The Executive Director, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, has a message for Veterans and others facing tough times. Current events are weighing heavily on all of us. Maybe you have less hope than you once did. Maybe you’re feeling more anger. But despite the uncertainty, there are some things we do know: Veterans are resilient and we can get through tough times – together. Turning to our families, fellow Veterans, friends and communities for support in such times can help get us through this. But sometimes, even that isn’t enough. Please, whenever the weight is too much, take …

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Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Dean J. Keveles, who served in Operations Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

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Nearly 700,000 men and women served in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in the early 1990s. Now, three decades later, as many as a third of that population are affected by a cluster of medically unexplained chronic symptoms that have plagued them following their return from deployment. The symptoms can include fatigue, headaches, joint pain, indigestion, bowel discomfort, insomnia, dizziness, respiratory disorders, skin problems, and memory impairment. VA clinicians and researchers often call this condition "Gulf War illness” in the medical literature.

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Celebrities are accustomed to their faces on billboards and buses, but for retired Army Major Albert Hamilton, it was a bit overwhelming to see his image painted on a donated van dedicated to him.

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VA physical therapist Scott Belden really liked a patient’s hat so the Veteran found him a hat. That began a collection that is now 50 hats hanging on the wall in his office.

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