 Al Franken: Keep Focus on Veterans Every Day | Today is neither Veterans Day nor Memorial Day – the two days each year when all Americans pause to reflect on the service and sacrifice of our soldiers, sailors,airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen.
That doesn't mean we don't appreciate our service members, our veterans and their families every day. But a smaller and smaller part of the American population serves in our all volunteer military. And more and more of us grew up in families – or even communities – where almost no one around us wore the
uniform, either. It's increasingly easy to feel disconnected from our military, and often hard to figure out exactly what we can offer the men and women who serve (in addition to our gratitude). | | Click here to see more ... |
| Vets' Unemployment Rate Improves Again in July | By Patricia Kime - Staff writer, Military Times
Posted : Friday Aug 3, 2012 10:19:09 EDT
The job outlook for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans continues to brighten as the unemployment rate for the group fell for the sixth month in a row.
The unemployment rate for veterans who entered service after Sept. 11, 2001, fell to 8.9 percent in July, down from 9.5 percent the previous month and from 12.4 percent in July 2011, according to the latest monthly employment report released Friday by the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. | | Click here to see more |
| Against the Amendment - Brian Cihacek | By Lavender Thu., May. 31
The DLF Party's Veteran's Caucus has made a point of standing strong against the amendment that would ban the freedom to marry in Minnesota. Minnesota Army National Guard Specialist Brian Cihacek chairs the caucus and is leading their effort against this amendment. He talks with us about why and what motivates him and the group to defeat the amendment.
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| Obama Calls on Congress to Act on Veterans Job Corps | | President Obama was in Golden Valley on Friday, June 1 at the Honeywell plant to talk about jobs for veterans and what Honeywell has done. | | Click here to see more ... |
| Unemployment is a Special Challenge for Veterans | By David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times
April 25, 2012, 4:54 p.m.
WASHINGTON — Matt Pizzo has a law degree, can-do attitude, proven leadership skills, and expertise in communications and satellite technology from his four years in the Air Force.
Yet the 29-year-old has been told that he's overqualified, too old, too "non-traditional," and that he's fallen behind his civilian contemporaries.
"It was disheartening, to say the least," he said of his latest job rejection. "But it's typical, I'm afraid." | | Click here to see more ... |
| White House Announces "Joining Forces Challenge" Winners | From a White House News Release
WASHINGTON, April 6, 2012 – First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden today announced the five winners and “The People's Choice Winner” of the Joining Forces Community Challenge, an effort to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary efforts of citizens and organizations across the country that are working to improve the lives of military families.
The announcement comes in advance of the one-year anniversary of the launch of Joining Forces, the national initiative started by the first lady and Dr. Biden to support and honor America's service members and their families. | | Click here to see more ... |
| Burial for Hmong, Lao Veterans sought | published 2/27/2012
About 400 allied veterans from the “American Secret War” in Laos during the 1950s, who currently live in Minnesota, would be eligible for burial in the Minnesota Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls, under a bill approved by a House division.
HF2261 would expand burial rights to include deceased Hmong-Americans and Lao-American veterans, many of whom were recruited in their homeland and trained by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency during the Vietnam War. After the war, many of the soldiers were relocated to the United States. | | Click here to see more ... |
| Number of Homeless Female Veterans more than Doubles | By Jeff Black, msnbc.com
The number of homeless female military veterans more than doubled from 2006 to 2010, according to new government estimates.
Acknowledging "limited VA data," homeless female vets numbered 3,328 in 2010, according to a report by the General Accounting Office published on Monday, up from 1,380 in 2006. | | Click here to see more ... |
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|  | |  | | DNC Weekly Update | | The Democratic National Committee puts out a weekly update of news and talking points to use when talking to people. | |
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| | | | News Tips | | If you have any items or links that you think would be of interest to veterans or military families, please contact us at mndflvetscaucus@gmail.com |
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