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

On Thursday, Apr. 11, the Veterans Benefits Administration’s social media team hosted a Twitter Q/A with the SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy and the DoD’s Office of Financial Readiness to chat Financial Literacy. We wanted to call it “How to spend and invest your money gooder,” but since April is actually National Financial Literacy Month, we settled on “Financial Literacy Q/A.” [From VAntage Point]

There was a time, following a series of brain surgeries for bleeding on the brain, that Army Veteran Cathy Davis had trouble talking in ways people could understand her. Walking and getting around in her wheelchair either at home or out in the community was a major challenge. [From VAntage Point]

During the month of April, the Center for Women Veterans is highlighting, “Women Veterans with Disabilities are Valued.” The purpose is to raise national awareness of the contributions of women Veterans with disabilities and to tell their story of resilience. [From VAntage Point]

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Monique Thurman is a firefighter instructor at Farrier Firefighting School in Norfolk, Va. It's her job to make sure that students understand that every sailor is a firefighter. [From U.S. Department of Defense]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Ellen Ainsworth. Ellen served during World War II from 1942 to 1944. [From VAntage Point]

We honor her service.

Navy Veteran Jennifer Marshall joins us on the show. Since transitioning from active duty, she’s been hustling out in Hollywood. [From VAntage Point]

A Marine Corps uniform board set to meet later this spring is considering at least eight changes this year ― and wants Marines to weigh in on the latest proposals. Some of the changes include umbrellas for male Marines, ponytails for medium length hair, silver earrings in dress uniform, a standard dress blue waistplate for sergeants and below, and various adjustments to clothing allowances for recruiters, drill instructors and Marines on funeral detail. [From Marine Corps Times]

Time and again Milton High School graduate Kirstie Ennis has gone to the extreme to “redefine what it means to be disabled,” as the 28-year-old, above-the-knee amputee describes her purpose. Next weekend, Ennis will begin her next mountain climb – Mount Everest. [From Stars and Stripes]

Brig. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, the first female combat pilot in the Air Force, will help celebrate the opening of an active duty Air Force recruiting office on St. Croix. Leavitt, who now serves as the commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service, will join a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the office, located at Sunny Isle Shopping Center, on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. [From Stars and Stripes]

Sixteen years ago at age 41, Monica Willis, then a member of the Cross Lanes-based Army Reserve's 261st Ordnance Co., was looking forward to what was to have been a deployment to Iraq. Instead, she and the other 49 soldiers from her company called to active duty spent five months at Fort Dix, New Jersey. [From Stars and Stripes]

Anna Baker is proud of her military service, but she didn’t identify as a Veteran for many years after she left the Air Force. In 1984, when she completed her service, she said the Department of Veterans Affairs predominantly served male Veterans who served in combat and she wasn’t aware of a lot of the services available to her. [From The War Horse]