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

All VA national cemeteries are open and will continue to provide interments for Veterans and eligible individuals. However, effective March 23 — as part of the agency’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) — committal services and the rendering of military funeral honors will discontinue until further notice. [From VAntage Point]

Student Veterans will continue to receive their GI Bill benefits under S. 3503, which President Trump signed into law March 21. The law enables VA to continue providing the same level of education benefits to students having to take courses online due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. [From VAntage Point]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Air Forces Veteran Iris Cummings Critchell, who served in as a Women Airforce Service Pilot during World War II. Iris Cummings Critchell became interested in aviation at a young age. [From VAntage Point]

We honor her service.

Veterans have multiple resources available for the latest COVID-19, or coronavirus, information. [From VAntage Point]

As the first woman to command a U.S. Navy ship, Darlene Iskra is a groundbreaker for women in the military. Despite her groundbreaking status, Iskra’s initial goal in the Navy was not to be the first woman to command a ship. [From VAntage Point]

There are little ways and big ways to make a difference in someone’s life. On this National Rehabilitation Counselor Appreciation Day (March 22), Veteran and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC) Desiree Dial shares how she makes a difference in Veterans’ lives everyday. [From VAntage Point]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Veteran Bernadette “Bernie” Bachman, who served in the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service during World War II. Born in December 1921 in Mackville, Wisconsin, Bernadette “Bernie” Bachman was the oldest of four children. [From VAntage Point]

We honor her service.

Army Vietnam Veteran Jo Ann K. Webb was named Director of the National Cemetery System in 1989. Webb became the highest-ranking woman at VA. [From VAntage Point]

A female Air Force officer has completed a rigorous special warfare course and will move on to the next program within the Special Tactics Officer training pipeline, making her the first woman to advance this far within battlefield officer specialty training. The Special Tactics Officer (STO) candidate, who is unidentified for privacy reasons, was recently selected to start the next iteration of the training pipeline following her successful completion of the "STO Phase 2 Assessment" conducted by Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), according to 1st Lt. Jeremy Huggins, a spokesman for the Special Warfare Training Wing. [From Military.com]

The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic has the potential to increase stress and anxiety, both because of the fear of catching the virus and because of uncertainty about how it will affect us. If you have PTSD, you may have stronger stress reactions than normal. Feelings of fear, anxiety, sadness and doubt are normal during a pandemic. [From VAntage Point]

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, this year marks the 100th anniversary of a historical victory for women – the ratification of the 19th Amendment. While the amendment gave women the right to vote, “her-storians” will be the first to tell you that the 19th Amendment by no means addressed or solved all the inequities for women in the 20th century — or even the 21st — but it was an important milestone in the broader story of equality in America. [From The American Legion]

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Air Forces Veteran Violet Clara Thurn Cowden, who served as a Women Airforce Service Pilot during World War II. Violet Cowden grew up in a sod house on a farm in South Dakota and dreamed of flying since the age of 6. [From VAntage Point]

We honor her service.

VA recently released its “VA Suicide Prevention Toolkit for Caregivers,” a comprehensive guide aimed at providing caregivers with resources to help them care for not only Veterans, but also themselves. More than 2.4 million people devote a significant part of their lives to taking care of Veterans. [From VAntage Point]

In late March, two Army officers will become the first-all female team to compete in a grueling competition to select the best sappers from the entire service. Capt. Hilary Thomas and 1st Lt. Alyvia Orsini will make up one of the 50 teams scheduled to compete in the 14th Best Sapper Competition, which will be held March 30 through April 1 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, according to a recent Army news release. [From Military.com]