U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs CMV - News Update

The Mall is studded with monuments to iconic people and events, from presidents to wars to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.  Later this month, finalists will be announced for a memorial to a group with less name recognition: Native American Veterans. [From The Washington Post]

Hercules “Chico” Butler is known around town for his fine Zoot suits, and being the life of the party.  But behind the sharp clothes, there’s a real battle he’s fighting. [From Pittsburgh Courier]

For Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, practicing medicine gives him a better understanding about the health care needs of the Veterans he serves.  On Wednesday, he tried that same hands-on approach for another daunting problem facing the VA – Veteran homelessness. [From Stars and Stripes]

Robert L. Yano had just turned 18 and registered for the draft when he was forced from his family’s farm in Kingsburg (a city in Fresno County, California) and shipped to an internment camp in Arizona.  “It’s just a desert,” Yano recalls of the camp, one of many in the United States that imprisoned thousands of Japanese-Americans and Japanese immigrants during WWII. [From Star 2]

United States president Donald Trump has named Admiral Harry B Harris Jr, commander of the United States Pacific Command (PACOM), as his pick for the US ambassador to Australia.  The White House, in a statement, said that he is a “highly decorated, combat proven naval officer with extensive knowledge, leadership and geo-political expertise in the Indo-Pacific region.” [From FirstPost]

US senator and Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth has announced that she is expecting a baby girl shortly after she turns 50 in April.  The news means she will be the first US senator to give birth while in office. [From BBC News]

Pvt. Archie Hawkins was a proud World War I Veteran.  He is one of thousands of African-Americans who served in the United States military during the war. [From VAntage Point]

Buffalo will soon be home to the United States’ first Monument that honors all African American Veterans.  The African American Veterans Monument, to be located at the Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Military Park, will recognize the contributions of African Americans who have served and are currently serving in all five branches of the military, during war and in peace times.  African Americans have fought in all 12 of the United States’ military conflicts since the country’s first.

A committee of local African American Veterans, African American historians, Watts Engineering and Uniland Development have led the planning for the African American Veterans Monument with the support and convening of the office of New York State Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes.

The design of the African American Veterans Monument is a matrix, serving as both a timeline and map of longitudinal coordinates.  Each of the 12 black concrete pillars that will be 10 feet tall, and 3 feet wide, are placed in a chronological sequence, corresponding to the dates that each of the country’s 12 military conflicts took place.  The matrix’s longitudinal coordinates represent the location where the war began. The spacing between the pillars represent peace times between each war.

The tops of the 12 black concrete pillars will illuminate, representing the candles that families would put in their windows as a beacon to guide a soldier home.  The light emanating from the top of each pillar will continuously glow as an eternal reminder of the commitments made by African American Veterans.  The Monument’s design was created by Solid 716.

Construction of the Monument will begin in the spring of 2018.  For additional information on the Monument and to learn about how specific African American Veterans can be honored as part of the Monument, visit aavmwny.org, email info@aavmwny.org or call 716-800-1137.

Veterans with honorable service can apply for the Veterans Identification Card (VIC) to use as proof of military service.  If you already have a photo ID issued by the Department of Defense or a Veterans Health ID, you don’t need the new card. [From VAntage Point]

In 228 years of Coast Guard history, African-Americans have been the first minority group to fight and the first to sacrifice.  During the early years of the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, many African-American cuttermen were slaves as well as free men of color. [From The Maritime Executive]

Of all the men who wore blue uniforms in the Civil War, none felt more keenly the purpose of his mission than the African American soldier.  Every marching step, every swing of a pick and every round fired at Confederate enemies gave him a chance to strike a blow against slavery and prove himself equal to his white comrades. [From Military Times]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is U.S. Army Veteran Harry W. Leavell.  Harry served from 1943 to 1946 and was deployed during World War II. [From VAntage Point]

We honor his service.

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is U.S. Air Force Veteran Agnes Helen Gomez Patterson.  Agnes served during the Cold War from 1950 to 1952. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Agnes!

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Jeffrey Van Goins.  Jeffrey served from 1981 to 1992 during the Persian Gulf War. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Jeffrey!

Sgt. William H. Thompkins was an African-American soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor during the Spanish-American War.  He was part of the 10th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, one of the Buffalo Soldier regiments that the Army formed in 1866. [From VAntage Point]

After almost a year, Michael Brumfield’s hard work is starting to bear fruit   as a full time cook at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System.  After he got out of the Army, Brumfield came back home to New Orleans, but fell on hard times and eventually became homeless.  Having nowhere else to go, he walked into VA’s Community Resource and Referral Center and asked for help. [From VAntage Point]

Two American lawmakers have objected the return of the Balangiga bells to the Philippines due to alleged human rights violations committed under the government’s campaign against illegal drugs. [From GMA News Online]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is U.S. Army Veteran Joseph Edward Brown.  Joseph served for three months in 1945 during World War II and again from 1950 to 1957 during the Korean War. [From VAntage Point]

We honor his service.