Reminder: National Infantry Museum, Columbus, GA, to Host Gulf War 20th Anniversary National Tribute 9 a.m. Thurs., May 26 to Honor Service Members, Unveil Stones to Those Who Lost Lives in Decisive Military Action

/PRNewswire/ -- The National Infantry Museum, located adjacent to Fort Benning in Columbus, GA, will host a Gulf War Twentieth Anniversary National Tribute to the men and women killed in service during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm on Thursday, May 26, from 9-10:30 a.m., leading off Memorial Day Weekend. The event will include participation by the top service commanders from the conflict and will feature laying commemorative granite paved stones for each of the men and women who died. Families and unit members will attend and thousands are expected.

"We won rapidly in the Gulf War; 382 men and women gave their lives," says Col. Greg Camp (Ret), Executive Vice President of the National Infantry Foundation. Infantry Foundation Chairman Lieutenant General Carmen Cavezza added, "This event is a well earned national tribute to the sacrifices our military heroes made to enable a clear victory by the United States and coalition forces. This will be the first official recognition of all Gulf War men and women who died in service." The event is also Fort Benning's Memorial Day celebration.

The event's host speaker will be retired Four-Star General Barry R. McCaffrey, a division commander in the Gulf War. The top Air Force and Navy commanders in the Gulf War have already indicated participation, Gen. Charles Horner (Ret), and Admiral Stanley Arthur (Ret), as well as LtGen. William M. Keys, USMC (Ret.), who commanded the 2nd Marine Division in the Gulf War. Other leaders from all branches are expected. In addition to the stone pavers and speeches, a military honor guard will march. Taps will be played following the unveiling of the stones and the raising of a new, special, dedicated flag for the Gulf War.

McCaffrey stated, "The Gulf War was a decisive military action. Anyone who comes to the Infantry Museum and sees the powerful exhibits from all of America's wars will understand how appropriate it is that the Gulf War commemoration be hosted here. As a participant in the Gulf War, I am proud that America is giving recognition to those who served and died for their country."

The National Infantry Museum and Foundation continues to seek information from families and unit members of the service members killed in the Gulf War to include at the event. All are invited to come. Persons with information or photos of the 382 are asked to send them to Cyndy Cerbin at ccerbin@nationalinfantryfoundation.org. "We want families and friends of Gulf War veterans to feel that this is home for recognition of their heroes," said Ben Williams, Executive Director of National Infantry Foundation.

In partnership with the Army and the Maneuver Center of Excellence, the Gulf War ceremony will be a special event included at the conclusion of the graduation of a company of new Infantry School soldiers, a powerful message of continuity for the graduates. Four-Star General BB Bell (Ret), who was General Norman Schwarzkopf's executive officer in the Gulf War as a colonel, will deliver the graduation address. Four-Star General Ronald Griffith, a commander of the First Armored Division in Iraq, will also participate. The class will then march the short distance to the granite pavers for the unveiling.

For planning purposes, Columbus' airport is served by Delta and American Airlines, or media may wish to fly to Atlanta and rent a car or take a shuttle to Columbus, which has many hotels. Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International airport (ATL) is approximately a 75-minute drive from the National Infantry Museum, and Columbus Airport (CSG) is a twenty-minute drive.

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Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home will hold Veterans Day Ceremony

The Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home will hold its annual Veterans Day ceremony at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11 in the courtyard. Col. John K. Dewey, the Training and Doctrine Command capability manager for tactical radios at Fort Gordon, will be the guest speaker and Augusta Mayor Deke Copenhaver will make opening remarks.

The ceremony, which is open to the public, will also feature Fort Gordon’s U.S. Army Signal Corps Band and Post Ceremonial Detachment Color Guard as well as the Butler High School Drill Team.

The Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home, operated through an interagency agreement between the Medical College of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Veterans Service, is located at 1101 15th St. For more information, call Karen Yonce at Georgia War at 706-721-2531.

By Jennifer Hilliard
Medical College of Georgia

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UWG Ingram Library Hosts WWII Exhibit Through December 12

In observance of Veterans Day, the Ingram Library at the University of West Georgia will host a photograph exhibit, “Images of Small Town Americans in World War II,” from Tuesday, Nov. 4 through Friday, Dec. 12. The exhibit is free and the community is welcome to attend.

The personal collections of 18 men and women who served in Europe, the Pacific and North Africa in World War II documents a pivotal time in these soldiers’ lives and in American and world history.

In 2000, Smyrna resident Patricia Burns started collecting veterans’ oral histories and historical war items for the Smyrna Museum. The photographs in the exhibit were contributed from the veterans’ personal collections.

“These pictures show their youth, vibrancy and contribution during World War II, which forever changed them and the world,” said Burns. “They are also a reminder of so many young men and women who never made it home to grow old.”

The photographs tell the stories of U.S. Navy Signalman Grady “Pete” Burnette, First Lieutenant Dorothy “Dot” Bacon, Technical Sergeant Edward LaPorta and Private First Class Arthur Crowe, Jr.

Burnette hitchhiked from Powder Springs to Atlanta to join the Navy and fought in the Battle of the Java Sea, a major naval Pacific campaign of WWII, on a small destroyer. When the Japanese sank the small destroyer, he was captured and made a prisoner of war for more than three years.
Bacon, of Sumter, SC, served as a nurse in an English hospital during the war, where she worked long hours patching and suturing patients when the surgeons were too busy to do it.

LaPorta, an Italian immigrant, was one of 20 men in his company of 220 to survive the invasion of North Africa. Taken prisoner by the Germans, he was confined to camps in Italy and Germany. On transfer from one German camp to another, he refused to abandon a sick friend, pulling him on a make shift sled and then carrying him the remaining 80 miles, saving his life.

Crowe dropped out of The Citadel to join the army and participated in the Invasion of Normandy where he drove a truck off a landing barge and nearly drowned.

On an advance survey team in the Cherbourg Peninsula, he encountered a retreating German division and using the code word “serenade” helped communicate an order to attack that ultimately launched 800 artillery shells within a 20-second period.

Ingram Library hours are Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. – 2 a.m.; Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; and Sunday, 2 p.m. – 2 a.m.

For more information, call 678-839-5337.

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Honor Flight Fayette Veterans Witness Sea of Support in Washington

Veterans on the October Honor Flight Fayette trip to see their memorial in Washington, D.C., were greeted by current members of the United States military. Bystanders who heard the veterans were arriving wanted to show their appreciation as well.

The veterans were surprised and visibly moved by the cheering crowd, and many later said that this was one of the highlights of the trip for them. After the war ended, the majority of the soldiers returned home without fanfare to seek jobs and adapt to civilian life, so this recognition may have been delayed but was much appreciated. Unfortunately, we are losing these members of the "Greatest Generation" at the rate of over 1,400 per day.

Honor Flight Fayette is preparing for their 3rd flight on November 12th, which will bring to over 200 the total number of veterans who have been taken to D.C. this year at no charge to them. Funds are raised through contributions from caring and generous businesses and citizens, and 100% of these monies are used for the flights.

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Honor Flight Fayette has a board of directors to guide the effort and keep it on track. Board members, guardians and volunteers consider this project a labor of love, dedication and determination, and they donate their time and talents as often as needed to make these flights a success. In fact, guardians pay their own way just to be of service to 2-3 veterans during the entire day trip to insure their safety and enjoyment.

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HHS Announces $36 Million to Help Older Americans and Veterans Remain Independent

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced
$36 million in new grant programs to 28 states to help older Americans
and veterans remain independent and to support people with Alzheimer's
disease to remain in their homes and communities. Just over $19 million
of this funding involves a new collaboration with the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA).

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt and VA Secretary James Peake, M.D., announced
the joint effort to provide essential consumer-directed home and
community-based services to older Americans and veterans of all ages, as
part of a Nursing Home Diversion (NHD) grants program. The new
initiative builds on the similar missions of HHS and the VA with regard
to caring for the populations they serve. In addition, Secretary
Leavitt announced a $17 million investment to improve the delivery of
home and community-based services to people with Alzheimer's disease and
their family caregivers.

In announcing the collaboration, Secretary Leavitt said, "This historic
HHS-VA initiative combines the expertise of the HHS' national network of
aging services providers with the resources of the Veterans Health
Administration to provide more people, including our nation's veterans,
with improved long-term care options. This unique effort supports the
President's New Freedom Initiative which calls upon all federal agencies
to help people who need long-term care and prefer to live in their own
homes and communities to do so. Through this joint program, many people
who would have previously been placed in nursing homes will be able to
remain at home."

"Our mission is to honor and support America's veterans, and this
collaboration provides an additional opportunity to do that by offering
more services, choices and control over decisions to veterans in the
least restrictive environment consistent with their needs and
preferences," Secretary Peake said.

The new program will be administered by HHS' Administration on Aging
(AoA) in collaboration with the Veterans Health Administration. Under
the program, $10.5 million is being provided by HHS through AoA, and
$5.7 million by the states. VA estimates purchasing at least $3 million
in veteran-directed home and community-based services for older veterans
and for recently returned veterans with long-term care needs. The
number of veterans over age 85 has tripled during the past decade,
creating a significant expansion in the need for long term care.

"The HHS funding is specifically designed to reach people who are not
eligible for Medicaid, but who are at high risk of nursing home
placement and spend-down to Medicaid -which often occurs when private
pay individuals enter a nursing home," said Assistant Secretary for
Aging Josefina G. Carbonell. "The program will also offer consumers
more control over their long-term care, including the ability to
determine the types of services they receive and the manner in which
they receive them, including the option of hiring their own care
workers."

The $17 million for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and their
caregivers involves grants to 22 states under AoA's Alzheimer's disease
demonstration programs. States were able to apply for two types of
grants: Innovation Grants and Evidence-Based Program Grants. Innovation
Grants will demonstrate new approaches to delivering services and
supports, and the Evidence-Based Grants will support the replication of
science-based interventions that have already proven to be effective at
helping people with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders to
continue to live in the community.

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Florida Woman Celebrates July 4th Walking Across America to Honor Veterans

BUSINESS WIRE--She’s walking with a purpose and it is not to lose weight or raise money. Her name is Keela Carr and she is about half way across the United States on her way to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. and Arlington National Cemetery to show support for our troops and honor Veterans. Carr began her “Journey of a Thousand Thanks” in Barstow, California.

The U.S. Army’s Freedom Team Salute (FTS) Program has recognized Carr’s efforts and named her its 500th Volunteer Ambassador. Freedom Team Salute honors all discharged Army Veterans and the Spouses, Parents, Supporters, and Employers of all Soldiers. Carr will be honored as a strong Army supporter and receive a FTS Commendation consisting of a certificate and a letter signed by the Secretary of the Army, Peter Geren and Army Chief of Staff, General George Casey, at a special ceremony at Arlington Cemetery.

“July 4th is our Nation’s birthday and everyone in the United States should pause and take time to thank our Veterans and our deployed troops who are serving in harm’s way,” said Carr. “Freedom isn’t free. In fact, it is very expensive. Tens of thousands of brave men and women continue to make sacrifices to defend the United States and protect the freedoms we all take for granted.”

Carr says Americans have traditionally attended parades, barbecues, and fireworks on July 4th. She said the time we spend with family members and friends on our Nation’s birthday is important but remembering our Nation’s Soldiers is a must.

“Walking across America is my way of giving back,” said Carr. “The inspiration for my walk developed after I made a visit to Walter Reed last year and saw some of the severely wounded Soldiers. After leaving the hospital I decided to raise awareness for them and all Veterans. On July 4th, all Americans should find a way to say thank you and give back to our Soldiers and Veterans.”

“Keela Carr is on a mission,” said Colonel David Griffith, Director of the Army’s Freedom Team Salute Program. “It takes a special person to decide to leave their loved ones, job, and other activities to walk across America in support of Veterans and our active duty Soldiers. She is selfless and demonstrates her commitment to our Nation as she takes each step toward Walter Reed Medical Center in support of our troops.”

“When I arrive in D.C. I will be carrying a quilt made by the wives of World War II Veterans,” said Carr. “I’ll deliver the quilt to one of the severely injured Soldiers in the Wounded Warrior Project at Walter Reed to show him and others that people in America do care about our Soldiers.”

Keela Carr is 35 years old and originally from Danville, Illinois. She now makes her home in Apopka, Florida, outside of Orlando. Carr has been a personal trainer for 11 years specializing in rehabilitation, weight loss, post natal fitness and sports training.

Freedom Team Salute is a U.S. Army program launched in May 2005, by the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff to give the public the opportunity to thank Army Veterans for their service by recognizing them with Commendations. The program also provides the opportunity for Soldiers to thank Parents, a Spouse, Employers, and individual Supporters who make significant contributions to Soldiers and the Army mission. Freedom Team Salute has honored more than 1.3 million individuals over the past 3 years. For more information on becoming a Freedom Team Salute Ambassador or to honor a Veteran, go to www.freedomteamsalute.com

Fiscal Research Center Study Reveals Georgia Veterans Fare Better Than Non-Vets

Georgia’s veteran population appears to be better educated and more affluent than veterans across the country, according to research published recently by the Fiscal Research Center at Georgia State University.

While the state’s non-vet residents 25 and older earn about $29, 654 annually, Georgia’s veterans are averaging more than $43,000 a year, 48 percent more, according to assistant professor of economics Jon Rork, who compiled the data from the 2000 Census.

Nationally, veterans make about 40 percent more than non-veterans.

“Veterans are actually better off than the average person would think,” says Rork. “They’re actually doing better across the board.”

“To me, it’s a sign the GI Bill actually works,” he said.

Rork studied Census data on veterans in the 25-35; 50-64; and 65-plus age groups, hoping to group veterans likely to have served in World War II and Korea, Vietnam and the first Gulf War. He found younger veterans moving to Georgia earn about $3,000 more annually than non-veterans moving to Georgia. While veterans accounted for an 11 percent increase in the state’s population from 1995-2000, they accounted for about 15 percent of the increase in the state income level.

Those veterans 50-64 who are moving out of Georgia, however, are making more than those in the same age group moving in. That’s not the case, though, for younger veterans moving into Georgia. Younger newcomers are earning more than those leaving.

Rork says Georgia’s moderate cost of living may be attractive to many, and the state’s number of military installations may introduce service members to Georgia from other parts of the country. He said most of those veterans moving to Georgia tend to be younger.