February
is designated Black History Month, a month in which we reflect on the
great contributions made by this community of heroes. I want to
especially thank someone who played a transformational role in my life.
Let me explain!
As
a young, naive Lieutenant in Vietnam, I ‘commanded’ a five-man team of
Advisors. We lived with the Vietnamese and supported their Popular and
Regional Forces. One of my team members was named Hindu, an African
American E7, Special Operations Forces qualified, Infantryman. Being
from Northern Minnesota, not an area known for diversity, my experience
with African Americans was limited. I was blessed to have gotten to
know Hindu. On evening nights when all was quiet, we would talk. As
time went on, Hindu would open up a little more and share some of his
experiences as a young African American man growing up in Mississippi.
Not something we as a nation could be proud of! Hindu taught me more
during these evening talks than I ever would gain in a ‘diversity
seminar.’ Thank you Hindu for being a part of my life, and I think of
you as well as Mazz, Ketchum, and Bent!
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The family of a Veteran killed in action during the Korean War was presented with a Purple Heart Medal thought to be lost for decades. Commissioner Larry Shellito with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs presented the medal to family members during a small ceremony Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 1 p.m.
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Kari Anderson MDVA
An innovative therapy which involves controlling rapid eye movements
during times of stress has been shown to help clients reprocess and
desensitize disturbing memories and experiences to relieve the effects
of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). According to Elaine Wynne,
EMDR Certified Therapist and Approved Consultant for the Trauma Recovery
EMDR HAP Veteran Resilience Project of Minnesota, not only is it
evidence based therapy for trauma, it has been successfully used to
treat many other stress related conditions like phobias, grief, and
phantom limb pain.
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America’s largest mall became Minnesota’s 35th
Yellow Ribbon Company in Minnesota. On Friday, January 17 Governor Mark Dayton
proclaimed the Mall of America a Yellow Ribbon Company at a proclamation
ceremony held in the Mall’s rotunda. Hundreds of guests, service members,
Veterans and families attended the ceremony in which Governor Dayton and
Minnesota National Guard Major General Richard Nash recognized the Mall of America
for completing the process to become a Yellow Ribbon Company.
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon is a program that creates awareness
for the purpose of connecting service members, Veterans and their families with
community support, training, services and resources.
For
more information visit Beyond the Yellow Ribbon's website.
Photos from the event >>
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Are you a service member who has been recently assigned to
the Individual Ready Reserves (IRR)? Then there’s important insurance
information you need to know. Your Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI)
coverage will end 120 days after the date you were assigned to the IRR.
The
good news is you can get similar coverage through Veterans’ Group Life
Insurance (VGLI). But you must apply within 1 year and 120 days from the date
you were assigned to the Individual Ready Reserves (IRR). If you apply for VGLI
within the first 240 days of your assignment to the IRR, then you can get VGLI
without providing proof of good health—even if you have a serious injury or
medical condition. To apply for VGLI, visit the Federal VA's Life Insurance: Apply for VGLI/Convert SGLI to VGLI webpage.
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