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

The Marine Corps on Monday fired the general in charge of its sexual assault prevention and response efforts for remarks he made at a public meeting disparaging claims of sexual harassment at his command as “fake news.” [From USA Today]

The Trump administration announced plans Monday to make it easier for permanently disabled military veterans to have their federal student debt wiped away.  People with severe disabilities are eligible by law to have the government discharge their federal student loans, but the benefit has not been widely publicized. [From The Washington Post]

Thanks to major support from an association of former Blue Angels pilots, a Pensacola home for female Veterans is helping local women who served in all branches of the U.S. military.  The Clinton Cox Residence has 12 bedrooms for female Veterans who need housing and other assistance. [From Pensacola News Journal]

The Risk & Insurance Management Society Inc. will give risk professionals attending the RIMS 2018 conference and exhibition in San Antonio, Texas, an opportunity to support Soldiers’ Angels, a local charity that helps members of the U.S. armed forces, through the 12th annual Community Service Project. [From Business Insurance]

Meghan Counihan’s daughter was 6 months old when Counihan was deployed to Afghanistan.  The mother of three, Counihan found herself riven by a tug-of-war of emotions, beckoned by call and duty:  one for country, the other of motherhood. [From Democrat & Chronicle]

A ceremony is underway to dedicate the Mahoning Avenue Bridge over state Route 11 as the Women’s Veterans Bridge.  Leo Connelly, commander of Disabled American Veterans District 7, said the recognition has been a long time coming. [From The Vindicator]

A “safe parking” program for homeless Veterans who live in their vehicles is coming to the Veterans Administration campus on the Westside, Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin announced Friday.  The pilot program at the VA campus that borders Brentwood and West L.A. will start in the next two weeks and be operated by the nonprofit Safe Parking LA, according to Bonin’s office. [From My News LA]

Sandra Lambkin has heard stories from female veterans who have been accused of wearing their medals – often thought to be their father, husband or grandfather’s – on the wrong side, “putting them in a box and never marching again.” [From The Northern Daily Leader]

Marine Corps Col. Lorna Mahlock has been nominated to serve as the first black female brigadier general, the Marine Corps media office said.  Mahlock was nominated by President Donald Trump, and Defense Secretary James Mattis announced the nomination on Tuesday. [From CNN]

Women are underrepresented among the Air Force’s senior leadership compared with their representation among the lower ranks.  One factor contributing to this underrepresentation is that women tend to leave the active duty Air Force at higher rates than men. [From RAND Corporation]

Army Capt. Breanna M. Owens knows a thing or two about meeting the Army’s physical and mental challenges.  As an intelligence officer and a functional fitness center working group member at the newest gym, she can be found leading the way and setting an example for anyone bright enough to follow. [From U.S. Department of Defense]

Women’s History Month, celebrated in March, highlights the important contributions of women to our nation, both historically and in today’s society.  Women like Deborah Sampson, the first American women to serve in combat, have played vital roles in our Army since the Revolutionary War. [From U.S. Army]

No matter what the Air Force’s next camouflage pattern ends up being, the service must get its next set of uniforms right for pilots and crew, including improved, more fitted uniforms for female airmen, the top general of the Air Force said Thursday.  “We’re taking a really hard look at women’s uniforms,“ Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein told reporters during a defense writers› group breakfast in Washington, D.C. [From Military.com]

Quiet.  Beautiful.  Strong.  Those are the words Deborah White uses to describe her late daughter, First Lt. Ashley White. [From ABC News Channel 12]

For the Easter sisters, answering the call to service felt natural.  “My dad never even really talked about the military, ’cause he had three daughters and didn’t wanna pressure any of us into going into the military if we didn’t want to,” Cori Easter said. [From CBS News]

In December 1941, the United States was plunged into the conflict.  A year later, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a law creating the Women’s Reserve branch of the Coast Guard and the service began recruiting women for the SPARs – an acronym for the Coast Guard’s motto, Semper Paratus–“Always Ready.” [From The Maritime Executive]

Two Air Force officers realized their dreams about becoming a Hurricane Hunter and flying into the most powerful storms on Earth.  Air Force Maj. Ashley Lundry, an aerial reconnaissance weather officer, and Air Force Maj. Devon Meister, a pilot, are both members of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, referred to as the Hurricane Hunters, a unit in the 403rd Wing. [From U.S. Department of Defense]

The Navy has extended the April deadline for female enlisted sailors to apply to convert to submarine force ratings.  Sailors ranks E-1 through E-8 now have until June 1 to submit their applications, according to a Navy release. [From Navy Times]

Women Veterans are missing out on a huge benefit at the VA.  We talked to Danielle Corazza from VA’s Center for Women Veterans about burial benefits and how to make sure that the final wishes of Veterans are honored. [From Connecting Vets]

Navy Veterans Bridget Dolan and Amanda Burrill, along with Army Veteran Elana Duffy, are among other Veterans who are sharing their experience with traumatic brain injury (TBI) at an upcoming #Not Alone Brain Injury Awareness event April 16 at VA’s Manhattan campus.  The program will highlight these Veterans and members of New York VA Polytrauma/TBI team who treat them. [From VAntage Point]

“Starting my life over at 47 was tough,” said U.S. Army Gulf War Veteran Karen Jones reflecting on her short battle with homelessness in 2012.  “It seemed like the worst possible thing that could happen to me at the time,” she explained. [From VAntage Point]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Maureen Elias.  Maureen served from 2001 to 2006. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Maureen!

Anxiety over the military sexual trauma she withstood plagued Rachael Harris when she came home.  Her adopted dog, Fern, barreled through those walls. [From The War Horse]

Veterans with Type 2 diabetes and elevated triglycerides have an increased risk for cardiac events and may be eligible to participate in a new study sponsored by KOWA Research Institute, Inc. that aims to reduce this risk.  Dr. Jacob Joseph and the Clinical Research Partnerships and Innovations Program based in Boston and Dr. Marshall Elam at the Memphis VA are preparing 41 VA medical centers so that eligible Veterans can participate in the landmark five-year study aimed to reduce cardiovascular events by reducing triglycerides in patients with diabetes. [From VAntage Point]

In the universe of “things we’d like to know” about women Veterans and how they experience periods of unstable housing and homelessness, one of the things we want to know more about is the often-opaque relationship between Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), formerly known as Domestic Violence (DV), and homelessness.  There are far more questions than answers, and to date very little research has explored this relationship. [From Medium]