled in the past decade and that number is expected to double again soon. The 30-second video PSA, produced by VA’s Women's Health Services office, addresses key themes defined by Secretary Shinseki.
Key messages in the PSA include: assuring women veterans that VA is ready to serve them; encouraging viewers to rethink assumptions that all veterans are male; and reminding Americans that women veterans are coming home, separating from service, or returning to Guard or Reserve status.
The PSA was developed for nationwide release along with a new employee awareness video created as part of VA’s ongoing efforts to change its culture to be more understanding and accommodating of women Veterans. It also promotes the recognition of women veterans around Veterans Day, honoring their service to our country.
“Not all women who served their country identify as veterans and many women veterans are unaware that VA offers high quality women’s health care,” said Dr. Robert Petzel, Undersecretary for Health, Veterans Health Administration. “One of the most important aspects of our efforts to serve women veterans is to make sure each one of them knows we’re here.”
Women serve in every branch of the military, representing 15 percent of today’s active duty military and nearly 18 percent of National Guard and Reserve forces.
By 2020, VA estimates women veterans will constitute 10 percent of the veteran population.
VA is disseminating its culture-of-change message to employees and veterans through a multi-faceted campaign, which includes a toolkit for outreach to women veterans.
Visit www.va.gov/womenvet and www.womenshealth.va.gov to learn more about VA programs and services for women Veterans.
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The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard announced this week a decrease in activated Guard members.
The net collective result is 1,449 fewer reservists and National Guard members activated in comparison to last week.
At any given time, services may activate some units and individuals while deactivating others, making it possible for these figures to either increase or decrease.
The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 42,929; Navy Reserve, 4,564; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 8,808; Marine Corps Reserve, 2,575; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 683.
This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been activated to 59,559, including both units and individual augmentees.
A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel who are currently activated may be found online at http://www.defense.gov/news/MobilizationWeeklyReport112012.pdf .
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On Wednesday Gov. Jerry Brown announced two appointments to the California Military Department.
Lieutenant Colonel David Kauffman, 41, of Placerville, was appointed inspector general at the California Military Department.
Kauffman has served with the California Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve for nearly 20 years, including tours of duty in Guantanamo Bay Cuba, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
He has held multiple positions in the California Military Department from 2005 to 2012, including inspector general and judge advocate.
Kauffman was deputy district attorney at the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office from 2000 to 2005 and staff counsel at Liberty Mutual Insurance Company from 1997 to 2000.
He was a legal clerk and hearing representative at the California Correctional Peace Officers Association from 1995 to 1997.
Kauffman earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.
This position requires Senate notification and the compensation is $141,619. Kauffman is registered decline-to-state.
Also on Wednesday, Brown appointed Andreas Mueller, 30, of Washington D.C., as chief of federal policy and liaison at the California Military Department.
Mueller served as legislative director to Congressman Glenn Nye from 2009 to 2011. He was senior legislative assistant and military legislative assistant to Congressmen Jerry McNerney from 2007 to 2009.
Mueller was deputy finance director at Jerry McNerney for Congress in 2006 as well as assistant campaign coordinator at Lynn Woolsey for Congress.
This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $93,780. Mueller is a Democrat.