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

Applications are now open for Veterans interested in participating in the 2020 National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic, Sept. 20-25 in San Diego, Calif. Veterans are encouraged to apply online at www.summersportsclinic.va.gov. The deadline to submit an application is May 1. [From VAntage Point]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Nekohl Mace, who served in the Army Reserve between 1989-1997 as a medical laboratory specialist. After joining the Army Reserves in 1989, Nekohl Mace completed basic training at Fort Dix in New Jersey. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Nekohl!

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Air Force Veteran Thomas N. Barnes, the first African American to serve as the chief master sergeant of the Air Force. The Air Force was still segregated in April 1949 when Thomas Barnes arrived at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, for basic training. [From VAntage Point]

We honor his service.

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Robert Sturns, who served as a signal officer in the Reserves from 1990 to 2001. Today’s Veteran served as an Army Reservist. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Robert!

A new video produced by the Air Force will have you standing to salute Brig. Gen. Charles McGee, a 100-year-old retired fighter pilot, who, along with his fellow Tuskegee Airmen, helped liberate Europe in World War II and bolster the cause of civil rights at home. President Donald Trump honored McGee in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night. [From Task & Purpose]

This #OperationSong spotlight features “Still Over There,” co-written by Jim Collins and Air Force and Navy Veteran Franklin Tootle. Franklin Tootle’s song opens with a reminder of how hard it is for Veterans returning to civilian life. He sings, “When I left Iraq, I felt a big weight off my shoulders but I was wrong. Cause now that I’m back, I’m still fighting a battle.” [From VAntage Point]

Today’s #VeteranofTheDay is Marine Corps Veteran Jose Refugio Aguilar, who served during the Korean War and was a POW in northern China. Jose Refugio Aguilar’s family served in the Army during WWII. [From VAntage Point]

We honor his service.

Charles McGee, a legendary aviator and one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen from World War II, was officially promoted to brigadier general on Tuesday, President Trump said at his State of the Union address. Trump pinned the stars on McGee’s shoulders in the Oval Office earlier that day, and said he signed a bill promoting him a few weeks ago. McGee turned 100 years old on Dec. 7. [From Air Force Times]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Gregory D. Gadson, who served seven years after an IED blast nearly killed him in Iraq. Today’s Veteran of the Day served for 25 years, deploying multiple times. [From VAntage Point]

We honor your service, Gregory!

Flags on the Navajo Nation will be lowered Monday to honor a revered Navajo Code Talker who died in New Mexico last week. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said in a statement that all flags will fly at half-staff as a tribute to Joe Vandever Sr. through Thursday. [From Marine Corps Times]

One of the few remaining Navajo Code Talkers who used their native language to confound the Japanese in World War II has died. Joe Vandever Sr. died of health complications Friday in Haystack, New Mexico, according to his family. He was 96. [From Marine Corps Times]

Zoom in on Paul Revere’s famous engraving, “Bloody Massacre.” Zoom closer, to the far left corner. The piece is a re-creation of the 1770 Boston Massacre, one of the stepping stones to the Revolutionary War. Almost out of the frame, among several dying colonial patriots, is the brown-faced rebel and former slave Crispus Attucks. [From Stars and Stripes]