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Senior Airman Colt J. Wiens
Special Missions Aviator/54th Helicopter Squadron
Hometown: Hanford, California
“To be successful as a special mission aviator is a challenging task. There’s no such thing as normal and I remain flexible. One day you might be forced to fly through weather that's well below freezing and the next you may be hanging outside a helicopter trying to save someone's life.
Flexibility is the key to airpower and I believe the 54th HS aircrew members demonstrate this ability better than anyone else. Life as a Career Enlisted Aviator is always subject to change and we get through each day by relying on our training and our crewmembers, knowing that our wingmen will always have our backs no matter the situation.
I was raised by my father and my grandmother with the same mentality. I credit them for giving me what I need and for teaching me how to succeed in life. They are the most selfless people I will ever know and I am proud to call them my family.
When I decided to join the USAF, I could tell my father was overjoyed. He always took an interest in the military and I think that seeing me join gave him a feeling of great pride. My grandmother was at first apprehensive because she knew I would potentially be put in harm's way but she eventually agreed with my decision. Overall, my parents know that I am capable, responsible and selfless. They know me very well because these are the values that they taught me as a child.
To have a role in the United States Air Force's most important mission is a privilege and a responsibility that I am fortunate enough to be a part of. Nuclear deterrence requires a degree of professionalism that is of the highest caliber, our Airman exemplify this quality on a daily basis. Make no mistake, this mission does not come without sacrifice but to quote our late President John F. Kennedy "The cost of freedom is always high-but Americans have always paid it." (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Brandon Shapiro)
RIP - Tribute to Tony Perez
written by Omino71
photo by Jessica Stewart
This is the story of an artist, a virtual friend whom you’ve never met in person, but with whom you share an undying passion for art. It’s a friend that was chosen from the thousands of photos on Flickr and whom, almost by chance, becomes part of your daily life through the exchange of comments on photos, sharing of ideas, and invitations to events, all leading to the inevitable exchange of artworks. These artworks arrive at any time of the year, packages coming in as a sort of “Santa Claus,” to celebrate the idea of spontaneous art, fun, generosity, and selflessness. It is this friend that we have the honor to celebrate in this corner today at Sk8 Like Canvas Vol. 2, thanks to an idea by Mr. Klevra.
>TonyTony< was the screen name of Tony Perez, an artist born to Spanish parents in northwest London and who landed in the US, more precisely, Kentucky. It’s from there he sent his beautiful multi-layer stencils out into the world via internet. His hyper realistic stencils reflect his own experiences and passion for vintage “Made in the USA” of the 1920s and 50s, including hot rods, swing, jazz, rockabilly, cult horror films, and so on. Pitched somewhere between low brow and urban art, he was an outsider who loved to march to the beat of his own drummer, just like us.
Tony posted his last masterpiece on Flickr on December 6, 2010. It was a beautiful 70x100, 13-layer stencil done in red tones that realistically captured the spirit of John Lennon in celebration of the 30-year anniversary of his death. It was still there on December 21 when Tony wrote his last commenting thanking everyone for the kind words that he’d received – punctual and polite as always. At 11 pm that same night a sudden heart attack took Tony away from his loved ones, friends of his posting comments immediately following the incident to let everyone know. It was a lightning bolt that struck through the clear blue sky, as they say in these cases.
While it isn’t our place to sing his praises or comment about him personally, being a person we never knew personally, what we can do, as both artists and curators being “on the ground,” is to continue to circulate his art to the public. This display starts with two skateboard pieces that Tony had already completed for the first edition of Sk8 Like Canvas. To this we have added some of the pieces that we had the pleasure to exchange with him, stencils on vinyl, record covers, cardboard, newspaper, and canvas, which are consistent with his practice of transforming everyday objects into masterpieces. His compositions, full of tonal subtlety, which layer upon layer show a rich hyperrealism that was always present whether the subject was a lost pop icon, vintage portraits of strangers, or old school tattoos – Tony was a window into his own time.
We’ll leave you with Tony’s own words, taken from his Flickr profile, which reminds me of a time this summer when, with Mr. Klevra and Jessica Stewart, we pasted up some of his stencils on newspaper in Pigneto. This long distance paste-up was an honor and it is thank to these exchanges that Tony’s work was able to arrive millions of miles away from Kentucky to places like Rome, Paris, Bogota, and Sao Paolo, Brazil, just another reminder of the power of his art to find its way into the hearts of the many users of Facebook and Flickr.
For more details: www.flickr.com/photos/26253553@N06/
www.facebook.com/pages/In-loving-memory-of-Tony-Perez/170...
Tony:
“Thank you for looking and I hope that you enjoy my work and that you will all so comment. If I add you as a contact it is because I find you your work Interesting, Inspiring and over all awesome. Thank you for sharing your artistic endeavors with all of us on flicker. Art is what I do for fun, and the love of art is very much why I am on flickr.
So I had to do some kind of bio, thought I may as well post it here, :-)
Name. Tony Perez
Currently living in Kentucky, USA
Born and raised in North west London, England to parents from Spain. Being an outsider and out of odds was a blessing and a way of life that has remained a constant thyme in my life.
Started painting and stenciling again after a couple of years of trying to find a balance in my life.
My art is influenced by many things but mainly my love of vintage Americana, thyme's such as Hot rods, 20's through the 50's, music swing, jazz, rockabilly and the life styles, classic movies specially of the horror type, knowing that below the lime light there has always been an underbelly of speak easy's and teenage delinquents. Growing up in London and old enough to remember the late punk scenes has inspired a love for going against the grain. Be it lowbrow or urban art it is a blending of images and thoughts that inspire me.
Every ones art is a reflection on their own personal experiences in life, the small things in life that seem to stand out as we make the journey. The way we view our surroundings and the times we live in. With such a mish mush of culture and commercialism it is easy to look to the past but all ways keeping an eye and your feet planted in the present.
Please read this before adding me.
Please DO NOT ADD me as a contact if you are only interested in having a large number of contacts. If you do not comment or at least say "hi" I will with all due respect not add you back. It is not about the numbers but about the art. You do not have to comment in English. Thank you :-)
I have art items for sale on ebay, if you are interested, mainly pinstriped items bur on occasions some paintings. If your interested in some thing just email me.
Just search under sales name atomickulture”
Below is the transcript of the talk of Dr. Richard Teo, who is a 40-year-old millionaire and cosmetic surgeon with a stage-4 lung cancer but selflessly came to share with the D1 class his life experience on 19-Jan-2012.
Hi good morning to all of you. My voice is a bit hoarse, so please bear with me. I thought I'll just introduce myself. My name is Richard, I'm a medical doctor. And I thought I'll just share some thoughts of my life. It's my pleasure to be invited by prof. Hopefully, it can get you thinking about how... as you pursue this.. embarking on your training to become dental surgeons, to think about other things as well.
Since young, I am a typical product of today's society. Relatively successful product that society requires.. From young, I came from a below average family. I was told by the media... and people around me that happiness is about success. And that success is about being wealthy. With this mind-set, I've always be extremely competitive, since I was young.
Not only do I need to go to the top school, I need to have success in all fields. Uniform groups, track, everything. I needed to get trophies, needed to be successful, I needed to have colours award, national colours award, everything. So I was highly competitive since young. I went on to medical school, graduated as a doctor. Some of you may know that within the medical faculty, ophthalmology is one of the most highly sought after specialities. So I went after that as well. I was given a traineeship in ophthalmology, I was also given a research scholarship by NUS to develop lasers to treat the eye.
So in the process, I was given 2 patents, one for the medical devices, and another for the lasers. And you know what, all this academic achievements did not bring me any wealth. So once I completed my bond with MOH, I decided that this is taking too long, the training in eye surgery is just taking too long. And there's lots of money to be made in the private sector. If you're aware, in the last few years, there is this rise in aesthetic medicine. Tons of money to be made there. So I decided, well, enough of staying in institution, it's time to leave. So I quit my training halfway and I went on to set up my aesthetic clinic... in town, together with a day surgery centre.
You know the irony is that people do not make heroes out average GP (general practitioner), family physicians. They don't. They make heroes out of people who are rich and famous. People who are not happy to pay $20 to see a GP, the same person have no qualms paying ten thousand dollars for a liposuction, 15 thousand dollars for a breast augmentation, and so on and so forth. So it's a no brainer isn't? Why do you want to be a gp? Become an aesthetic physician. So instead of healing the sick and ill, I decided that I'll become a glorified beautician. So, business was good, very good. It started off with waiting of one week, then became 3weeks, then one month, then 2 months, then 3 months. I was overwhelmed; there were just too many patients. Vanities are fantastic business. I employed one doctor, the second doctor, the 3rd doctor, the 4th doctor. And within the 1st year, we're already raking in millions. Just the 1st year. But never is enough because I was so obsessed with it. I started to expand into Indonesia to get all the rich Indonesian tai-tais who wouldn't blink an eye to have a procedure done. So life was really good.
So what do I do with the spare cash. How do I spend my weekends? Typically, I'll have car club gatherings. I take out my track car, with spare cash I got myself a track car. We have car club gatherings. We'll go up to Sepang in Malaysia. We'll go for car racing. And it was my life. With other spare cash, what do i do? I get myself a Ferrari. At that time, the 458 wasn't out, it's just a spider convertible, 430. This is a friend of mine, a schoolmate who is a forex trader, a banker. So he got a red one, he was wanting all along a red one, I was getting the silver one.
So what do I do after getting a car? It's time to buy a house, to build our own bungalows. So we go around looking for a land to build our own bungalows, we went around hunting. So how do i live my life? Well, we all think we have to mix around with the rich and famous. This is one of the Miss Universe. So we hang around with the beautiful, rich and famous. This by the way is an internet founder. So this is how we spend our lives, with dining and all the restaurants and Michelin Chefs you know.
So I reach a point in life that I got everything for my life. I was at the pinnacle of my career and all. That's me one year ago in the gym and I thought I was like, having everything under control and reaching the pinnacle.
Well, I was wrong. I didn't have everything under control. About last year March, I started to develop backache in the middle of nowhere. I thought maybe it was all the heavy squats I was doing. So I went to SGH, saw my classmate to do an MRI, to make sure it's not a slipped disc or anything. And that evening, he called me up and said that we found bone marrow replacement in your spine. I said, sorry what does that mean? I mean I know what it means, but I couldn't accept that. I was like “Are you serious?” I was still running around going to the gym you know. But we had more scans the next day, PET scans - positrons emission scans, they found that actually I have stage 4 terminal lung cancer. I was like "Whoa where did that come from?” It has already spread to the brain, the spine, the liver and the adrenals. And you know one moment I was there, totally thinking that I have everything under control, thinking that I've reached the pinnacle of my life. But the next moment, I have just lost it.
This is a CT scan of the lungs itself. If you look at it, every single dot there is a tumour. We call this miliaries tumour. And in fact, I have tens of thousands of them in the lungs. So, I was told that even with chemotherapy, that I'll have about 3-4months at most. Did my life come crushing on, of course it did, who wouldn't? I went into depression, of course, severe depression and I thought I had everything.
See the irony is that all these things that I have, the success, the trophies, my cars, my house and all. I thought that brought me happiness. But i was feeling really down, having severe depression. Having all these thoughts of my possessions, they brought me no joy. The thought of... You know, I can hug my Ferrari to sleep, no... No, it is not going to happen. It brought not a single comfort during my last ten months. And I thought they were, but they were not true happiness. But it wasn't. What really brought me joy in the last ten months was interaction with people, my loved ones, friends, people who genuinely care about me, they laugh and cry with me, and they are able to identify the pain and suffering I was going through. That brought joy to me, happiness. None of the things I have, all the possessions, and I thought those were supposed to bring me happiness. But it didn't, because if it did, I would have felt happy think about it, when I was feeling most down..
You know the classical Chinese New Year that is coming up. In the past, what do I do? Well, I will usually drive my flashy car to do my rounds, visit my relatives, to show it off to my friends. And I thought that was joy, you know. I thought that was really joy. But do you really think that my relatives and friends, whom some of them have difficulty trying to make ends meet, that will truly share the joy with me? Seeing me driving my flashy car and showing off to them? No, no way. They won’t be sharing joy with me. They were having problems trying to make ends meet, taking public transport. In fact i think, what I have done is more like you know, making them envious, jealous of all I have. In fact, sometimes even hatred.
Those are what we call objects of envy. I have them, I show them off to them and I feel it can fill my own pride and ego. That didn't bring any joy to these people, to my friends and relatives, and I thought they were real joy.
Well, let me just share another story with you. You know when I was about your age, I stayed in king Edward VII hall. I had this friend whom I thought was strange. Her name is Jennifer, we're still good friends. And as I walk along the path, she would, if she sees a snail, she would actually pick up the snail and put it along the grass patch. I was like why do you need to do that? Why dirty your hands? It’s just a snail. The truth is she could feel for the snail. The thought of being crushed to death is real to her, but to me it's just a snail. If you can't get out of the pathway of humans then you deserve to be crushed, it’s part of evolution isn't it? What an irony isn't it?
There I was being trained as a doctor, to be compassionate, to be able to empathise; but I couldn't. As a house officer, I graduated from medical school, posted to the oncology department at NUH. And, every day, every other day I witness death in the cancer department. When I see how they suffered, I see all the pain they went through. I see all the morphine they have to press every few minutes just to relieve their pain. I see them struggling with their oxygen breathing their last breath and all. But it was just a job. When I went to clinic every day, to the wards every day, take blood, give the medication but was the patient real to me? They weren't real to me. It was just a job, I do it, I get out of the ward, I can't wait to get home, I do my own stuff.
Was the pain, was the suffering the patients went through real? No. Of course I know all the medical terms to describe how they feel, all the suffering they went through. But in truth, I did not know how they feel, not until I became a patient. It is until now; I truly understand how they feel. And, if you ask me, would I have been a very different doctor if I were to re-live my life now, I can tell you yes I will. Because I truly understand how the patients feel now. And sometimes, you have to learn it the hard way.
Even as you start just your first year, and you embark this journey to become dental surgeons, let me just challenge you on two fronts.
Inevitably, all of you here will start to go into private practice. You will start to accumulate wealth. I can guarantee you. Just doing an implant can bring you thousands of dollars, it's fantastic money. And actually there is nothing wrong with being successful, with being rich or wealthy, absolutely nothing wrong. The only trouble is that a lot of us like myself couldn't handle it.
Why do I say that? Because when I start to accumulate, the more I have, the more I want. The more I wanted, the more obsessed I became. Like what I showed you earlier on, all I can was basically to get more possessions, to reach the pinnacle of what society did to us, of what society wants us to be. I became so obsessed that nothing else really mattered to me. Patients were just a source of income, and I tried to squeeze every single cent out of these patients.
A lot of times we forget, whom we are supposed to be serving. We become so lost that we serve nobody else but just ourselves. That was what happened to me. Whether it is in the medical, the dental fraternity, I can tell you, right now in the private practice, sometimes we just advise patients on treatment that is not indicated. Grey areas. And even though it is not necessary, we kind of advocate it. Even at this point, I know who are my friends and who genuinely cared for me and who are the ones who try to make money out of me by selling me "hope". We kind of lose our moral compass along the way. Because we just want to make money.
Worse, I can tell you, over the last few years, we bad mouth our fellow colleagues, our fellow competitors in the industry. We have no qualms about it. So if we can put them down to give ourselves an advantage, we do it. And that's what happening right now, medical, dental everywhere. My challenge to you is not to lose that moral compass. I learnt it the hard way, I hope you don't ever have to do it.
Secondly, a lot of us will start to get numb to our patients as we start to practise. Whether is it government hospitals, private practice, I can tell you when I was in the hospital, with stacks of patient folders, I can't wait to get rid of those folders as soon as possible; I can't wait to get patients out of my consultation room as soon as possible because there is just so many, and that's a reality. Because it becomes a job, a very routine job. And this is just part of it. Do I truly know how the patient feels back then? No, I don't. The fears and anxiety and all, do I truly understand what they are going through? I don't, not until when this happens to me and I think that is one of the biggest flaws in our system.
We’re being trained to be healthcare providers, professional, and all and yet we don't know how exactly they feel. I'm not asking you to get involved emotionally, I don't think that is professional but do we actually make a real effort to understand their pain and all? Most of us won’t, alright, I can assure you. So don't lose it, my challenge to you is to always be able to put yourself in your patient's shoes.
Because the pain, the anxiety, the fear are very real even though it's not real to you, it's real to them. So don't lose it and you know, right now I'm in the midst of my 5th cycle of my chemotherapy. I can tell you it’s a terrible feeling. Chemotherapy is one of those things that you don't wish even your enemies to go through because it's just suffering, lousy feeling, throwing out, you don't even know if you can retain your meals or not. Terrible feeling! And even with whatever little energy now I have, I try to reach out to other cancer patients because I truly understand what pain and suffering is like. But it's kind of little too late and too little.
You guys have a bright future ahead of you with all the resource and energy, so I’m going to challenge you to go beyond your immediate patients. To understand that there are people out there who are truly in pain, truly in hardship. Don’t get the idea that only poor people suffer. It is not true. A lot of these poor people do not have much in the first place, they are easily contented. for all you know they are happier than you and me but there are out there, people who are suffering mentally, physically, hardship, emotionally, financially and so on and so forth, and they are real. We choose to ignore them or we just don't want to know that they exist.
So do think about it alright, even as you go on to become professionals and dental surgeons and all. That you can reach out to these people who are in need. Whatever you do can make a large difference to them. I'm now at the receiving end so I know how it feels, someone who genuinely care for you, encourage and all. It makes a lot of difference to me. That’s what happens after treatment. I had a treatment recently, but I’ll leave this for another day. A lot of things happened along the way, that's why I am still able to talk to you today.
I'll just end of with this quote here, it's from this book called Tuesdays with Morris, and some of you may have read it. Everyone knows that they are going to die; every one of us knows that. The truth is, none of us believe it because if we did, we will do things differently. When I faced death, when I had to, I stripped myself off all stuff totally and I focused only on what is essential. The irony is that a lot of times, only when we learn how to die then we learn how to live. I know it sounds very morbid for this morning but it's the truth, this is what I’m going through.
Don’t let society tell you how to live. Don’t let the media tell you what you're supposed to do. Those things happened to me. And I led this life thinking that these are going to bring me happiness. I hope that you will think about it and decide for yourself how you want to live your own life. Not according to what other people tell you to do, and you have to decide whether you want to serve yourself, whether you are going to make a difference in somebody else's life. Because true happiness doesn't come from serving yourself. I thought it was but it didn't turn out that way. With that I thank you, if you have any questions you have for me, please feel free. Thank you
The colors for the Installation Management Command are retired on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011, following a change of command ceremony at Fort Sam Houston. Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter assumed command of the Installation Management Command from Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch. Hosting the event was Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Raymond Odierno. U.S. Army photo by Neal Snyder, IMCOM Public Affairs
Ferriter takes command of Installation Management Command
By Tim Hipps
U.S. Army Installation Management Command
SAN ANTONIO – Lt. Gen. Michael Ferriter took the reins of the U.S. Army Installation Management Command from Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch during a change of command ceremony Nov. 17 on Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno presided over the changing of the guard for the command, which relocated from suburban Washington, D.C. to South Texas during the past two years as part of Base Realignment and Closure.
Ferriter, a 1979 graduate of The Citadel, came to Texas from a tour as deputy commander for advising and training for United States Forces Iraq, supporting Operation New Dawn. Before that, he commanded the U.S. Army Infantry Center and the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Ga.
As well as IMCOM commander, Ferriter is now the Army's Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management.
All three Soldiers served as "battle buddies" at some point during the war in Iraq.
"Both Rick Lynch and Mike Ferriter, I've known for awhile," Odierno said. "Most important, I got to see them operate in combat. These are two Soldiers who not only understand what it's like to take care of our Families, but they understand what it's like being at the tip of a spear. There's no better person to lead us in installation management than somebody who's experienced both."
Ferriter's combat tours include Operation Restore Hope in Somalia and two tours in Iraq.
"I'm confident that Mike Ferriter is the right man for the job – a proven leader with the right experience to lead us into the future," Odierno said. "He understands Soldiers and Family and is the right leader at this important time of transition for our Army."
Ferriter and wife Margie have four children who understand Army life: Dr. Meghan Ferriter, Capt. Dan Ferriter, Capt. Paddy Ferriter and 1st Lt. Mary Whitney Whittaker.
"The Ferriters are a great Army Family and IMCOM is fortunate to have them," Odierno said. "Always remember that the strength of our nation is our Army. The strength of our Army is our Soldiers. The strength of our Soldiers is our Families. And that's what makes us Army Strong."
Ferriter said, "there are hundreds of thousands of Army Families that are exactly the same, and that's where we get our inspiration."
Lynch, the only commander IMCOM has known, was quick to thank Odierno for his mentorship.
"I've been blessed in my 35 years of uniformed service," Lynch said. "One of the top … blessings is my relationship with Ray Odierno."
Odierno thanked Lynch for a career well done, capped by the complex move of an Army command from the nation's capital to the heart of South Texas.
"Lt. Gen. Rick Lynch has served selflessly in our Army with extraordinary distinction for nearly 35 years," Odierno said. "He's devoted his career to taking care of Soldiers and their Families. I have watched Rick for years, always step forward, raise his right hand, and say 'Put me in. I want the toughest job. I want the tough jobs and I'll make it work. I'll make it happen.'
"We thought he was the perfect person to lead IMCOM and transform it into a world-class organization focused on our customers. The customers are our Soldiers and their Families and our retirees."
He cited the 120,000 people who make up IMCOM.
"We are grateful for the dedicated Army civilians and contractors that have made IMCOM such a large success," Odierno said. "In short, the IMCOM team has been and will remain a key ingredient in our ability to protect and sustain combat forces around the world. I thank each and every member of IMCOM for your untiring effort and commitment to our Soldiers, their Families and the Army."
Odierno commended Lynch for embodying words like courage, confidence, candor and compassion.
"In your 35-plus years, you have made history," Odierno told Lynch. "You have lived in the arena and you have excelled inside that arena. Thank you for your steadfast dedication and loyal service to our Soldiers and our nation."
Odierno applauded Lynch's wife, Sarah, for her dedication to the mission.
"Sarah has been serving alongside Rick every step of the way," Odierno said. "She's dedicated herself to our Soldiers and Families. Whether it be leading [Family Readiness Groups] or working with the Families of fallen Soldiers, Sarah has met and listened to the Gold Star Families to assess how the Army was meeting their needs and helped the Army improve its services.
"I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that Sarah has selflessly given of herself to the Army, to our Families and to our nation. Sarah, you are a true American patriot and hero. We want to thank you for all you've done and sacrificed throughout the years for our Army."
The ceremony also marked the passing of the responsibility of IMCOM command sergeant major from Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciotola to Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Felt. Felt, top noncommissioned officer for the IMCOM Central Region, will serve until the scheduled arrival of Command Sgt. Maj. Earl L. Rice.
"I want to personally recognize Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciotola," Odierno said. "He was side by side with me for 15 months in Iraq when I was the multi-national corps commander probably during the most difficult time there was in Iraq. And frankly, I couldn't have done it without him. We were merged at the hip. We were merged in our own minds with each other.
"There is no other finer NCO, no other noncommissioned officer I would have liked by my side than Neil Ciotola. He's a Soldier's Soldier, a combat leader, and the epitome of a command sergeant major."
Story on Army.mil:
About the U.S. Army Installation Management Community: IMCOM handles the day-to-day operations of U.S. Army installations around the globe – We are the Army's Home. Army installations are communities that provide many of the same types of services expected from any small city. Fire, police, public works, housing, and child-care are just some of the things IMCOM does in Army communities every day. We endeavor to provide a quality of life for Soldiers, Civilians and Families commensurate with their service. Our professional workforce strives to deliver on the commitments of the Army Family Covenant, honor the sacrifices of military Families, and enable the Army Force Generation cycle.
Our Mission: Our mission is to provide Soldiers, Civilians and their Families with a quality of life commensurate with the quality of their service.
Our Vision: Army installations are the Department of Defense standard for infrastructure quality and are the provider of consistent, quality services that are a force multiplier in supported organizations’ mission accomplishment, and materially enhance Soldier, Civilian and Family well-being and readiness.
To learn more about IMCOM:
Homepage: www.army.mil/imcom
www.facebook.com/InstallationManagementCommunity
www.youtube.com/installationmgt
Photo Credit Cutty McGill
Jay Heritage Center (JHC) Founder Catherine "Kitty" Aresty and New York Preservation Advocate, Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel were recipients of the 1st Annual "John Jay Medal for Service" awarded at JHC's 20th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, October 13, 2012. In keeping with the legacy of one of America's greatest Founding Fathers, the John Jay Medal recognizes individuals who demonstrate a selfless spirit of commitment and engagement with their community.
As an early member of the Jay Coalition, Catherine "Kitty" Aresty helped harness the energy of thousands of volunteers and citizens to save the Jay Property when it was threatened by commercial development in the early 1980s. She was one of 5 dynamic women who formed the vanguard for preservation of the site, finally securing a victory in 1992 but her total commitment to seeing the property restored for public use extends more than 30 years including 22 consecutive years on the JHC Board.
Similarly, Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel's career spans more than 40 years. She has been a pioneering champion of preservation and the arts, credited with bringing the first public art to Bryant Park and the first public performance to Central Park. The first Director of Cultural Affairs for New York City, she was the longest term Landmarks Commissioner in the city’s history, spanning four mayoral administrations from 1972 to 1987. Her expertise and advocacy of historic preservation has garnered her countless honors and prestigious appointments from nor fewer than 4 US Presidents. Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel is the current Vice Chair of the New York State Council on the Arts.
Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino served as Honorary Co-Chairs of the evening which drew over 170 people from Manhattan, Westchester and Greenwich to the National Historic Landmark site. While the event also marked an important 2 decade milestone for the organization, adding to the festive feeling was the recent announcement of a public private partnership between JHC, New York State Parks and Westchester County to manage and restore the entire 23 acre Jay estate as a historic park and educational resource.
See the announcement here:
www3.westchestergov.com/news/all-press-releases/4358-asto...
The site has been a member of Westchester County's African American Heritage Trail since 2004 and was added to the prestigious Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area following its nomination in 2008 by County Legislator Judy Myers.
JHC President Suzanne Clary commended the men, women and coalition of non-profits that first saved Jay's home but also emphasized the "new coalition" they are forming with other museums and preservation groups like the NY Preservation League, The Landmarks Conservancy, Audubon NY, the World Monuments Fund and more. Congresswoman Lowey recognized the power of bi-partisan support that continues to guide JHC's success. Ken Jenkins, Chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators presented a proclamation to both honorees and added his strong words of support for the Jay Heritage Center's mission to revitalize one of Westchester's premiere heritage destinations. Steve Otis, former Mayor of Rye brought accolades from Sen. Suzi Oppenhiemer and personally congratulated the two medal awardees on their vision and tenacity; he reminded the audience how dilapidated the Jay site was when first acquired and how miraculous its transformation had been under JHC's trusted stewardship. Both honorees gave moving remarks and thanks and underscored the continued need to stay "passionate" about preservation.
The theme of the night was Roaring 20s - guests dressed in everything from raccoon coats and spats to flapper dresses and boas made for an evening that was simply "the bees knees!"
Jay Heritage Center
210 Boston Post Road
Rye, NY 10580
(914) 698-9275
Email: jayheritagecenter@gmail.com
Follow and like us on:
Twitter @jayheritage
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A National Historic Landmark since 1993
Member of the African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County since 2004
Member of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area since 2009
On NY State's Path Through History (2013)
November 24, 2013 - CHEVERUS AWARD RECIPIENTS.
Congratulations to the 95 Cheverus Award recipients for 2013 who are receiving their recognition at this moment at Holy Cross Cathedral in a Mass with Cardinal Seán. The award recognizes years of selfless service, often unheralded and done with no recompense but the knowledge of having given all to the Lord. The recipients are:
Susan Abbott, St. Theresa of Avila, West Roxbury
Laura Albaladejo, St. Patick, Brockton
Josephine and Charles Anastasia, St. John Chrysostom, West Roxbury
Ruth Andrews, St. Katharine Drexel, Boston
Mother Teresa Benedicta, OCD, North Region
William Bibeau, St. John the Baptist, Haverhill
Madelyn Brown, The Catholic TV Network, Watertown (2012)
Judy Burton, St. Mary/St. Catherine of Siena, Charlestown
Jacquelyn Butterfield, St. Anne, Littleton
James Buxton, Holy Trinity, Lowell
John Carter, Sacred Heart, Waltham
Everett Casey, Sacred Heart, Middleborough
John Cheboryot and Mercy Anampiu, St. Michael, Lowell, Kenyan Apostolate
Antonio Jr. and Gracita Chiefe, St. Mary, Randolph, Filipino Apostolate
Deacon Charles Clough, West Region
William Corrigan, St. Anthony of Padua, Allston
Marileia Costa, St. Anthony of Padua, Everett, Brazilian Apostolate
Paul Daly, Sacred Heart, Quincy
Joan DeGuglielmo, St. Francis of Assisi, Cambridge
Sister Thomasita Delaney, RMS, Merrimack Region
Samuel E. DeMerit, St. Paul, Cambridge
Jose DePina, St. Peter, Dorchester
Barbara Devita, St. Thomas of Villanova, Wilmington
Linda Devoll, St. John the Evangelist, Canton
Rose DiMare, Immaculate Conception, Revere
Anne Doherty, St. Camillus, Arlington
M.J. Doherty, Archdiocese of Boston
Kevin Dolan, Sts. Martha and Mary, Lakeville
Thomas Dwyer, Esq., Archdiocese of Boston
Joanne Eagan, Sacred Heart, Lynn
Stephen Fair, St. Mary of the Assumption, Brookline
Walter Faria, St. Mary of the Nativity, Scituate
George and Linda Furtado, Immaculate Conception, Everett
Rosa Garcia, St. James, Haverhill
Deacon Alfred Geneus, St. John the Evangelist, Cambridge, Haitian Apostolate...
photos by George Martell - Pilot New Media, Archdiocese of Boston.
With my friend Paul, I spend five days in Osaka, Japan. The trip provided much refreshment, and excitement, not to mention many challenges. It was my first visit to the country, and, I feel, it certainly won't be my last, as there are still many places left to see, and so many new things to learn.
We had several destinations highlighted on our itinerary, the foremost of which was Universal Studios. We spend an entire day there, going on rides and more often than not, queuing for them. The excruciating wait times were worth it, however, for such exhilarating fun, especially on the Hollywood Roller Coaster, my personal favorite. The next morning we followed up that successful endeavor with a trip to the Himeji Castle, a place which came highly recommended by my colleague, whose succinct description of the heritage site was, "awesome." Indeed, as a history buff, I enjoyed walking the storied grounds and climbing through the maze-like interior of the keep which was designed not so much to comfortably house the royal family as to confound the invading enemy. The castle is a must-visit. Other attractions of note include the Osaka Aquarium, and the Tennoji Zoo; both teemed with animals of every shape and size. We also at length ventured into several shopping districts inside of which were myriad stores, selling all sorts of fashion and gadgetry, countless restaurants and several gambling parlors - the Japanese, it seems, love their slot machines as much as the Hong Kong Chinese love their horse racing. Lest I forget, we frequented several video arcades to play the latest and greatest games; Paul played well, while I more often than not got 0wn3d. There is a lot to do in Japan.
Japanese culture, of which I've heard so much, really is distinct and separate from other Asian cultures. Their patterns of action and their peculiar artifacts certainly aren't the same as those which feature prominently in Hong Kong. For one thing, the MTR culture was more civilized and less stressful: people queued up for trains and let passengers alight first before permitting themselves to board; cellphones never rang and cabin cars were as quiet as bedrooms at midnight; and to imagine all of these people enforce their norms without public service announcements, without any coddling, conspicuous signs - that's amazing. What proved difficult was trying to find a garbage can. It was easier to find a vending machine, from which one could purchase a variety of drinks or cigarettes, than a bin in which to dispose of these delectable, perishable goods.
As for the general citizenry, they were most accommodating and hospitable, with several individuals going out of their way to help Paul and I find our way around the dense sprawl of the city. Language wasn't a concern despite our limited Japanese; amazingly enough, our comfort was their concern! I won't forget their selfless service, as one day, I hope, I'll be able to return the favor. That the girls were quite attractive and that I demonstrated a propensity to ask attractive girls for directions go without saying; however, I understand now that their sexiness and sophistication stem not from comely faces but coherent attire. Rather than adorn themselves like a typical Mong Kok girl in a ridiculous neon rainbow palette, with jeans or unseemly spandex underneath dresses, skirts or other tops better left to stand alone, Japanese girls opt for more somber, sensible colors - black and cream-colored - and what's more, they aren't afraid to whip out the tasteful pantyhose or to show some skin, even. We had plenty of time to ogle the ladies, and to their credit, freezing temperatures weren't enough to dissuade many of them from forsaking, icing their shorts, as we saw countless pairs being worn on the street. That's what I call fashion professionalism!
Overall, Japan is a marvelous little land full of the eccentric, as well as the endearing. It was a fascinating place to explore, and I'm thankful that it was done in the company of my friend , with whom candor was not at a premium. We both learned a lot and look forward to the next trip!
made with polyester satin and cotton bias binding. Full blogpost here sewamysew.com/2013/10/13/selfless-sewing-and-a-box-of-vie....
Just off busy Westgate Circle in Annapolis there lies a peaceful bucolic hillside. Almost 3,000 of our nation's heroes - for heroes they all are - lie here in eternal slumber beneath precise rows of nearly identical marble gravestones. This is the Annapolis National Cemetery. For over 150 years the seasons have alternately blanketed the well-kept grounds with the frosty wind-driven snow of winter, the cheerful melodies of spring songbirds, the emerald carpet of summer grass, and the colorful hues of autumn leaves.
The National Cemetery includes veterans' graves from every major conflict from the 1860s through the late 20th century. Yet, more than 85% of the graves are from the Civil War, and by far the vast majority of these are of men from all over the country who died during that conflict, rather than local veterans who passed away later. And of the Civil War dead, almost 10% are unknown -- a very high percentage considering that no battles were fought anywhere near the city. Yet in spite of the lack of battles nearby, Annapolis saw more of the horrors of war than many of the distant fields of conflict. The remaining 15% are graves of veterans of later wars; primarily local veterans of the two World Wars, Korea and Vietnam.
The U.S. Naval Academy abandoned the city for a less turbulent academic atmosphere in Rhode Island during the Civil War. Annapolis then became an army town as tens of thousands of Union troops occupied the city for the duration of the war. The army established at least four major hospitals in the city. The largest of these, Division Number 1 Hospital, was located on the Naval Academy campus; another, Division Number 2 Hospital, was on the campus of St. John's College. In fact, Division Number 1 Hospital, or the Naval School Hospital as it was often called, was one of the largest U.S. Army General Hospitals in the entire country during the Civil War.
At first the hospitals treated the sick from regiments stationed in the immediate vicinity. Later they accommodated battlefield wounded brought in for treatment from such places as Gettysburg and Petersburg. Understandably, some of these men were beyond recovery. But by far the most tragic cases were the emaciated forms returning north as paroled prisoners of war from Confederate prisons in Richmond and Andersonville. One of the reasons for the large number of unknown graves is the fact that so many of these wretched former prisoners arrived devoid of reason or so close to death that they were unable to identify themselves to hospital staff.
The National Cemetery got its beginning in 1862 when it became clear that the city's civilian cemetery could not accommodate the ever increasing number of military dead. The U.S. Army leased 4 acres of land originally known as Ash Grove Cemetery from Judge Nicholas Brewer for period of 99 years. Nine years later the Government purchased the land outright. Sometime in the interim its name was changed from Ash Grove to the Annapolis National Cemetery. Annapolis was one of the 14 original national cemeteries established by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862.
Each grave in the cemetery represents a unique individual with a unique story of how he, or she, came to rest in the peaceful confines off West Street. There are, of course, soldiers felled in battle, as well as those who succumbed to wounds or various camp diseases, notably pneumonia, dysentery, typhoid, and small pox. There are those whose constitutions were so weakened by their experiences as prisoners of war that they could not rally their health even though returned to the tender care of dedicated surgeons and nurses in their own army. And those same dedicated nurses are represented here too. On July 11, 1863, Mary J. Dukeshire was the first to give her life in the care of others. She was followed within months by Mrs. J. Broad, Rachel Spittle, and Hannah Henderson, all of whom contracted an illness form the men they so selflessly cared for.
Because of their long stay in Annapolis as the provost regiment, and later when many of their number returned as former prisoners of war, the men of the Sixty-seventh Pennsylvania Infantry would earn the unhappy distinction of burying more men at Annapolis than any other single regiment during the entire war. Nineteen of their number died in Annapolis in 1862. Sixteen more were buried there in 1863.
There is no doubt that prisoners on both sides suffered extreme hardship and many died under regrettable circumstances. It is hard to imagine the scale of the tragic fate of so many former prisoners of war. Speaking of the influx of paroled prisoners, a nurse said, "The hospital was crowded to its utmost capacity. Many lived only a few minutes or hours after reaching the wards; others survived but a day or two, breathing their last in peace and comfort. An elderly man, quite pulseless when brought in, was resuscitated with brandy sufficiently to express his gratitude. 'God has been very good in bringing me here,' he said, as a beam of joy irradiated his wan face; 'I can die willingly here, and lay my bones under the old flag, but I didn't want to die down there.'...His name was John Buttery; he did not live long enough to hear from his wife and six children, in Connecticut."
On December 6, 1864 a total of 43 paroled prisoners were buried in a single day. The hospital newspaper declared it was "The largest funeral known in any hospital in this country, and the saddest spectacle ever presented." However, it was apparently repeated, and possibly with larger numbers. In spite of the newspaper’s claim that this was the largest funeral, one nurse remembered another time, without giving a specific date, when "Sixty men were buried at one time, and several times over forty were borne in a long train of ambulances to the cemetery. The martial dirge, with the sound of its muffled drum, was daily mingled with the groans of the dying."
Among the former POWs arriving in Annapolis from southern prisons, many were literally not much more than skin and bones by the time they were released from captivity. Two of these former POWs, John Q. Rose and L. H. Parham, had their pictures printed on the front page of Harpers Weekly in June 1864 and became poster boys for the wretched conditions of so many returning prisoners. Rose died the day after his picture was taken. Parham managed to last another week. Both were buried in the Nation Cemetery. The deaths of starved prisoners did not end with Rose and Parham. Before he was captured, Miletus McGowan was described as "remarkable for his muscular strength, and possessing a distinguishing trait of generosity, always ready to assume the burdens of others." As first sergeant of Co. A, 29th Indiana, he was captured at Chicamauga in September 1863 and paroled in May 1864 after being held at the infamous Andersonville prison camp. Like so many of the returning POWs, McGowan was emaciated. He reached Annapolis totally “weak and exhausted [and] unable to walk.” He lasted more than a month, but died on June 11, 1864 as a consequence of chronic diarrhea and starvation while in prison.
Then there was John Buckshot, a Native American with the 56th Massachusetts Infantry. A full-blooded Mohawk from upstate New York, he was described as a “brave Indian boy” and a "good shot." Buckshot was wounded and captured at the Wilderness in May 1864. He died January 13, 1865, of typhoid fever after being paroled in December 1864. He is perhaps the only Native American buried in the national cemetery.
All during the war, but especially after a big battle, wounded men would come pouring into Annapolis. Shortly after the first ill-fated attack against Petersburg in June 1864, a soldier assigned to duty in one of the Annapolis hospitals wrote, "We are having a pretty busy time here now as a boat arrived last evening with 530 badly wounded from Petersburg. Oh it was a sad sight to see them bringing the poor fellows off on stretchers some with arms off others with both legs gone and some struggling with death. It was a sad sight I can assure you, quite a number have already died and others in death’s embrace." Many of the soldiers were suffering from multiple wounds as a result of being caught in a crossfire. To make matters worse, Annapolis was in the midst of a heat wave with temperatures reported as high as 105 in the shade. Private Herman Mehwaldt of the 8th N. Y. Heavy Artillery died along with 11 others within a few days of arriving in Annapolis. More than 20 others would die the following week; and even more the week after that.
The vast majority of Civil War dead buried in the Annapolis National Cemetery are enlisted men. Typically officers’ bodies were embalmed and shipped home. However, at least three Union officers who died during the war are buried here; Lieutenant Harrison Y. Clifton of Pennsylvania, David D. Smith a captain in the First Alabama Cavalry (USA), and Lieutenant Samuel J. Varney of Illinois. There are also about half a dozen Confederates buried here including Lieutenant William S. Slater from Virginia and Corporal Aaron A. Bennett of Tennessee. The Confederates were wounded and picked up on the battlefield along with Union wounded and brought here for medical care.
Perhaps no one had a bigger stake in the outcome of the Civil War than the former slaves who enlisted in the Union Army to fight for their freedom. These men served in segregated units designated as United States Colored Troops, or USCT. By the end of the war, nearly 10% of the Union army was comprised of black soldiers. Although segregated in life, in death black soldiers were buried side-by-side with their white brothers in arms. The Annapolis National Cemetery has nearly two dozen graves of black soldiers. Many of these were veterans who died years later, but some of them, including Alexander Brown, Henry Clark, and Alexander Robinson, died in Annapolis during the war.
While Annapolis may have been an army town in the 1860s, it is nonetheless hard to image the city without a naval presence. And the same is true for the National Cemetery. Although few sailors came through the Annapolis hospitals to be treated for wounds or after being released as a former POW, there is at least one grave here representing the Civil War Navy. John Robinson, a U.S. sailor, died March 2, 1865 after being released as a POW.
And finally, there is the case of Nicolai Demidoff, a Russian sailor who met a tragic end while his ship was here in port. During the winter of 1863-1864, the Russian Tsar sent his fleet to American waters in response to a tense political situation in Europe at that time. Three Russian warships ships visited Annapolis in February 1864. Unfortunately for the Russians, there was one big difference in Annapolis not encountered in other cities. Because of the large numbers of Union troops camped in and around the city, the provost marshal had forbidden the sale of hard liquor to the soldiers. It is not clear whether this restriction applied to foreign sailors but in all probability it was interpreted as applicable. Within days of their arrival confusion over this prohibition had dire consequences for one of the Russians.
On February 4, 1864, Nicholas Demidoff and one or more companions entered a restaurant looking for something to drink. One account of the event simply states that “a citizen & a Russian Sailor in a drinking house. . . had words, then blows which resulted in a pistol shot.” Whatever the circumstances however, there is no dispute that a shot rang out and Demidoff collapsed dead on the floor with a bullet through his heart. The murder nearly created an international incident. In addition to criminal charges brought against the barkeeper, the American government evidently issued an official apology to the visiting Russians. These conciliatory efforts, together with a satisfactory explanation of the tragic circumstances that led to the shooting, seem to have calmed the Russian ire. Meanwhile, although Demidoff had been only a common sailor, the Russians nonetheless gave the fallen seaman a send off that had all the dignity of a state funeral with delegations of politicians from Washington and representatives of the Russian government in attendance. The Americans, undoubtedly seeking to appease the Russian delegation following the murder, took great pains to assure the memorial service was conducted in the most solemn and imposing manner possible.
Except for the letters RSN carved under his name on the otherwise plain white stone, his grave is nearly indistinguishable from those of the thousands of American soldiers that surround it – and yet how much more effort was put into his burial than those of the American boys who were dying daily at the Annapolis hospitals! Nicholas Demidoff remains the only active-duty foreign serviceman to be buried in the Annapolis National Cemetery.
Finally, there is at least one grave of a Civil War civilian with an unknown affiliation to the military. His tantalizing gravestone is simply marked, "Spencer Tibbets, Civilian." It is known that the Federal Government employed civilians in a variety of contract positions with the army, including doctor, telegraphist, railroad engineer, and teamster among many others. In addition there were various volunteer organizations that worked closely with the army, such as the United States Sanitary Commission and the United States Christian Commission. What is not known, however, is what, if any, association Tibbets had with the military to warrant his burial in the National Cemetery.
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November 24, 2013 - CHEVERUS AWARD RECIPIENTS.
Congratulations to the 95 Cheverus Award recipients for 2013 who are receiving their recognition at this moment at Holy Cross Cathedral in a Mass with Cardinal Seán. The award recognizes years of selfless service, often unheralded and done with no recompense but the knowledge of having given all to the Lord. The recipients are:
Susan Abbott, St. Theresa of Avila, West Roxbury
Laura Albaladejo, St. Patick, Brockton
Josephine and Charles Anastasia, St. John Chrysostom, West Roxbury
Ruth Andrews, St. Katharine Drexel, Boston
Mother Teresa Benedicta, OCD, North Region
William Bibeau, St. John the Baptist, Haverhill
Madelyn Brown, The Catholic TV Network, Watertown (2012)
Judy Burton, St. Mary/St. Catherine of Siena, Charlestown
Jacquelyn Butterfield, St. Anne, Littleton
James Buxton, Holy Trinity, Lowell
John Carter, Sacred Heart, Waltham
Everett Casey, Sacred Heart, Middleborough
John Cheboryot and Mercy Anampiu, St. Michael, Lowell, Kenyan Apostolate
Antonio Jr. and Gracita Chiefe, St. Mary, Randolph, Filipino Apostolate
Deacon Charles Clough, West Region
William Corrigan, St. Anthony of Padua, Allston
Marileia Costa, St. Anthony of Padua, Everett, Brazilian Apostolate
Paul Daly, Sacred Heart, Quincy
Joan DeGuglielmo, St. Francis of Assisi, Cambridge
Sister Thomasita Delaney, RMS, Merrimack Region
Samuel E. DeMerit, St. Paul, Cambridge
Jose DePina, St. Peter, Dorchester
Barbara Devita, St. Thomas of Villanova, Wilmington
Linda Devoll, St. John the Evangelist, Canton
Rose DiMare, Immaculate Conception, Revere
Anne Doherty, St. Camillus, Arlington
M.J. Doherty, Archdiocese of Boston
Kevin Dolan, Sts. Martha and Mary, Lakeville
Thomas Dwyer, Esq., Archdiocese of Boston
Joanne Eagan, Sacred Heart, Lynn
Stephen Fair, St. Mary of the Assumption, Brookline
Walter Faria, St. Mary of the Nativity, Scituate
George and Linda Furtado, Immaculate Conception, Everett
Rosa Garcia, St. James, Haverhill
Deacon Alfred Geneus, St. John the Evangelist, Cambridge, Haitian Apostolate...
photos by George Martell - Pilot New Media, Archdiocese of Boston.
Each bird flies in its own color
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Before the processing, there were a few more Swift Birds in the photo. Only after the processing did I notice that each Swift Bird has its own background color
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לפני העריכה היו בצילום עוד כמה סיסים. בעריכה התכוונתי רק להתרכז בפחות סיסים. רק אחרי העריכה שמתי לב שלכל סיס יש צבע רקע משלו
NORTH HOLLYWOOD - The selfless efforts of an a observant plumber and other motorists helped save the life of a despondent teen precariously perched on a Hollywood (SR170) Freeway overpass on December 28, 2012. © Photo by Mike Meadows
With my friend Paul, I spend five days in Osaka, Japan. The trip provided much refreshment, and excitement, not to mention many challenges. It was my first visit to the country, and, I feel, it certainly won't be my last, as there are still many places left to see, and so many new things to learn.
We had several destinations highlighted on our itinerary, the foremost of which was Universal Studios. We spend an entire day there, going on rides and more often than not, queuing for them. The excruciating wait times were worth it, however, for such exhilarating fun, especially on the Hollywood Roller Coaster, my personal favorite. The next morning we followed up that successful endeavor with a trip to the Himeji Castle, a place which came highly recommended by my colleague, whose succinct description of the heritage site was, "awesome." Indeed, as a history buff, I enjoyed walking the storied grounds and climbing through the maze-like interior of the keep which was designed not so much to comfortably house the royal family as to confound the invading enemy. The castle is a must-visit. Other attractions of note include the Osaka Aquarium, and the Tennoji Zoo; both teemed with animals of every shape and size. We also at length ventured into several shopping districts inside of which were myriad stores, selling all sorts of fashion and gadgetry, countless restaurants and several gambling parlors - the Japanese, it seems, love their slot machines as much as the Hong Kong Chinese love their horse racing. Lest I forget, we frequented several video arcades to play the latest and greatest games; Paul played well, while I more often than not got 0wn3d. There is a lot to do in Japan.
Japanese culture, of which I've heard so much, really is distinct and separate from other Asian cultures. Their patterns of action and their peculiar artifacts certainly aren't the same as those which feature prominently in Hong Kong. For one thing, the MTR culture was more civilized and less stressful: people queued up for trains and let passengers alight first before permitting themselves to board; cellphones never rang and cabin cars were as quiet as bedrooms at midnight; and to imagine all of these people enforce their norms without public service announcements, without any coddling, conspicuous signs - that's amazing. What proved difficult was trying to find a garbage can. It was easier to find a vending machine, from which one could purchase a variety of drinks or cigarettes, than a bin in which to dispose of these delectable, perishable goods.
As for the general citizenry, they were most accommodating and hospitable, with several individuals going out of their way to help Paul and I find our way around the dense sprawl of the city. Language wasn't a concern despite our limited Japanese; amazingly enough, our comfort was their concern! I won't forget their selfless service, as one day, I hope, I'll be able to return the favor. That the girls were quite attractive and that I demonstrated a propensity to ask attractive girls for directions go without saying; however, I understand now that their sexiness and sophistication stem not from comely faces but coherent attire. Rather than adorn themselves like a typical Mong Kok girl in a ridiculous neon rainbow palette, with jeans or unseemly spandex underneath dresses, skirts or other tops better left to stand alone, Japanese girls opt for more somber, sensible colors - black and cream-colored - and what's more, they aren't afraid to whip out the tasteful pantyhose or to show some skin, even. We had plenty of time to ogle the ladies, and to their credit, freezing temperatures weren't enough to dissuade many of them from forsaking, icing their shorts, as we saw countless pairs being worn on the street. That's what I call fashion professionalism!
Overall, Japan is a marvelous little land full of the eccentric, as well as the endearing. It was a fascinating place to explore, and I'm thankful that it was done in the company of my friend , with whom candor was not at a premium. We both learned a lot and look forward to the next trip!
On Monday, November 7, 2022, VA Secretary Denis McDonough spoke at the National Press Club Headliners Luncheon.
McDonough discussed the impact of the PACT Act, a bill signed in August by President Biden that expands medical benefits to veterans exposed to toxins from burn pits on military bases, and delivered an update on the state of Americaâs veterans and their families. (VA/Robert Turtil)
The following is his speech: Good afternoon. Jen [Judson, 115th Pres., NPC], thanks for that kind introduction, and for leading this truly great, and important, organization. Let me recognize the Press Clubâs American Legion Post and its commander, Tom Young, and all the Veterans Service Organizations represented here. You are critical to helping us serve Vets, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.
In just a little bit, as the sun starts setting over the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, theyâll begin the solemn tradition of reading 58,281 names etched in those slabs of polished black granite. Among them, approximately 1,500 still Missing in Action. So, in this 40th anniversary year of the Memorial Wall, Iâm honored to welcome home Vietnam Veteran Corporal Jan Scruggs, and all the Vietnam Vets. Corporal Scruggs, Welcome home. And on behalf of a grateful nation, thank you.
Thank you for your courageous service, for opening hearts to Vietnam Vetsâ heroic service, and for so well-honoring your brothers- and sisters-in-arms who died for this country, and for each other. Corporal Scruggs, and all Vets here today, would you stand, if youâre able, and be recognized?
Words can never express the depth of our gratitude to you, our Vetsâyour courage, selflessness, service, and the sacrifices made by you and your families. But, there is virtue in trying, in reminding everyone how these courageous men and women put their lives on the line, for all of us; how much they gave, often their last full measure of devotion; how much each is willing to give so the highest of ideals of our nation might endure for all Americans. Veteransâ valor is a constant reminder of true loyalty, true courage, true patriotism.
Finally, to all you courageous journalists here today: many of you have gone to battlefields, to cities under siege, and risked great danger to tell servicemembersâ and Veteransâ stories. And in so doing, you help us serve Veterans better than we ever could do alone. Thank you for holding all of us accountable, to all of the Vets.
â¦
Itâs a privilege to be here as we prepare for Veterans Day. As we all know, Veterans Day is a day to honor Vets, to remember what theyâve done for our nation, and to recognize that when those Vets serve and sacrifice, so do their families, caregivers, and survivors.
But Veterans Day is something more. Itâs a call to action for all Americans to fulfill our sacred duty, as Americans, and serve Veterans as well as theyâve served us. Not just on Veterans Day, but every day. So, I want to talk about what weâve done at VA over the past year to serve Vets, and what we will do this next year to deliver for them.
With the Presidentâs leadership, Congressâs support, the work of VSOs, and many others, weâre stepping up for Vets. Since President Biden took office, weâve delivered more care and more benefits to more Veterans than at any other time in our nationâs history.
When it comes to benefits Vets have earned and deserve, weâre processing their claims faster than ever before. In fact, VA processed 1.7 million Veteran claims in Fiscal Year 22âshattering the previous yearâs record by 12%. And weâve gotten the claims backlog down to the lowest in yearsâdown to nearly 144,000 claims as of this month.
When it comes to honoring Vets with lasting resting places they deserve, weâre now providing almost 94% of Vets with access to burial sites within 75 miles of their homes. Thatâs possible by building and maintaining our 155 VA national cemeteries, and by funding construction, maintenance, and expansion of 121 state, territorial, and tribal Veteran cemeteries. And weâve expanded our online Veterans Legacy Memorial program to about 4.5 million Veterans, keeping Veteransâ stories alive long after theyâre gone.
When it comes to providing world-class healthcare to Veterans, study after study shows weâre delivering better health care for Veterans than the private sector, which is why 90% of Vets who come to VA for outpatient care trust that care to be, easy, effective, and based in respect for that Veteran.
And when it comes to advocating for Veterans, President Bidenâs leading the way. Heâs challenged all of us to make Vets a core part of a Unity Agenda that rises above partisanship and politics. And heâs hell-bent on fighting for Vets with the same kind of indomitable will and sheer determination they bring to the battlefields we send them to. When it comes to our Veterans and their families, heâs unyielding.
All of that work adds up to the one statistic that will always matter mostâVeterans lives saved, Veterans lives improved. Thereâs nothing more important than that.
Now, weâve made this progress by challenging ourselves every day with three questions.
First, âAre we putting Veterans at the center of everything we do?â That means making sure we meet Vets where they are, so they can access all we have to offer. It means making VA easy for Vets to use, with tools like new VA mobile apps that give Vets access to their benefits, right on their phones. It means making sure weâre delivering for Vets on time, every time, through initiatives like claims automationâcutting claims processing time for certain conditions from several months, to several days.
And as we approach the one year anniversary of the untimely death of Major Ian Fishback, let me underscore the vital importance of this questionâputting Vets at the center of all we do. Every door at VA has to be a front door, with multiple touch points for all of our services. And that means wherever a Veteran is treatedâat the local, state, or federal levelâthat care has to be integrated, it has to be coordinated, especially when it comes to mental health care. Vets and their families should expect that, demand it. And going forward, with the new tools we have in place in VISN 10, they will have that.
The second question, âAre we improving outcomes for Veterans with everything we do?â That means timely access to world-class health care, earned benefits, and the lasting resting places Vets deserve. No matter what. Because, ultimately, Vets will judge, not us, our success.
And the third goes back to something President Biden charged VA with the day I was sworn inââFight like hell for Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.â Thatâs our North Starâare we fighting like hell for Vets. Thatâs what we seek to do, every day.
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Let me give you a few examples.
First, weâre fighting like hell to maximize access to world-class care for Vets across America. Weâll stop at nothing to make sure Veterans have the best possible experience, wherever they access VA careâat home, in the community, or at VA. For those Vets getting care at home, weâre meeting them where they are, doubling down on tele-appeals, tele-health, and tele-oncology. VA clinicians have seen more than 9,000 Vets through tele-oncology, and we are expanding this life saving tool to include clinical trialsâmeaning that rural Vets are now getting opportunities previously unavailable to them because of their remote locations.
Weâre also supporting our caregivers by expanding the program of comprehensive assistance in October to cover all generations of Veterans, and by changing our policies so even more Vets get that support they need. For Vets getting care in their community, weâre working to make their experiences as timely and seamless as possibleâso they get the care they need, wherever they live, and when they need it. And for those getting care directly from VA, weâre going to modernize our facilitiesâbecause Vets in the 21st century shouldnât be forced to get care in buildings built in the early 20th century. We need a VA health care system with the right facilities, in the right places, to provide the right care for Veterans in every part of the country.
So, the bottom line with access is the same as ever. Vets who get their care at VA do better. Our VA clinicians know Veteransâin many cases those clinicians are Veteransâand thereâs nobody better at caring for Vets than them. Thatâs one reason why Vets who come to VA emergency rooms by ambulance are 20% more likely to survive in the following 30 days than those who were transported to private hospitals.
So, if anybodyâs asking where Vets should get their care, please, send Vets to us. Weâre going to get them the world-class care theyâve earned.
Next, weâre fighting like hell to end Veteran homelessness, a phrase that shouldnât exist in America. Our focus is on two simple goals: getting Veterans into homes, and preventing them from falling into homelessness in the first place. And weâre making real progress. Last year from this podium, I told you about two ambitious goals for 2021 to address Veteran homelessness in LAâwhere there are more homeless Vets than anywhere else in the United States.
The first goal was getting all of the roughly 40 homeless Veterans living on Veterans Rowâa homeless encampment out in LAâinto housing. The second goal was getting 500 Veterans in LA into housing by the end of the year. We not only accomplished those goals, we exceeded themâand used that to demonstrate that if we can tackle this problem in LA, we can tackle it anywhere.
So, we set another ambitious for this year. We will place 38,000 homeless Vets into permanent housing by the end of 2022. At the end of September, weâd already housed nearly 31,000 Vetsâover 81% of our goalâputting us on track to house even more Veterans than we anticipated.
And weâre not letting up. Weâre driving hard on homelessness prevention by increasing housing supply, making existing housing more affordable, and getting every Veteran the wraparound services they need to prevent homelessness in the first instance.
And last Thursday, we released the 2022 PIT Count results. It shows that the number of Vets experiencing homelessnessâon a single night last Januaryâwas 33,136, a decrease of 11% over January 2020, which was the last year a full PIT Count was conducted. Thatâs the biggest improvement in more than five years.
So, weâre not just taking our best shot at fighting Veteran homelessness. With the help of partners like HUD, USICH, VSOs, local communities, and front-line staff in VAâs Homeless Programs Office we are going to end Veteran homeless. Because no Veteran should be homeless in this country they swore to defend. Not now, not ever.
Third, weâre fighting like hell to prevent Veteran suicide. You saw VAâs recent report on Veteran suicides in 2020âthe most current data we have. A couple big things stand out from that report. First, more than 6,000 Veterans died by suicide that year. Thatâs devastating, unacceptable, and itâs why this work is so critical.
But that report also reminds us that suicide prevention is possible. There is hope. There were 343 fewer Veteran suicides in 2020 than in 2019âthe second year in a row weâve seen a decrease. Thatâs 343 Vets alive today, getting a second chance at life. Nothing matters more than that.
So, weâre building on that momentum. Weâre providing first-of-their-kind grants to suicide prevention organizations in communities, on the ground, across the country. Weâre ramping up our lethal means safety efforts to prevent warning signs from turning into tragedies. Weâre continuing to offer tele-mental health sessions to Vets who want them. Weâre making sure they get their mental health care exactly when they need itâand not a second later. And we rolled out 9-8-8, the new national suicide prevention lifeline thatâs connecting Vets quickly and directly to the Veterans Crisis Line by just dialing 9-8-8, then pressing 1. Because preventing Veteran suicide is our top clinical priority, and we will stop at nothingânothingâto ensure that Vets not only survive, but thrive.
Fourth, weâre continuing to fight like hell to make sure all Vets feel welcome and safe at every VA. Not some Veterans. All Veterans. Weâre doing that by helping non-citizen Veterans stay in the United States, where they belong, and making sure that eligible, deported Vets have access to VA benefits.
Weâre delivering care and benefits to those with Other-Than-Honorable discharges. Weâre eliminating any racial disparities that exist at VA, and setting up processes to prevent them in the future. Weâre making sure LGBTQ+ Vets are supportedâand well-servedâacross VA. Last month, for example, we closed a gap in benefits for surviving spouses of LGBTQ+ Vetsârighting a wrong thatâs a legacy of the discriminatory federal ban on same-sex marriages.
And weâre getting women Vetsâour fastest growing cohort of Vetsâthe care theyâve earned and deserve. A few weeks ago, I visited the Military Womenâs Memorial for their 25th Anniversary. Etched in the glass panes in the ceiling are powerful words of courageous women Vetsâwords the sun illuminates when the light hits that glass just right. None of those words are more illuminating than those of World War II Veteran Lieutenant Anne Brehm, words that always bear repeating. âLet the generations know,â she said, âthat women in uniform also guaranteed their freedom ⦠that our resolve was as great as the brave men who stood among us.â
My late colleague and friend, and a great friend of Americaâs Veterans, Secretary Ash Carter, was committed to that principle. It was Secretary Carter who opened all military roles to women. Heâd be proud that women Vets have been our fastest growing cohort, and weâre proud to serve them. But we havenât always done as well by women Vets as we should have. So, weâre fighting like hell to serve them as well as theyâve served us.
Weâve done that by taking important steps to make our health care facilities and programs safe, respectful, and welcoming to women Vets; by providing Women Vet Coordinators in every regional office to help them access benefits and provide assistance specific to them; by having VBA dedicate one specially trained team to review each military sexual trauma claim, so we do not re-traumatize survivors who come forward to seek the benefits theyâve earned; and by listening to VA health care providers and Vets from across the country who sounded the alarm that abortion restrictions were creating a medical emergency for pregnant Vets. Thatâs why we made the patient safety decision to offer abortion counseling, andâin certain casesâabortion services to pregnant Veterans and eligible VA beneficiaries.
Because at VA we donât serve some Vets. We serve all Vets. For far too long, too many Vets who fought around the world to protect our rights and freedoms have had to fight brutal battles here at home for their own rights and freedoms. But at VA, those fights are over. In this administration, no Vet has to fight for the quality care and benefits that theyâve earnedâno matter who they are, where theyâre from, or who they love.
Last but in no way least, weâre fighting like hell to deliver for toxic-exposed Veterans. One of your own has led the country in that fightâVeteran and journalist Kelly Kennedy. About this time 14 years ago, Kelly started the thankless and rigorous task of holding people like me accountable when she published her first of dozens of articles on the casualties of burn pits.
Over the years, her work catalyzed the national conversation on burn pits, educated us on the effects of toxic exposure on the battlefield in stark terms we could no longer turn away from. She told painful stories of servicemembers deteriorating, dying, after exposure to poisons they breathed when deployed. She first introduced us to the enormous dangers of things we had never heard aboutâlike fine and superfine particulate matter, chemicals troops may have been ingesting that sound as horrific as they are: arsenic, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, benzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid.
Kelly told the human stories of Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and families who were suffering, so we as a nation would not, and could not, forget. Now, I imagine part of that was about being a good journalist, guided by the spirits of greats like Joe Galloway, Dickey Chapelle, and others. And I imagine a lot of it was about compassion, deep devotion to servicemembers and her fellow Vets.
And now, nearly a decade and a half later, as a result of her workâand, certainly, the hard work, heavy lifting, and persistent voices of many, many others in this roomâone of the biggest expansions of Veteran benefits in history was signed into law by President Biden, a law that will deliver care and benefits to millions of toxic exposed Veterans and their survivors.
With this new law, VA has recognized new presumptions of service connection for more than 20 health conditions related to toxic exposureâincluding exposures like Agent Orange, burn pits, and more. Weâll bring generations of new Vets into VA health care and increase the health care benefits of many moreâand that will result in better health outcomes, across the board. Weâll deliver benefits to more survivors of Vets who passed away from toxic exposure. And weâll invest in our workforce and our infrastructure to deliver those additional servicesâand modernize 31 more VA health care facilities.
This is a great thing. And I donât think it would have happenedâsurely not have happened nowâwithout Kellyâs dogged pursuit of the truth, with all our VSO partnersâ dogged pursuit of the truth. Thatâs what I mean when I say that you that you all make VA betterâtelling the stories that need to be told, and holding us accountable to Veterans and their survivors.
Like anything else of this importance and magnitude, implementing this law wonât be easy. So, weâre counting on you for your helpâto hold us accountable, yes, and especially, to communicate to Veterans, and their family members, what this law means for them.
This is what we want every Veteran to know about the new law on toxic exposure.
First, we want Veterans and survivors of Central Command from 1991 to 2021, 30 years of war, to apply for their toxic exposure benefits right now. So far, Veterans have filed nearly 137,000 claims under this law.
Second, and I want to be very clear here, because itâs important. We made all conditions outlined in this new law presumptive August 10, 2022âthe day the bill was signed into law, rather than phasing them in over years, as the law anticipated. VA will begin processing benefits claims filed under this new law on January 1st, the earliest date possible. And beginning tomorrow, weâre offering enrolled Veterans a new toxic exposure screeningâan important step toward making sure that all toxic exposed Vets get the care and benefits they deserveâeven if they donât know today that they were exposed.
Because Vets have waited too long. Weâre not going to make them wait any longer.
Third point. For Vets who file for a toxic-exposure-related condition before the one-year anniversary of the signing. That is, for those who file before August 9, 2023, their claim and benefit will be retroactive to the date of signing, August 10, 2022.
Fourth point. Iâm proud to announce for the first time today, on National Cancer Awareness Day, that weâre expediting benefits delivery for Veterans with cancer conditions covered by the law. This work is a part of President Bidenâs vision for the Cancer Moonshot, which will end cancer as we know it. And itâs a part of his broader efforts across the government to do so.
So, we will expedite Veterans claims if they have been diagnosed with melanoma, brain cancer, neck cancer, pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, glioblastoma, head cancer of any type, respiratory cancer of any type, reproductive cancer of any type, gastrointestinal cancer of any type, lymphoma of any type, and lymphomatic cancer of any type.
Fifth, any Veteran, family member, or survivor can learn more about this new law by visiting VA.gov/PACT, or by calling 1-800-MY-VA-411. 1-800-698-2411.
So, thatâs what every Vet needs to know about this law. And we need your help communicating it, so every Veteran gets the care they need, and the benefits they deserve. We wonât rest until they do.
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So, from access, to ending homelessness, to suicide prevention, to toxic exposure, thatâs where weâre going. Thatâs how weâre going to keep fighting like hell for Vets, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
Now, let me say a final word to the Vets. Your honorable service in uniform set the example for the rest of us in this great country. In so many ways, youâre the keepers of our national ethosâthat deep and abiding sense of purpose you learned in serving, your camaraderie, your sense of teamwork that made you stronger, together, in combat and, now, in your communities. Itâs so unique in the country.
Looking around, thatâs exactly what we need today. Camaraderie. Truth. Togetherness. True service. True patriotism. And itâs something that all of usâeach of usâcan learn from. Because we all are stronger when weâre togetherâwhen we are one.
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So, again, to all the Veterans here today and watching, thank youâfor everything. And, to the Press Club, my thanks for all that you do holding us accountable to Vets, their families, their caregivers and survivorsâtelling their stories in the powerful ways that you do.
God bless each of you, and God bless our nationâs servicemembers, our Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
Photo Credit Cutty McGill
Jay Heritage Center (JHC) Founder Catherine "Kitty" Aresty and New York Preservation Advocate, Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel were recipients of the 1st Annual "John Jay Medal for Service" awarded at JHC's 20th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, October 13, 2012. In keeping with the legacy of one of America's greatest Founding Fathers, the John Jay Medal recognizes individuals who demonstrate a selfless spirit of commitment and engagement with their community.
As an early member of the Jay Coalition, Catherine "Kitty" Aresty helped harness the energy of thousands of volunteers and citizens to save the Jay Property when it was threatened by commercial development in the early 1980s. She was one of 5 dynamic women who formed the vanguard for preservation of the site, finally securing a victory in 1992 but her total commitment to seeing the property restored for public use extends more than 30 years including 22 consecutive years on the JHC Board.
Similarly, Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel's career spans more than 40 years. She has been a pioneering champion of preservation and the arts, credited with bringing the first public art to Bryant Park and the first public performance to Central Park. The first Director of Cultural Affairs for New York City, she was the longest term Landmarks Commissioner in the city’s history, spanning four mayoral administrations from 1972 to 1987. Her expertise and advocacy of historic preservation has garnered her countless honors and prestigious appointments from nor fewer than 4 US Presidents. Dr. Diamonstein-Spielvogel is the current Vice Chair of the New York State Council on the Arts.
Congresswoman Nita Lowey and Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino served as Honorary Co-Chairs of the evening which drew over 170 people from Manhattan, Westchester and Greenwich to the National Historic Landmark site. While the event also marked an important 2 decade milestone for the organization, adding to the festive feeling was the recent announcement of a public private partnership between JHC, New York State Parks and Westchester County to manage and restore the entire 23 acre Jay estate as a historic park and educational resource.
See the announcement here:
www3.westchestergov.com/news/all-press-releases/4358-asto...
The site has been a member of Westchester County's African American Heritage Trail since 2004 and was added to the prestigious Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area following its nomination in 2008 by County Legislator Judy Myers.
JHC President Suzanne Clary commended the men, women and coalition of non-profits that first saved Jay's home but also emphasized the "new coalition" they are forming with other museums and preservation groups like the NY Preservation League, The Landmarks Conservancy, Audubon NY, the World Monuments Fund and more. Congresswoman Lowey recognized the power of bi-partisan support that continues to guide JHC's success. Ken Jenkins, Chairman of the Westchester County Board of Legislators presented a proclamation to both honorees and added his strong words of support for the Jay Heritage Center's mission to revitalize one of Westchester's premiere heritage destinations. Steve Otis, former Mayor of Rye brought accolades from Sen. Suzi Oppenhiemer and personally congratulated the two medal awardees on their vision and tenacity; he reminded the audience how dilapidated the Jay site was when first acquired and how miraculous its transformation had been under JHC's trusted stewardship. Both honorees gave moving remarks and thanks and underscored the continued need to stay "passionate" about preservation.
The theme of the night was Roaring 20s - guests dressed in everything from raccoon coats and spats to flapper dresses and boas made for an evening that was simply "the bees knees!"
Jay Heritage Center
210 Boston Post Road
Rye, NY 10580
(914) 698-9275
Email: jayheritagecenter@gmail.com
Follow and like us on:
Twitter @jayheritage
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A National Historic Landmark since 1993
Member of the African American Heritage Trail of Westchester County since 2004
Member of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area since 2009
On NY State's Path Through History (2013)
In this picture I was waiting with Miss Sarie before her surgery. She had to go in to the Vet's in the morning but her surgery wasn't until the afternoon. My heart was heavy and my eyes had cried a river of tears.
UPDATE 5:45 PM 12 April
Miss Sarie had her follow up appointment today to have her stitches removed. Everyone was happy to see her. She has a clean bill of health for right now. I will be taking in a urine sample so that her Urine Specific Gravity can be checked for any signs of kidney damage. Pyometra can damage the kidneys.
UPDATE 5:15 AM 9 April
Miss Sarie had a quiet Easter Sunday. She napped most of the day. When she wasn't napping she wanted to be held.
Last night we moved back to my bed. She nestled down and slept peacefully through the night.
This will be her first day alone. I will be leaving for work in about 1/2 hour. She will go through withdrawal. All the attention has made her into quite a spoiled baby!
She goes back to the Vet to have her stitches out on the 12th of April. I probably won't update again until then.
UPDATE 8:15 PM 7 April
Miss Sarie and I went to visit a few folks today. We stopped by the adoption event so everyone could see her. They have been quite concerned about Miss Sarie. They all love her. Miss Sarie is the mascot for the rescue.
Today Miss Sarie was very happy to be held by others. Normally she gets anxious if I am not holding her. She will only stay in someone elses arms for a very short time. But today she was very content and quite a showoff!
UPDATE 10:30 AM 7 April
4 Days since her surgery and she is thriving!
Miss Sarie and I woke up to a light coat of snow on the ground this morning. I took one of her little beds out and laid it on the ground so she could enjoy the fresh smell of the newly fallen snow. She didn't move off of the little bed but she perked up and sniffed all around.
She then came in and decided she would eat her breakfast that she had been ignoring all morning. And is now toddling around checking out all her special places in the dining room.
She woke me up several times last night. She has decided that enough is enough. She wants back in bed with me. Since the surgery I have had her in an extra large laundry basket with bedding on the floor next to me. I have slept on the couch so if she wakes I can easily lay my hand on her. Well last night the hand laying went on all night!
UPDATE 11:45 AM 6 April
Miss Sarie is continuing to recover like she was a puppy! This morning she gave me a little bit of a scare. A few minutes after she was up she vomited the contents of her stomach. It was a very quick non-violent episode. I think she was overheated because she slept nestled into a snuggly donut bed and had a little blanket with her. She got over it quickly and ate her breakfast and drank water with no further episodes. She is resting comfortably now.
Yesterday late afternoon she went to visit Auntie Betty. Auntie Betty adores Miss Sarie. When Miss Sarie first came to me and Betty met her she said that she wanted to take care of Sarie's medical care. For the first 1 3/4 years she paid every bill but then I felt to awkward to let her know about anything that I was doing for Miss Sarie.
We go visit Betty several times a year but we hadn't been to visit since last Fall. On Monday, 2 April, I called Betty because I feared Miss Sarie was not going to make it through this. I wanted to give her a chance to see Miss Sarie before this terrible disease took her away from all of us. Her phone went to her answering machine and I left her a message telling her that Sarie was very sick.
When I didn't hear back from her I assumed she was out of town for Easter vacation. She is retired and travels a lot. On Wednesday evening she called me. I was able to happily tell her that Miss Sarie had been though surgery and was thriving!
She immediately insisted that she wanted to pay for all of the costs. She told me she fully realizes that Miss Sarie is an old dog and that medical costs can be high with an old baby. She said when she made the offer that she meant it no matter how long Miss Sarie is with us. I was amazed at her generosity when she first offered 2.5 years ago but am overwhelmed that she is still committed to this sweet little girl.
Thank you Betty for taking much of the worry off of taking care of Miss Sarie. And for your dedication to this sweet little rescue girl! I will be forever grateful for your selfless act.
UPDATE 11:00 AM 5 April
Miss Sarie had a wonderful night last night. She slept soundly and never woke up once. This morning she ate her breakfast, did her potty duties, took her medicine....and promptly decided she wanted to sleep some more. At the moment she is basking in the sun by the sliding glass door in her donut bed!
UPDATE 8:30 PM 4 April
At about 5 today Miss Sarie and I took a ride to Bob Evans to pick up dinner. We drove to Auntie Teresa's. (Sarie has many Aunties and Uncles!) She toddled around Auntie Teresa's kitchen and rested in a donut bed. When I opened the food I had picked up for Auntie Teresa and me she started whining... YES.. She wanted more food!
When we came home she had her first BM since the surgery. So another Post-Op milestone has been met!
Auntie Teresa sat with me yesterday morning while I waited for Miss Sarie to go into surgery. I didn't want to leave Miss Sarie because I knew she would be upset. That wouldn't have been good for her before surgery. She had her catheter put in about 4 hours before her surgery, so it was a long wait. Auntie Teresa sat with us for about 3 hours waiting! She was shocked tonight to see how amazing Sarie is doing..
We are tuckered out now and are going to bed. Sarie slept most of the day but was active for a few hours this evening. She wanted to be held most of the time.
UPDATE 3:00 PM 4 April
The little darling is doing amazing! She woke me up from a nap at 12:30. She was whining and I could hear her even though I was sleeping deeply.
I picked her up and took her to her puppy pad. She used it again and then ate some more of her Breakfast. I gave her once a day pain meds orally with a syringe. She took it just fine.
A few minutes ago she got restless so I gave her some more food. To my surprise she ate again!
She is making a miraculous recovery!
UPDATE 10:30 AM 4 April
Miss Sarie had a wonderful visit at the Vet this morning. They are amazed at how well she is doing. Her heart is strong, her surgical wound looks good.... There was nothing negative about her at all! Her catheter was removed and she was sent home with me to continue her recovery.
She is an amazing little old gal! Thanks everyone for all your emails, kind words, and prayers. They were a great help to both Miss Sarie and me...
UPDATE 7:15 AM 4 April
Miss Sarie slept well last night. She woke up a couple of times crying. I rubbed her and she fell back to sleep. This morning she used the puppy pad for the first time since the surgery. She also ate a very good breakfast of FROMM's Shredded Duck Entree. She wasn't interested in water so I syringed Pedialyte slowly into her mouth. She accepted it fine. We will be leaving for the Vet's office in about a 1/2 hour.
UPDATE 8:00 PM 3 April
Miss Sarie and I arrived home about 15 minutes ago. She ate almost her normal dinner portion. She is sitting on my lap resting very comfortably. I think sleep will be very light for me tonight!
In the morning at 8:00 we will go back up to the Vet's so she can be checked out. Depending on how she is doing, she may stay for a day of fluids. Her IV catheter is still in so it will easy to set up her drip bag.
UPDATE 4:00 PM 3 April
Miss Sarie survived the surgery. They almost lost her on the table. Her oxygen levels dropped dangerously low. Her uterus was ruptured. Dr. Kawasaki worked fast. He was in and out very quickly. She came to and stabilized fast. She started kicking up a fuss very soon after the surgery. They came out to get me because they knew she wanted me. They are going to let her come home with me tonight because they realize that she is better off with me than at a closed Vet office tonight. I will update more later. I have many pictures to load.
UPDATE 6:00 AM 3 April
Miss Sarie made it through the night comfortably. As soon as we came downstairs she went potty on her pad, drank some water, and started her usual whining at me to pick her up. I woke up several times through the night and laid my hand on her to check her breathing. I am very frightened but hopeful. We will be leaving the house in about 2 hours to go the Old Bridge Veterinary Hospital where Dr. Putts will put in her IV. Dr. Kawasaki will come in at noon and start the surgery. She has not deteriotated over the last 36 hours. I believe she is stronger.
UPDATE 6:30 PM 2 April
Miss Sarie and I stopped at the park on the way to her Vet appointment. Given her grave condition she is actually doing quite well. The two Vet's I spoke with today are not sugar coating her condition. The bottom line is without surgery she will not survive. And she may not survive the surgery or postoperative recovery period. She goes into surgery midday tomorrow. She has to be at the Vet's by 8:30 for IV fluids. They want to make sure she is well hydrated before surgery. They are going to allow me to stay with her while she waits for surgery. I feel much better about that. She does not like me to leave her. Leaving her at home is one thing but in a scary strange place she would be distraught. She ate a wonderful dinner tonight and is resting comfortably on my lap as I type this.
FYI-Pyometra is a disease of the uterus. It is compared to acute appendicitis in humans because both are essentially empyemas within an abdominal organ. It involves the Uterus in unspayed female dogs. Treatment of choice is an emergency spay.
Original Comment
Miss Sarie is very sick. She needs everyone's thoughts and prayers. Yesterday I noticed that she had a pus discharge from her vulva. Given that she has been diagnosed with early kidney disease, I didn't dare wait until this morning to take her to the Vet. They believe she has Pyometra. It is unknown if Sarie was ever spayed. She has never gone into heat in the 2.5 years she has been with me. Even given that they wanted to take her into emergency surgery. They gave me 3 choices, give her antibiotics, emergency surgery, or euthanize. Several of my rescue friends dropped everything and came to the hospital. They reminded me that I have always said no heroics, that I just want to keep her happy and comfortable for whatever time she has left. The odds of her making it through the surgery were not good. Not to mention Woodbridge Animal Hospital's estimate was 1700 dollars. I opted for the antibiotics. Her white blood cell count was 59,000 with 16,000 being the high end of normal. This morning there is no pus and she is eating and drinking. She is also being her demanding primadonna self.
All of my favorite vets are unavailable today. The rescue vet (Dr. Cunningham) van is in the shop today. She can see Miss Sarie tonight. I took a clean catch urine into Old Bridge Vet this morning. I just received a call from them and they said there are a lot of white blood cells in the urine. They also believe she needs surgery because of the white blood cell count. I feel like I am going to just die...
Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as I try to do what is best for Miss Sarie. Dr. Kawasaki is willing to come in tomorrow on his day off to do the surgery. Dr. Cunningham may be able to do it tonight. I don't want to do this but it is the only chance she has. My heart is breaking.
Selfless in the Bath of Lava, by Pipilotti Rist (1994).
Selbstlos im Lavabad is comprised of a small video embedded in a hole on the floor. In the video, the artist swims nude in an incandescent lava bath and cries out “I am a worm and you are a flower!” This video was first exhibited in Basel, Switzerland in 1994. In a later exhibition in Zürich, Switzerland, the video was placed at the foot of a Madonna and Child sculpture emphasizing the religious notion of damnation as suggested by the video.
Selbstlos im Lavabad is located in the Lobby floorboards.
Having a great spirit of taking the initiatives for the welfare of society, the Rakesh Rajdev family who works selflessly to participate in uplifting society.
Wind-up Records rock band Seether plays a song for a crowd of Marines, sailors and their families during a concert on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Dec. 17, 2010. “There’s nothing like a bunch of fired-up Marines,” said Shaun Morgan, Seether’s frontman. “What you guys do is a selfless service, so the least we can do is come out here and honor you.” At the end of the free concert, sponsored by the United Service Organizations, Morgan gave a “shout-out” to Marines and sailors from 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, who recently returned from a seven-month deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. “Welcome back, guys,” he said.
Self-explanatory/masturbationary.
Actually, I was going to originally do one with
the camera facing the opposite way, with
me topless walking down the main hall people
walk down to get to the terminals and food places,
but I chickened out and lost my balls on the escalator
or somewhere. Instead I just did this, and the old
man there was quite-rather confused.
Selflessly & tirelessly, I taste test ice cream that Derrick makes. This whomping dessert was served at his mom's house on Easter. Two kinds of vanilla ice cream to compare, plus strawberry shortcake with white chocolate mousse. Mmmm!
www.obsessionwithfood.com/2007_04_01_blog-archive.html#23...
When I see people bashing Tiffany, I know its because they don't have the faintest understanding of her. They misunderstand her enthusiasm, her openness, her concern, her selfLESSness for selfISHness. This is ironic and tragic at the same time. If they could walk 10 steps in her shoes, they'd have nothing but admiration and love for her. I've been going down the list of the Soshi members, trying to understand the magic of 9 and I can say this. Tiffany is without a doubt Soshi's biggest fan.
Let me say again.
No one believes in the power of 9 more than Tiffany does.
Look at the road she’s taken. First she had to believe in herself, the power of 1. To take a leap of faith like she did, coming by herself to a foreign country, and fully embracing it. Think of what that means, the language, the customs, the food, waving a freaking lollipop (ask any valley girl to do that and you're risking life and limb, seriously), the culture of respect, you know none if it was easy. But she did all that, and then she climbed on top of a very precarious mountain, not by pushing others off, but by helping and holding tight to those around her. Really, this is something more than remarkable. What strength of character that took. What belief in herself, and her dreams that showed.
When they debuted, they were nine girls, some had been friends for years, but the long process of training together, of working towards a common goal allowed something singularly precious to form. A seed that would grow into Soshi. But by getting to the top with her sisters, Tiffany opened herself up to the people that would hate her, just for being different. Judging her because she’s somehow not worthy in their eyes. Her sometimes hesitant Korean is just a convenient focus for people already determined to not accept her. Some people have issues with her for being religious. Whatever. If that's a source of strength, good for her. In my opinion she personifies faith, optimism and hope. Is that so bad?
Even with that said, Tiffany is the member I worry about the most. She's a walking contradiction. Incredibly brave, strong and caring, she wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s utterly transparent, incapable of hiding what she’s feeling, hurt her and she cries, if she’s happy, she shines. And when she smiles, people melt.
No one is a harsher taskmaster of Tiffany than herself. Think about that for a moment. No barb, no cruelty, no criticism can make her work harder than she already does. She would welcome her worst enemy, and not defend herself. She'd take every curse and hate thrown at her and try to understand it and improve, even when she feels the pain more than most people with normal defenses would.
In interviews, she's almost always the first to answer a question, not because she wants the attention, NOT BECAUSE SHE WANTS the attention, but because she cares how Soshi is perceived. She won't protect herself, but she's fiercely protective of her family, her sisters, of Soshi.
On Hello Baby, it broke my heart when she felt she was rebuffed by the baby. With everything she’s been through, any connection she can make is more precious to Tiffany than her pride. Here’s the next lovable point about her. Knock her down and she gets right back up. Bleeding, bruised, it doesn’t matter. If she can, she’s perseveres. Please go re-watch episode 2, the first time she's picked as worst mom (I was so pissed for her. . .), where they're all in the living room. The only thing she looks at the entire time is Kyungsun. She must have cautioned everyone else at least a dozen times. “Be careful, be careful, be careful.” There’s slight vindication later in the series, when one of the honorary fathers, who was an actual father, awards Tiffany the best mom, BECAUSE HE’D SEEN EPISODE 2.
Because she’s lost people in her life, she fearful of losing anyone else, it’s always present at the back of her mind. She’s more aware of mortality and loss than the others. In Wonderful Outing, when Seohyun is doing the bar flip you’ll hear Tiffany’s “Jho-shim.” Be careful. When the girls went on Intimate Note, Tiffany was absent. Her grandfather had passed away in the States. I was really proud of the other eight because they did their best even though you know their hearts were with Tiffany, thousands of miles away. And yes, the KJE Chocolate show. If you’ve ever thought that Soshi was a manufactured product, with fake plastic dolls, go watch Chocolate. That’s our Soshi, those are the real emotions behind their professionalism. 9 young women who’ve sacrificed so much to entertain us. A stone would have wept.
In Chocolate, you see the other eight girls put their own loneliness aside and their concern for Tiffany is more than touching, it’s inspiring. Taeyeon worries about Tiffany a lot, because Tiffany, the one so many hate because they think she’s selfish, doesn’t take care of herself. She has no quit in her. The story about how she took her cast off early, because she couldn't stand to not be dancing with her sisters, that's Tiffany. Singing herself hoarse, every time, disregarding the health of her voice for live performances to the point where Taeyeon has to worry about it, that's Tiffany. Re-watch the interview that took place right after their solo concert. Look at Tiffany's face. It scared me, because she was beyond exhausted. Totally limp. She left it all out there.
The rest of the girls have the control to hold a little bit back, so they're not hammered flat, but Tiffany doesn't know anything less than 110% effort. She's not the best vocalist or the best dancer, but no one works harder than her.
Because Tiffany comes from a different culture, she adds a depth to the relationships within the group. Korea is a highly stratified culture. To be socially acceptable, everyone has to follow the forms of etiquette. Because she was unfamiliar with them she was an easy target. Oh, she's rude. Oh, she's ignorant. . . grrrr. (I'm saving up for a rant on the Korean predilection for being overly judgmental. . . emphasis on the 'mental'.)
But now, she knows the proper forms. Always greeting, always cheerful with that smile from heaven, that's Tiffany. The flip side to that is she knows how to break down the walls within the group. Within the group, she's the casual American cousin, etiquette be damned. That strengthens the already incredible bonds that we can see. She's a momma for Seohyun, an English tutor and sister for everyone else, wife to the Byuntae.
Lastly, to understand Tiffany, I think it's important to understand the scars she carries from losing her Mom. I can't begin to understand what that feels like, but I think I can appreciate her hunger for belonging. She said when she was a trainee, she didn't really think about her family, didn't miss them, didn't regret choosing this path. It was only when she debuted, when the prize was in front of her, that she felt the void. She knew then that achieving this monumental success was empty without someone to share it with. The years of ignoring and pushing away the need for a family really smashed into her. That's why we've seen her confront, acknowledge and finally accept what losing her mom did to her. You KNOW what Soshi means to her? Everything.
How can anyone not love Tiffany?
Just boggles the mind.
cre: chikopae || ssf
On Monday, November 7, 2022, VA Secretary Denis McDonough spoke at the National Press Club Headliners Luncheon.
McDonough discussed the impact of the PACT Act, a bill signed in August by President Biden that expands medical benefits to veterans exposed to toxins from burn pits on military bases, and delivered an update on the state of Americaâs veterans and their families. (VA/Robert Turtil)
The following is his speech: Good afternoon. Jen [Judson, 115th Pres., NPC], thanks for that kind introduction, and for leading this truly great, and important, organization. Let me recognize the Press Clubâs American Legion Post and its commander, Tom Young, and all the Veterans Service Organizations represented here. You are critical to helping us serve Vets, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.
In just a little bit, as the sun starts setting over the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, theyâll begin the solemn tradition of reading 58,281 names etched in those slabs of polished black granite. Among them, approximately 1,500 still Missing in Action. So, in this 40th anniversary year of the Memorial Wall, Iâm honored to welcome home Vietnam Veteran Corporal Jan Scruggs, and all the Vietnam Vets. Corporal Scruggs, Welcome home. And on behalf of a grateful nation, thank you.
Thank you for your courageous service, for opening hearts to Vietnam Vetsâ heroic service, and for so well-honoring your brothers- and sisters-in-arms who died for this country, and for each other. Corporal Scruggs, and all Vets here today, would you stand, if youâre able, and be recognized?
Words can never express the depth of our gratitude to you, our Vetsâyour courage, selflessness, service, and the sacrifices made by you and your families. But, there is virtue in trying, in reminding everyone how these courageous men and women put their lives on the line, for all of us; how much they gave, often their last full measure of devotion; how much each is willing to give so the highest of ideals of our nation might endure for all Americans. Veteransâ valor is a constant reminder of true loyalty, true courage, true patriotism.
Finally, to all you courageous journalists here today: many of you have gone to battlefields, to cities under siege, and risked great danger to tell servicemembersâ and Veteransâ stories. And in so doing, you help us serve Veterans better than we ever could do alone. Thank you for holding all of us accountable, to all of the Vets.
â¦
Itâs a privilege to be here as we prepare for Veterans Day. As we all know, Veterans Day is a day to honor Vets, to remember what theyâve done for our nation, and to recognize that when those Vets serve and sacrifice, so do their families, caregivers, and survivors.
But Veterans Day is something more. Itâs a call to action for all Americans to fulfill our sacred duty, as Americans, and serve Veterans as well as theyâve served us. Not just on Veterans Day, but every day. So, I want to talk about what weâve done at VA over the past year to serve Vets, and what we will do this next year to deliver for them.
With the Presidentâs leadership, Congressâs support, the work of VSOs, and many others, weâre stepping up for Vets. Since President Biden took office, weâve delivered more care and more benefits to more Veterans than at any other time in our nationâs history.
When it comes to benefits Vets have earned and deserve, weâre processing their claims faster than ever before. In fact, VA processed 1.7 million Veteran claims in Fiscal Year 22âshattering the previous yearâs record by 12%. And weâve gotten the claims backlog down to the lowest in yearsâdown to nearly 144,000 claims as of this month.
When it comes to honoring Vets with lasting resting places they deserve, weâre now providing almost 94% of Vets with access to burial sites within 75 miles of their homes. Thatâs possible by building and maintaining our 155 VA national cemeteries, and by funding construction, maintenance, and expansion of 121 state, territorial, and tribal Veteran cemeteries. And weâve expanded our online Veterans Legacy Memorial program to about 4.5 million Veterans, keeping Veteransâ stories alive long after theyâre gone.
When it comes to providing world-class healthcare to Veterans, study after study shows weâre delivering better health care for Veterans than the private sector, which is why 90% of Vets who come to VA for outpatient care trust that care to be, easy, effective, and based in respect for that Veteran.
And when it comes to advocating for Veterans, President Bidenâs leading the way. Heâs challenged all of us to make Vets a core part of a Unity Agenda that rises above partisanship and politics. And heâs hell-bent on fighting for Vets with the same kind of indomitable will and sheer determination they bring to the battlefields we send them to. When it comes to our Veterans and their families, heâs unyielding.
All of that work adds up to the one statistic that will always matter mostâVeterans lives saved, Veterans lives improved. Thereâs nothing more important than that.
Now, weâve made this progress by challenging ourselves every day with three questions.
First, âAre we putting Veterans at the center of everything we do?â That means making sure we meet Vets where they are, so they can access all we have to offer. It means making VA easy for Vets to use, with tools like new VA mobile apps that give Vets access to their benefits, right on their phones. It means making sure weâre delivering for Vets on time, every time, through initiatives like claims automationâcutting claims processing time for certain conditions from several months, to several days.
And as we approach the one year anniversary of the untimely death of Major Ian Fishback, let me underscore the vital importance of this questionâputting Vets at the center of all we do. Every door at VA has to be a front door, with multiple touch points for all of our services. And that means wherever a Veteran is treatedâat the local, state, or federal levelâthat care has to be integrated, it has to be coordinated, especially when it comes to mental health care. Vets and their families should expect that, demand it. And going forward, with the new tools we have in place in VISN 10, they will have that.
The second question, âAre we improving outcomes for Veterans with everything we do?â That means timely access to world-class health care, earned benefits, and the lasting resting places Vets deserve. No matter what. Because, ultimately, Vets will judge, not us, our success.
And the third goes back to something President Biden charged VA with the day I was sworn inââFight like hell for Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.â Thatâs our North Starâare we fighting like hell for Vets. Thatâs what we seek to do, every day.
â¦
Let me give you a few examples.
First, weâre fighting like hell to maximize access to world-class care for Vets across America. Weâll stop at nothing to make sure Veterans have the best possible experience, wherever they access VA careâat home, in the community, or at VA. For those Vets getting care at home, weâre meeting them where they are, doubling down on tele-appeals, tele-health, and tele-oncology. VA clinicians have seen more than 9,000 Vets through tele-oncology, and we are expanding this life saving tool to include clinical trialsâmeaning that rural Vets are now getting opportunities previously unavailable to them because of their remote locations.
Weâre also supporting our caregivers by expanding the program of comprehensive assistance in October to cover all generations of Veterans, and by changing our policies so even more Vets get that support they need. For Vets getting care in their community, weâre working to make their experiences as timely and seamless as possibleâso they get the care they need, wherever they live, and when they need it. And for those getting care directly from VA, weâre going to modernize our facilitiesâbecause Vets in the 21st century shouldnât be forced to get care in buildings built in the early 20th century. We need a VA health care system with the right facilities, in the right places, to provide the right care for Veterans in every part of the country.
So, the bottom line with access is the same as ever. Vets who get their care at VA do better. Our VA clinicians know Veteransâin many cases those clinicians are Veteransâand thereâs nobody better at caring for Vets than them. Thatâs one reason why Vets who come to VA emergency rooms by ambulance are 20% more likely to survive in the following 30 days than those who were transported to private hospitals.
So, if anybodyâs asking where Vets should get their care, please, send Vets to us. Weâre going to get them the world-class care theyâve earned.
Next, weâre fighting like hell to end Veteran homelessness, a phrase that shouldnât exist in America. Our focus is on two simple goals: getting Veterans into homes, and preventing them from falling into homelessness in the first place. And weâre making real progress. Last year from this podium, I told you about two ambitious goals for 2021 to address Veteran homelessness in LAâwhere there are more homeless Vets than anywhere else in the United States.
The first goal was getting all of the roughly 40 homeless Veterans living on Veterans Rowâa homeless encampment out in LAâinto housing. The second goal was getting 500 Veterans in LA into housing by the end of the year. We not only accomplished those goals, we exceeded themâand used that to demonstrate that if we can tackle this problem in LA, we can tackle it anywhere.
So, we set another ambitious for this year. We will place 38,000 homeless Vets into permanent housing by the end of 2022. At the end of September, weâd already housed nearly 31,000 Vetsâover 81% of our goalâputting us on track to house even more Veterans than we anticipated.
And weâre not letting up. Weâre driving hard on homelessness prevention by increasing housing supply, making existing housing more affordable, and getting every Veteran the wraparound services they need to prevent homelessness in the first instance.
And last Thursday, we released the 2022 PIT Count results. It shows that the number of Vets experiencing homelessnessâon a single night last Januaryâwas 33,136, a decrease of 11% over January 2020, which was the last year a full PIT Count was conducted. Thatâs the biggest improvement in more than five years.
So, weâre not just taking our best shot at fighting Veteran homelessness. With the help of partners like HUD, USICH, VSOs, local communities, and front-line staff in VAâs Homeless Programs Office we are going to end Veteran homeless. Because no Veteran should be homeless in this country they swore to defend. Not now, not ever.
Third, weâre fighting like hell to prevent Veteran suicide. You saw VAâs recent report on Veteran suicides in 2020âthe most current data we have. A couple big things stand out from that report. First, more than 6,000 Veterans died by suicide that year. Thatâs devastating, unacceptable, and itâs why this work is so critical.
But that report also reminds us that suicide prevention is possible. There is hope. There were 343 fewer Veteran suicides in 2020 than in 2019âthe second year in a row weâve seen a decrease. Thatâs 343 Vets alive today, getting a second chance at life. Nothing matters more than that.
So, weâre building on that momentum. Weâre providing first-of-their-kind grants to suicide prevention organizations in communities, on the ground, across the country. Weâre ramping up our lethal means safety efforts to prevent warning signs from turning into tragedies. Weâre continuing to offer tele-mental health sessions to Vets who want them. Weâre making sure they get their mental health care exactly when they need itâand not a second later. And we rolled out 9-8-8, the new national suicide prevention lifeline thatâs connecting Vets quickly and directly to the Veterans Crisis Line by just dialing 9-8-8, then pressing 1. Because preventing Veteran suicide is our top clinical priority, and we will stop at nothingânothingâto ensure that Vets not only survive, but thrive.
Fourth, weâre continuing to fight like hell to make sure all Vets feel welcome and safe at every VA. Not some Veterans. All Veterans. Weâre doing that by helping non-citizen Veterans stay in the United States, where they belong, and making sure that eligible, deported Vets have access to VA benefits.
Weâre delivering care and benefits to those with Other-Than-Honorable discharges. Weâre eliminating any racial disparities that exist at VA, and setting up processes to prevent them in the future. Weâre making sure LGBTQ+ Vets are supportedâand well-servedâacross VA. Last month, for example, we closed a gap in benefits for surviving spouses of LGBTQ+ Vetsârighting a wrong thatâs a legacy of the discriminatory federal ban on same-sex marriages.
And weâre getting women Vetsâour fastest growing cohort of Vetsâthe care theyâve earned and deserve. A few weeks ago, I visited the Military Womenâs Memorial for their 25th Anniversary. Etched in the glass panes in the ceiling are powerful words of courageous women Vetsâwords the sun illuminates when the light hits that glass just right. None of those words are more illuminating than those of World War II Veteran Lieutenant Anne Brehm, words that always bear repeating. âLet the generations know,â she said, âthat women in uniform also guaranteed their freedom ⦠that our resolve was as great as the brave men who stood among us.â
My late colleague and friend, and a great friend of Americaâs Veterans, Secretary Ash Carter, was committed to that principle. It was Secretary Carter who opened all military roles to women. Heâd be proud that women Vets have been our fastest growing cohort, and weâre proud to serve them. But we havenât always done as well by women Vets as we should have. So, weâre fighting like hell to serve them as well as theyâve served us.
Weâve done that by taking important steps to make our health care facilities and programs safe, respectful, and welcoming to women Vets; by providing Women Vet Coordinators in every regional office to help them access benefits and provide assistance specific to them; by having VBA dedicate one specially trained team to review each military sexual trauma claim, so we do not re-traumatize survivors who come forward to seek the benefits theyâve earned; and by listening to VA health care providers and Vets from across the country who sounded the alarm that abortion restrictions were creating a medical emergency for pregnant Vets. Thatâs why we made the patient safety decision to offer abortion counseling, andâin certain casesâabortion services to pregnant Veterans and eligible VA beneficiaries.
Because at VA we donât serve some Vets. We serve all Vets. For far too long, too many Vets who fought around the world to protect our rights and freedoms have had to fight brutal battles here at home for their own rights and freedoms. But at VA, those fights are over. In this administration, no Vet has to fight for the quality care and benefits that theyâve earnedâno matter who they are, where theyâre from, or who they love.
Last but in no way least, weâre fighting like hell to deliver for toxic-exposed Veterans. One of your own has led the country in that fightâVeteran and journalist Kelly Kennedy. About this time 14 years ago, Kelly started the thankless and rigorous task of holding people like me accountable when she published her first of dozens of articles on the casualties of burn pits.
Over the years, her work catalyzed the national conversation on burn pits, educated us on the effects of toxic exposure on the battlefield in stark terms we could no longer turn away from. She told painful stories of servicemembers deteriorating, dying, after exposure to poisons they breathed when deployed. She first introduced us to the enormous dangers of things we had never heard aboutâlike fine and superfine particulate matter, chemicals troops may have been ingesting that sound as horrific as they are: arsenic, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, benzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid.
Kelly told the human stories of Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and families who were suffering, so we as a nation would not, and could not, forget. Now, I imagine part of that was about being a good journalist, guided by the spirits of greats like Joe Galloway, Dickey Chapelle, and others. And I imagine a lot of it was about compassion, deep devotion to servicemembers and her fellow Vets.
And now, nearly a decade and a half later, as a result of her workâand, certainly, the hard work, heavy lifting, and persistent voices of many, many others in this roomâone of the biggest expansions of Veteran benefits in history was signed into law by President Biden, a law that will deliver care and benefits to millions of toxic exposed Veterans and their survivors.
With this new law, VA has recognized new presumptions of service connection for more than 20 health conditions related to toxic exposureâincluding exposures like Agent Orange, burn pits, and more. Weâll bring generations of new Vets into VA health care and increase the health care benefits of many moreâand that will result in better health outcomes, across the board. Weâll deliver benefits to more survivors of Vets who passed away from toxic exposure. And weâll invest in our workforce and our infrastructure to deliver those additional servicesâand modernize 31 more VA health care facilities.
This is a great thing. And I donât think it would have happenedâsurely not have happened nowâwithout Kellyâs dogged pursuit of the truth, with all our VSO partnersâ dogged pursuit of the truth. Thatâs what I mean when I say that you that you all make VA betterâtelling the stories that need to be told, and holding us accountable to Veterans and their survivors.
Like anything else of this importance and magnitude, implementing this law wonât be easy. So, weâre counting on you for your helpâto hold us accountable, yes, and especially, to communicate to Veterans, and their family members, what this law means for them.
This is what we want every Veteran to know about the new law on toxic exposure.
First, we want Veterans and survivors of Central Command from 1991 to 2021, 30 years of war, to apply for their toxic exposure benefits right now. So far, Veterans have filed nearly 137,000 claims under this law.
Second, and I want to be very clear here, because itâs important. We made all conditions outlined in this new law presumptive August 10, 2022âthe day the bill was signed into law, rather than phasing them in over years, as the law anticipated. VA will begin processing benefits claims filed under this new law on January 1st, the earliest date possible. And beginning tomorrow, weâre offering enrolled Veterans a new toxic exposure screeningâan important step toward making sure that all toxic exposed Vets get the care and benefits they deserveâeven if they donât know today that they were exposed.
Because Vets have waited too long. Weâre not going to make them wait any longer.
Third point. For Vets who file for a toxic-exposure-related condition before the one-year anniversary of the signing. That is, for those who file before August 9, 2023, their claim and benefit will be retroactive to the date of signing, August 10, 2022.
Fourth point. Iâm proud to announce for the first time today, on National Cancer Awareness Day, that weâre expediting benefits delivery for Veterans with cancer conditions covered by the law. This work is a part of President Bidenâs vision for the Cancer Moonshot, which will end cancer as we know it. And itâs a part of his broader efforts across the government to do so.
So, we will expedite Veterans claims if they have been diagnosed with melanoma, brain cancer, neck cancer, pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, glioblastoma, head cancer of any type, respiratory cancer of any type, reproductive cancer of any type, gastrointestinal cancer of any type, lymphoma of any type, and lymphomatic cancer of any type.
Fifth, any Veteran, family member, or survivor can learn more about this new law by visiting VA.gov/PACT, or by calling 1-800-MY-VA-411. 1-800-698-2411.
So, thatâs what every Vet needs to know about this law. And we need your help communicating it, so every Veteran gets the care they need, and the benefits they deserve. We wonât rest until they do.
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So, from access, to ending homelessness, to suicide prevention, to toxic exposure, thatâs where weâre going. Thatâs how weâre going to keep fighting like hell for Vets, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
Now, let me say a final word to the Vets. Your honorable service in uniform set the example for the rest of us in this great country. In so many ways, youâre the keepers of our national ethosâthat deep and abiding sense of purpose you learned in serving, your camaraderie, your sense of teamwork that made you stronger, together, in combat and, now, in your communities. Itâs so unique in the country.
Looking around, thatâs exactly what we need today. Camaraderie. Truth. Togetherness. True service. True patriotism. And itâs something that all of usâeach of usâcan learn from. Because we all are stronger when weâre togetherâwhen we are one.
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So, again, to all the Veterans here today and watching, thank youâfor everything. And, to the Press Club, my thanks for all that you do holding us accountable to Vets, their families, their caregivers and survivorsâtelling their stories in the powerful ways that you do.
God bless each of you, and God bless our nationâs servicemembers, our Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
On Monday, November 7, 2022, VA Secretary Denis McDonough spoke at the National Press Club Headliners Luncheon.
McDonough discussed the impact of the PACT Act, a bill signed in August by President Biden that expands medical benefits to veterans exposed to toxins from burn pits on military bases, and delivered an update on the state of Americaâs veterans and their families. (VA/Robert Turtil)
The following is his speech: Good afternoon. Jen [Judson, 115th Pres., NPC], thanks for that kind introduction, and for leading this truly great, and important, organization. Let me recognize the Press Clubâs American Legion Post and its commander, Tom Young, and all the Veterans Service Organizations represented here. You are critical to helping us serve Vets, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.
In just a little bit, as the sun starts setting over the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, theyâll begin the solemn tradition of reading 58,281 names etched in those slabs of polished black granite. Among them, approximately 1,500 still Missing in Action. So, in this 40th anniversary year of the Memorial Wall, Iâm honored to welcome home Vietnam Veteran Corporal Jan Scruggs, and all the Vietnam Vets. Corporal Scruggs, Welcome home. And on behalf of a grateful nation, thank you.
Thank you for your courageous service, for opening hearts to Vietnam Vetsâ heroic service, and for so well-honoring your brothers- and sisters-in-arms who died for this country, and for each other. Corporal Scruggs, and all Vets here today, would you stand, if youâre able, and be recognized?
Words can never express the depth of our gratitude to you, our Vetsâyour courage, selflessness, service, and the sacrifices made by you and your families. But, there is virtue in trying, in reminding everyone how these courageous men and women put their lives on the line, for all of us; how much they gave, often their last full measure of devotion; how much each is willing to give so the highest of ideals of our nation might endure for all Americans. Veteransâ valor is a constant reminder of true loyalty, true courage, true patriotism.
Finally, to all you courageous journalists here today: many of you have gone to battlefields, to cities under siege, and risked great danger to tell servicemembersâ and Veteransâ stories. And in so doing, you help us serve Veterans better than we ever could do alone. Thank you for holding all of us accountable, to all of the Vets.
â¦
Itâs a privilege to be here as we prepare for Veterans Day. As we all know, Veterans Day is a day to honor Vets, to remember what theyâve done for our nation, and to recognize that when those Vets serve and sacrifice, so do their families, caregivers, and survivors.
But Veterans Day is something more. Itâs a call to action for all Americans to fulfill our sacred duty, as Americans, and serve Veterans as well as theyâve served us. Not just on Veterans Day, but every day. So, I want to talk about what weâve done at VA over the past year to serve Vets, and what we will do this next year to deliver for them.
With the Presidentâs leadership, Congressâs support, the work of VSOs, and many others, weâre stepping up for Vets. Since President Biden took office, weâve delivered more care and more benefits to more Veterans than at any other time in our nationâs history.
When it comes to benefits Vets have earned and deserve, weâre processing their claims faster than ever before. In fact, VA processed 1.7 million Veteran claims in Fiscal Year 22âshattering the previous yearâs record by 12%. And weâve gotten the claims backlog down to the lowest in yearsâdown to nearly 144,000 claims as of this month.
When it comes to honoring Vets with lasting resting places they deserve, weâre now providing almost 94% of Vets with access to burial sites within 75 miles of their homes. Thatâs possible by building and maintaining our 155 VA national cemeteries, and by funding construction, maintenance, and expansion of 121 state, territorial, and tribal Veteran cemeteries. And weâve expanded our online Veterans Legacy Memorial program to about 4.5 million Veterans, keeping Veteransâ stories alive long after theyâre gone.
When it comes to providing world-class healthcare to Veterans, study after study shows weâre delivering better health care for Veterans than the private sector, which is why 90% of Vets who come to VA for outpatient care trust that care to be, easy, effective, and based in respect for that Veteran.
And when it comes to advocating for Veterans, President Bidenâs leading the way. Heâs challenged all of us to make Vets a core part of a Unity Agenda that rises above partisanship and politics. And heâs hell-bent on fighting for Vets with the same kind of indomitable will and sheer determination they bring to the battlefields we send them to. When it comes to our Veterans and their families, heâs unyielding.
All of that work adds up to the one statistic that will always matter mostâVeterans lives saved, Veterans lives improved. Thereâs nothing more important than that.
Now, weâve made this progress by challenging ourselves every day with three questions.
First, âAre we putting Veterans at the center of everything we do?â That means making sure we meet Vets where they are, so they can access all we have to offer. It means making VA easy for Vets to use, with tools like new VA mobile apps that give Vets access to their benefits, right on their phones. It means making sure weâre delivering for Vets on time, every time, through initiatives like claims automationâcutting claims processing time for certain conditions from several months, to several days.
And as we approach the one year anniversary of the untimely death of Major Ian Fishback, let me underscore the vital importance of this questionâputting Vets at the center of all we do. Every door at VA has to be a front door, with multiple touch points for all of our services. And that means wherever a Veteran is treatedâat the local, state, or federal levelâthat care has to be integrated, it has to be coordinated, especially when it comes to mental health care. Vets and their families should expect that, demand it. And going forward, with the new tools we have in place in VISN 10, they will have that.
The second question, âAre we improving outcomes for Veterans with everything we do?â That means timely access to world-class health care, earned benefits, and the lasting resting places Vets deserve. No matter what. Because, ultimately, Vets will judge, not us, our success.
And the third goes back to something President Biden charged VA with the day I was sworn inââFight like hell for Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.â Thatâs our North Starâare we fighting like hell for Vets. Thatâs what we seek to do, every day.
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Let me give you a few examples.
First, weâre fighting like hell to maximize access to world-class care for Vets across America. Weâll stop at nothing to make sure Veterans have the best possible experience, wherever they access VA careâat home, in the community, or at VA. For those Vets getting care at home, weâre meeting them where they are, doubling down on tele-appeals, tele-health, and tele-oncology. VA clinicians have seen more than 9,000 Vets through tele-oncology, and we are expanding this life saving tool to include clinical trialsâmeaning that rural Vets are now getting opportunities previously unavailable to them because of their remote locations.
Weâre also supporting our caregivers by expanding the program of comprehensive assistance in October to cover all generations of Veterans, and by changing our policies so even more Vets get that support they need. For Vets getting care in their community, weâre working to make their experiences as timely and seamless as possibleâso they get the care they need, wherever they live, and when they need it. And for those getting care directly from VA, weâre going to modernize our facilitiesâbecause Vets in the 21st century shouldnât be forced to get care in buildings built in the early 20th century. We need a VA health care system with the right facilities, in the right places, to provide the right care for Veterans in every part of the country.
So, the bottom line with access is the same as ever. Vets who get their care at VA do better. Our VA clinicians know Veteransâin many cases those clinicians are Veteransâand thereâs nobody better at caring for Vets than them. Thatâs one reason why Vets who come to VA emergency rooms by ambulance are 20% more likely to survive in the following 30 days than those who were transported to private hospitals.
So, if anybodyâs asking where Vets should get their care, please, send Vets to us. Weâre going to get them the world-class care theyâve earned.
Next, weâre fighting like hell to end Veteran homelessness, a phrase that shouldnât exist in America. Our focus is on two simple goals: getting Veterans into homes, and preventing them from falling into homelessness in the first place. And weâre making real progress. Last year from this podium, I told you about two ambitious goals for 2021 to address Veteran homelessness in LAâwhere there are more homeless Vets than anywhere else in the United States.
The first goal was getting all of the roughly 40 homeless Veterans living on Veterans Rowâa homeless encampment out in LAâinto housing. The second goal was getting 500 Veterans in LA into housing by the end of the year. We not only accomplished those goals, we exceeded themâand used that to demonstrate that if we can tackle this problem in LA, we can tackle it anywhere.
So, we set another ambitious for this year. We will place 38,000 homeless Vets into permanent housing by the end of 2022. At the end of September, weâd already housed nearly 31,000 Vetsâover 81% of our goalâputting us on track to house even more Veterans than we anticipated.
And weâre not letting up. Weâre driving hard on homelessness prevention by increasing housing supply, making existing housing more affordable, and getting every Veteran the wraparound services they need to prevent homelessness in the first instance.
And last Thursday, we released the 2022 PIT Count results. It shows that the number of Vets experiencing homelessnessâon a single night last Januaryâwas 33,136, a decrease of 11% over January 2020, which was the last year a full PIT Count was conducted. Thatâs the biggest improvement in more than five years.
So, weâre not just taking our best shot at fighting Veteran homelessness. With the help of partners like HUD, USICH, VSOs, local communities, and front-line staff in VAâs Homeless Programs Office we are going to end Veteran homeless. Because no Veteran should be homeless in this country they swore to defend. Not now, not ever.
Third, weâre fighting like hell to prevent Veteran suicide. You saw VAâs recent report on Veteran suicides in 2020âthe most current data we have. A couple big things stand out from that report. First, more than 6,000 Veterans died by suicide that year. Thatâs devastating, unacceptable, and itâs why this work is so critical.
But that report also reminds us that suicide prevention is possible. There is hope. There were 343 fewer Veteran suicides in 2020 than in 2019âthe second year in a row weâve seen a decrease. Thatâs 343 Vets alive today, getting a second chance at life. Nothing matters more than that.
So, weâre building on that momentum. Weâre providing first-of-their-kind grants to suicide prevention organizations in communities, on the ground, across the country. Weâre ramping up our lethal means safety efforts to prevent warning signs from turning into tragedies. Weâre continuing to offer tele-mental health sessions to Vets who want them. Weâre making sure they get their mental health care exactly when they need itâand not a second later. And we rolled out 9-8-8, the new national suicide prevention lifeline thatâs connecting Vets quickly and directly to the Veterans Crisis Line by just dialing 9-8-8, then pressing 1. Because preventing Veteran suicide is our top clinical priority, and we will stop at nothingânothingâto ensure that Vets not only survive, but thrive.
Fourth, weâre continuing to fight like hell to make sure all Vets feel welcome and safe at every VA. Not some Veterans. All Veterans. Weâre doing that by helping non-citizen Veterans stay in the United States, where they belong, and making sure that eligible, deported Vets have access to VA benefits.
Weâre delivering care and benefits to those with Other-Than-Honorable discharges. Weâre eliminating any racial disparities that exist at VA, and setting up processes to prevent them in the future. Weâre making sure LGBTQ+ Vets are supportedâand well-servedâacross VA. Last month, for example, we closed a gap in benefits for surviving spouses of LGBTQ+ Vetsârighting a wrong thatâs a legacy of the discriminatory federal ban on same-sex marriages.
And weâre getting women Vetsâour fastest growing cohort of Vetsâthe care theyâve earned and deserve. A few weeks ago, I visited the Military Womenâs Memorial for their 25th Anniversary. Etched in the glass panes in the ceiling are powerful words of courageous women Vetsâwords the sun illuminates when the light hits that glass just right. None of those words are more illuminating than those of World War II Veteran Lieutenant Anne Brehm, words that always bear repeating. âLet the generations know,â she said, âthat women in uniform also guaranteed their freedom ⦠that our resolve was as great as the brave men who stood among us.â
My late colleague and friend, and a great friend of Americaâs Veterans, Secretary Ash Carter, was committed to that principle. It was Secretary Carter who opened all military roles to women. Heâd be proud that women Vets have been our fastest growing cohort, and weâre proud to serve them. But we havenât always done as well by women Vets as we should have. So, weâre fighting like hell to serve them as well as theyâve served us.
Weâve done that by taking important steps to make our health care facilities and programs safe, respectful, and welcoming to women Vets; by providing Women Vet Coordinators in every regional office to help them access benefits and provide assistance specific to them; by having VBA dedicate one specially trained team to review each military sexual trauma claim, so we do not re-traumatize survivors who come forward to seek the benefits theyâve earned; and by listening to VA health care providers and Vets from across the country who sounded the alarm that abortion restrictions were creating a medical emergency for pregnant Vets. Thatâs why we made the patient safety decision to offer abortion counseling, andâin certain casesâabortion services to pregnant Veterans and eligible VA beneficiaries.
Because at VA we donât serve some Vets. We serve all Vets. For far too long, too many Vets who fought around the world to protect our rights and freedoms have had to fight brutal battles here at home for their own rights and freedoms. But at VA, those fights are over. In this administration, no Vet has to fight for the quality care and benefits that theyâve earnedâno matter who they are, where theyâre from, or who they love.
Last but in no way least, weâre fighting like hell to deliver for toxic-exposed Veterans. One of your own has led the country in that fightâVeteran and journalist Kelly Kennedy. About this time 14 years ago, Kelly started the thankless and rigorous task of holding people like me accountable when she published her first of dozens of articles on the casualties of burn pits.
Over the years, her work catalyzed the national conversation on burn pits, educated us on the effects of toxic exposure on the battlefield in stark terms we could no longer turn away from. She told painful stories of servicemembers deteriorating, dying, after exposure to poisons they breathed when deployed. She first introduced us to the enormous dangers of things we had never heard aboutâlike fine and superfine particulate matter, chemicals troops may have been ingesting that sound as horrific as they are: arsenic, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, benzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid.
Kelly told the human stories of Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and families who were suffering, so we as a nation would not, and could not, forget. Now, I imagine part of that was about being a good journalist, guided by the spirits of greats like Joe Galloway, Dickey Chapelle, and others. And I imagine a lot of it was about compassion, deep devotion to servicemembers and her fellow Vets.
And now, nearly a decade and a half later, as a result of her workâand, certainly, the hard work, heavy lifting, and persistent voices of many, many others in this roomâone of the biggest expansions of Veteran benefits in history was signed into law by President Biden, a law that will deliver care and benefits to millions of toxic exposed Veterans and their survivors.
With this new law, VA has recognized new presumptions of service connection for more than 20 health conditions related to toxic exposureâincluding exposures like Agent Orange, burn pits, and more. Weâll bring generations of new Vets into VA health care and increase the health care benefits of many moreâand that will result in better health outcomes, across the board. Weâll deliver benefits to more survivors of Vets who passed away from toxic exposure. And weâll invest in our workforce and our infrastructure to deliver those additional servicesâand modernize 31 more VA health care facilities.
This is a great thing. And I donât think it would have happenedâsurely not have happened nowâwithout Kellyâs dogged pursuit of the truth, with all our VSO partnersâ dogged pursuit of the truth. Thatâs what I mean when I say that you that you all make VA betterâtelling the stories that need to be told, and holding us accountable to Veterans and their survivors.
Like anything else of this importance and magnitude, implementing this law wonât be easy. So, weâre counting on you for your helpâto hold us accountable, yes, and especially, to communicate to Veterans, and their family members, what this law means for them.
This is what we want every Veteran to know about the new law on toxic exposure.
First, we want Veterans and survivors of Central Command from 1991 to 2021, 30 years of war, to apply for their toxic exposure benefits right now. So far, Veterans have filed nearly 137,000 claims under this law.
Second, and I want to be very clear here, because itâs important. We made all conditions outlined in this new law presumptive August 10, 2022âthe day the bill was signed into law, rather than phasing them in over years, as the law anticipated. VA will begin processing benefits claims filed under this new law on January 1st, the earliest date possible. And beginning tomorrow, weâre offering enrolled Veterans a new toxic exposure screeningâan important step toward making sure that all toxic exposed Vets get the care and benefits they deserveâeven if they donât know today that they were exposed.
Because Vets have waited too long. Weâre not going to make them wait any longer.
Third point. For Vets who file for a toxic-exposure-related condition before the one-year anniversary of the signing. That is, for those who file before August 9, 2023, their claim and benefit will be retroactive to the date of signing, August 10, 2022.
Fourth point. Iâm proud to announce for the first time today, on National Cancer Awareness Day, that weâre expediting benefits delivery for Veterans with cancer conditions covered by the law. This work is a part of President Bidenâs vision for the Cancer Moonshot, which will end cancer as we know it. And itâs a part of his broader efforts across the government to do so.
So, we will expedite Veterans claims if they have been diagnosed with melanoma, brain cancer, neck cancer, pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, glioblastoma, head cancer of any type, respiratory cancer of any type, reproductive cancer of any type, gastrointestinal cancer of any type, lymphoma of any type, and lymphomatic cancer of any type.
Fifth, any Veteran, family member, or survivor can learn more about this new law by visiting VA.gov/PACT, or by calling 1-800-MY-VA-411. 1-800-698-2411.
So, thatâs what every Vet needs to know about this law. And we need your help communicating it, so every Veteran gets the care they need, and the benefits they deserve. We wonât rest until they do.
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So, from access, to ending homelessness, to suicide prevention, to toxic exposure, thatâs where weâre going. Thatâs how weâre going to keep fighting like hell for Vets, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
Now, let me say a final word to the Vets. Your honorable service in uniform set the example for the rest of us in this great country. In so many ways, youâre the keepers of our national ethosâthat deep and abiding sense of purpose you learned in serving, your camaraderie, your sense of teamwork that made you stronger, together, in combat and, now, in your communities. Itâs so unique in the country.
Looking around, thatâs exactly what we need today. Camaraderie. Truth. Togetherness. True service. True patriotism. And itâs something that all of usâeach of usâcan learn from. Because we all are stronger when weâre togetherâwhen we are one.
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So, again, to all the Veterans here today and watching, thank youâfor everything. And, to the Press Club, my thanks for all that you do holding us accountable to Vets, their families, their caregivers and survivorsâtelling their stories in the powerful ways that you do.
God bless each of you, and God bless our nationâs servicemembers, our Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
On Monday, November 7, 2022, VA Secretary Denis McDonough spoke at the National Press Club Headliners Luncheon.
McDonough discussed the impact of the PACT Act, a bill signed in August by President Biden that expands medical benefits to veterans exposed to toxins from burn pits on military bases, and delivered an update on the state of Americaâs veterans and their families. (VA/Robert Turtil)
The following is his speech: Good afternoon. Jen [Judson, 115th Pres., NPC], thanks for that kind introduction, and for leading this truly great, and important, organization. Let me recognize the Press Clubâs American Legion Post and its commander, Tom Young, and all the Veterans Service Organizations represented here. You are critical to helping us serve Vets, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.
In just a little bit, as the sun starts setting over the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, theyâll begin the solemn tradition of reading 58,281 names etched in those slabs of polished black granite. Among them, approximately 1,500 still Missing in Action. So, in this 40th anniversary year of the Memorial Wall, Iâm honored to welcome home Vietnam Veteran Corporal Jan Scruggs, and all the Vietnam Vets. Corporal Scruggs, Welcome home. And on behalf of a grateful nation, thank you.
Thank you for your courageous service, for opening hearts to Vietnam Vetsâ heroic service, and for so well-honoring your brothers- and sisters-in-arms who died for this country, and for each other. Corporal Scruggs, and all Vets here today, would you stand, if youâre able, and be recognized?
Words can never express the depth of our gratitude to you, our Vetsâyour courage, selflessness, service, and the sacrifices made by you and your families. But, there is virtue in trying, in reminding everyone how these courageous men and women put their lives on the line, for all of us; how much they gave, often their last full measure of devotion; how much each is willing to give so the highest of ideals of our nation might endure for all Americans. Veteransâ valor is a constant reminder of true loyalty, true courage, true patriotism.
Finally, to all you courageous journalists here today: many of you have gone to battlefields, to cities under siege, and risked great danger to tell servicemembersâ and Veteransâ stories. And in so doing, you help us serve Veterans better than we ever could do alone. Thank you for holding all of us accountable, to all of the Vets.
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Itâs a privilege to be here as we prepare for Veterans Day. As we all know, Veterans Day is a day to honor Vets, to remember what theyâve done for our nation, and to recognize that when those Vets serve and sacrifice, so do their families, caregivers, and survivors.
But Veterans Day is something more. Itâs a call to action for all Americans to fulfill our sacred duty, as Americans, and serve Veterans as well as theyâve served us. Not just on Veterans Day, but every day. So, I want to talk about what weâve done at VA over the past year to serve Vets, and what we will do this next year to deliver for them.
With the Presidentâs leadership, Congressâs support, the work of VSOs, and many others, weâre stepping up for Vets. Since President Biden took office, weâve delivered more care and more benefits to more Veterans than at any other time in our nationâs history.
When it comes to benefits Vets have earned and deserve, weâre processing their claims faster than ever before. In fact, VA processed 1.7 million Veteran claims in Fiscal Year 22âshattering the previous yearâs record by 12%. And weâve gotten the claims backlog down to the lowest in yearsâdown to nearly 144,000 claims as of this month.
When it comes to honoring Vets with lasting resting places they deserve, weâre now providing almost 94% of Vets with access to burial sites within 75 miles of their homes. Thatâs possible by building and maintaining our 155 VA national cemeteries, and by funding construction, maintenance, and expansion of 121 state, territorial, and tribal Veteran cemeteries. And weâve expanded our online Veterans Legacy Memorial program to about 4.5 million Veterans, keeping Veteransâ stories alive long after theyâre gone.
When it comes to providing world-class healthcare to Veterans, study after study shows weâre delivering better health care for Veterans than the private sector, which is why 90% of Vets who come to VA for outpatient care trust that care to be, easy, effective, and based in respect for that Veteran.
And when it comes to advocating for Veterans, President Bidenâs leading the way. Heâs challenged all of us to make Vets a core part of a Unity Agenda that rises above partisanship and politics. And heâs hell-bent on fighting for Vets with the same kind of indomitable will and sheer determination they bring to the battlefields we send them to. When it comes to our Veterans and their families, heâs unyielding.
All of that work adds up to the one statistic that will always matter mostâVeterans lives saved, Veterans lives improved. Thereâs nothing more important than that.
Now, weâve made this progress by challenging ourselves every day with three questions.
First, âAre we putting Veterans at the center of everything we do?â That means making sure we meet Vets where they are, so they can access all we have to offer. It means making VA easy for Vets to use, with tools like new VA mobile apps that give Vets access to their benefits, right on their phones. It means making sure weâre delivering for Vets on time, every time, through initiatives like claims automationâcutting claims processing time for certain conditions from several months, to several days.
And as we approach the one year anniversary of the untimely death of Major Ian Fishback, let me underscore the vital importance of this questionâputting Vets at the center of all we do. Every door at VA has to be a front door, with multiple touch points for all of our services. And that means wherever a Veteran is treatedâat the local, state, or federal levelâthat care has to be integrated, it has to be coordinated, especially when it comes to mental health care. Vets and their families should expect that, demand it. And going forward, with the new tools we have in place in VISN 10, they will have that.
The second question, âAre we improving outcomes for Veterans with everything we do?â That means timely access to world-class health care, earned benefits, and the lasting resting places Vets deserve. No matter what. Because, ultimately, Vets will judge, not us, our success.
And the third goes back to something President Biden charged VA with the day I was sworn inââFight like hell for Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.â Thatâs our North Starâare we fighting like hell for Vets. Thatâs what we seek to do, every day.
â¦
Let me give you a few examples.
First, weâre fighting like hell to maximize access to world-class care for Vets across America. Weâll stop at nothing to make sure Veterans have the best possible experience, wherever they access VA careâat home, in the community, or at VA. For those Vets getting care at home, weâre meeting them where they are, doubling down on tele-appeals, tele-health, and tele-oncology. VA clinicians have seen more than 9,000 Vets through tele-oncology, and we are expanding this life saving tool to include clinical trialsâmeaning that rural Vets are now getting opportunities previously unavailable to them because of their remote locations.
Weâre also supporting our caregivers by expanding the program of comprehensive assistance in October to cover all generations of Veterans, and by changing our policies so even more Vets get that support they need. For Vets getting care in their community, weâre working to make their experiences as timely and seamless as possibleâso they get the care they need, wherever they live, and when they need it. And for those getting care directly from VA, weâre going to modernize our facilitiesâbecause Vets in the 21st century shouldnât be forced to get care in buildings built in the early 20th century. We need a VA health care system with the right facilities, in the right places, to provide the right care for Veterans in every part of the country.
So, the bottom line with access is the same as ever. Vets who get their care at VA do better. Our VA clinicians know Veteransâin many cases those clinicians are Veteransâand thereâs nobody better at caring for Vets than them. Thatâs one reason why Vets who come to VA emergency rooms by ambulance are 20% more likely to survive in the following 30 days than those who were transported to private hospitals.
So, if anybodyâs asking where Vets should get their care, please, send Vets to us. Weâre going to get them the world-class care theyâve earned.
Next, weâre fighting like hell to end Veteran homelessness, a phrase that shouldnât exist in America. Our focus is on two simple goals: getting Veterans into homes, and preventing them from falling into homelessness in the first place. And weâre making real progress. Last year from this podium, I told you about two ambitious goals for 2021 to address Veteran homelessness in LAâwhere there are more homeless Vets than anywhere else in the United States.
The first goal was getting all of the roughly 40 homeless Veterans living on Veterans Rowâa homeless encampment out in LAâinto housing. The second goal was getting 500 Veterans in LA into housing by the end of the year. We not only accomplished those goals, we exceeded themâand used that to demonstrate that if we can tackle this problem in LA, we can tackle it anywhere.
So, we set another ambitious for this year. We will place 38,000 homeless Vets into permanent housing by the end of 2022. At the end of September, weâd already housed nearly 31,000 Vetsâover 81% of our goalâputting us on track to house even more Veterans than we anticipated.
And weâre not letting up. Weâre driving hard on homelessness prevention by increasing housing supply, making existing housing more affordable, and getting every Veteran the wraparound services they need to prevent homelessness in the first instance.
And last Thursday, we released the 2022 PIT Count results. It shows that the number of Vets experiencing homelessnessâon a single night last Januaryâwas 33,136, a decrease of 11% over January 2020, which was the last year a full PIT Count was conducted. Thatâs the biggest improvement in more than five years.
So, weâre not just taking our best shot at fighting Veteran homelessness. With the help of partners like HUD, USICH, VSOs, local communities, and front-line staff in VAâs Homeless Programs Office we are going to end Veteran homeless. Because no Veteran should be homeless in this country they swore to defend. Not now, not ever.
Third, weâre fighting like hell to prevent Veteran suicide. You saw VAâs recent report on Veteran suicides in 2020âthe most current data we have. A couple big things stand out from that report. First, more than 6,000 Veterans died by suicide that year. Thatâs devastating, unacceptable, and itâs why this work is so critical.
But that report also reminds us that suicide prevention is possible. There is hope. There were 343 fewer Veteran suicides in 2020 than in 2019âthe second year in a row weâve seen a decrease. Thatâs 343 Vets alive today, getting a second chance at life. Nothing matters more than that.
So, weâre building on that momentum. Weâre providing first-of-their-kind grants to suicide prevention organizations in communities, on the ground, across the country. Weâre ramping up our lethal means safety efforts to prevent warning signs from turning into tragedies. Weâre continuing to offer tele-mental health sessions to Vets who want them. Weâre making sure they get their mental health care exactly when they need itâand not a second later. And we rolled out 9-8-8, the new national suicide prevention lifeline thatâs connecting Vets quickly and directly to the Veterans Crisis Line by just dialing 9-8-8, then pressing 1. Because preventing Veteran suicide is our top clinical priority, and we will stop at nothingânothingâto ensure that Vets not only survive, but thrive.
Fourth, weâre continuing to fight like hell to make sure all Vets feel welcome and safe at every VA. Not some Veterans. All Veterans. Weâre doing that by helping non-citizen Veterans stay in the United States, where they belong, and making sure that eligible, deported Vets have access to VA benefits.
Weâre delivering care and benefits to those with Other-Than-Honorable discharges. Weâre eliminating any racial disparities that exist at VA, and setting up processes to prevent them in the future. Weâre making sure LGBTQ+ Vets are supportedâand well-servedâacross VA. Last month, for example, we closed a gap in benefits for surviving spouses of LGBTQ+ Vetsârighting a wrong thatâs a legacy of the discriminatory federal ban on same-sex marriages.
And weâre getting women Vetsâour fastest growing cohort of Vetsâthe care theyâve earned and deserve. A few weeks ago, I visited the Military Womenâs Memorial for their 25th Anniversary. Etched in the glass panes in the ceiling are powerful words of courageous women Vetsâwords the sun illuminates when the light hits that glass just right. None of those words are more illuminating than those of World War II Veteran Lieutenant Anne Brehm, words that always bear repeating. âLet the generations know,â she said, âthat women in uniform also guaranteed their freedom ⦠that our resolve was as great as the brave men who stood among us.â
My late colleague and friend, and a great friend of Americaâs Veterans, Secretary Ash Carter, was committed to that principle. It was Secretary Carter who opened all military roles to women. Heâd be proud that women Vets have been our fastest growing cohort, and weâre proud to serve them. But we havenât always done as well by women Vets as we should have. So, weâre fighting like hell to serve them as well as theyâve served us.
Weâve done that by taking important steps to make our health care facilities and programs safe, respectful, and welcoming to women Vets; by providing Women Vet Coordinators in every regional office to help them access benefits and provide assistance specific to them; by having VBA dedicate one specially trained team to review each military sexual trauma claim, so we do not re-traumatize survivors who come forward to seek the benefits theyâve earned; and by listening to VA health care providers and Vets from across the country who sounded the alarm that abortion restrictions were creating a medical emergency for pregnant Vets. Thatâs why we made the patient safety decision to offer abortion counseling, andâin certain casesâabortion services to pregnant Veterans and eligible VA beneficiaries.
Because at VA we donât serve some Vets. We serve all Vets. For far too long, too many Vets who fought around the world to protect our rights and freedoms have had to fight brutal battles here at home for their own rights and freedoms. But at VA, those fights are over. In this administration, no Vet has to fight for the quality care and benefits that theyâve earnedâno matter who they are, where theyâre from, or who they love.
Last but in no way least, weâre fighting like hell to deliver for toxic-exposed Veterans. One of your own has led the country in that fightâVeteran and journalist Kelly Kennedy. About this time 14 years ago, Kelly started the thankless and rigorous task of holding people like me accountable when she published her first of dozens of articles on the casualties of burn pits.
Over the years, her work catalyzed the national conversation on burn pits, educated us on the effects of toxic exposure on the battlefield in stark terms we could no longer turn away from. She told painful stories of servicemembers deteriorating, dying, after exposure to poisons they breathed when deployed. She first introduced us to the enormous dangers of things we had never heard aboutâlike fine and superfine particulate matter, chemicals troops may have been ingesting that sound as horrific as they are: arsenic, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, benzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid.
Kelly told the human stories of Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and families who were suffering, so we as a nation would not, and could not, forget. Now, I imagine part of that was about being a good journalist, guided by the spirits of greats like Joe Galloway, Dickey Chapelle, and others. And I imagine a lot of it was about compassion, deep devotion to servicemembers and her fellow Vets.
And now, nearly a decade and a half later, as a result of her workâand, certainly, the hard work, heavy lifting, and persistent voices of many, many others in this roomâone of the biggest expansions of Veteran benefits in history was signed into law by President Biden, a law that will deliver care and benefits to millions of toxic exposed Veterans and their survivors.
With this new law, VA has recognized new presumptions of service connection for more than 20 health conditions related to toxic exposureâincluding exposures like Agent Orange, burn pits, and more. Weâll bring generations of new Vets into VA health care and increase the health care benefits of many moreâand that will result in better health outcomes, across the board. Weâll deliver benefits to more survivors of Vets who passed away from toxic exposure. And weâll invest in our workforce and our infrastructure to deliver those additional servicesâand modernize 31 more VA health care facilities.
This is a great thing. And I donât think it would have happenedâsurely not have happened nowâwithout Kellyâs dogged pursuit of the truth, with all our VSO partnersâ dogged pursuit of the truth. Thatâs what I mean when I say that you that you all make VA betterâtelling the stories that need to be told, and holding us accountable to Veterans and their survivors.
Like anything else of this importance and magnitude, implementing this law wonât be easy. So, weâre counting on you for your helpâto hold us accountable, yes, and especially, to communicate to Veterans, and their family members, what this law means for them.
This is what we want every Veteran to know about the new law on toxic exposure.
First, we want Veterans and survivors of Central Command from 1991 to 2021, 30 years of war, to apply for their toxic exposure benefits right now. So far, Veterans have filed nearly 137,000 claims under this law.
Second, and I want to be very clear here, because itâs important. We made all conditions outlined in this new law presumptive August 10, 2022âthe day the bill was signed into law, rather than phasing them in over years, as the law anticipated. VA will begin processing benefits claims filed under this new law on January 1st, the earliest date possible. And beginning tomorrow, weâre offering enrolled Veterans a new toxic exposure screeningâan important step toward making sure that all toxic exposed Vets get the care and benefits they deserveâeven if they donât know today that they were exposed.
Because Vets have waited too long. Weâre not going to make them wait any longer.
Third point. For Vets who file for a toxic-exposure-related condition before the one-year anniversary of the signing. That is, for those who file before August 9, 2023, their claim and benefit will be retroactive to the date of signing, August 10, 2022.
Fourth point. Iâm proud to announce for the first time today, on National Cancer Awareness Day, that weâre expediting benefits delivery for Veterans with cancer conditions covered by the law. This work is a part of President Bidenâs vision for the Cancer Moonshot, which will end cancer as we know it. And itâs a part of his broader efforts across the government to do so.
So, we will expedite Veterans claims if they have been diagnosed with melanoma, brain cancer, neck cancer, pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, glioblastoma, head cancer of any type, respiratory cancer of any type, reproductive cancer of any type, gastrointestinal cancer of any type, lymphoma of any type, and lymphomatic cancer of any type.
Fifth, any Veteran, family member, or survivor can learn more about this new law by visiting VA.gov/PACT, or by calling 1-800-MY-VA-411. 1-800-698-2411.
So, thatâs what every Vet needs to know about this law. And we need your help communicating it, so every Veteran gets the care they need, and the benefits they deserve. We wonât rest until they do.
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So, from access, to ending homelessness, to suicide prevention, to toxic exposure, thatâs where weâre going. Thatâs how weâre going to keep fighting like hell for Vets, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
Now, let me say a final word to the Vets. Your honorable service in uniform set the example for the rest of us in this great country. In so many ways, youâre the keepers of our national ethosâthat deep and abiding sense of purpose you learned in serving, your camaraderie, your sense of teamwork that made you stronger, together, in combat and, now, in your communities. Itâs so unique in the country.
Looking around, thatâs exactly what we need today. Camaraderie. Truth. Togetherness. True service. True patriotism. And itâs something that all of usâeach of usâcan learn from. Because we all are stronger when weâre togetherâwhen we are one.
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So, again, to all the Veterans here today and watching, thank youâfor everything. And, to the Press Club, my thanks for all that you do holding us accountable to Vets, their families, their caregivers and survivorsâtelling their stories in the powerful ways that you do.
God bless each of you, and God bless our nationâs servicemembers, our Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
made with polyester satin and cotton bias binding. Full blogpost here sewamysew.com/2013/10/13/selfless-sewing-and-a-box-of-vie....
On Monday, November 7, 2022, VA Secretary Denis McDonough spoke at the National Press Club Headliners Luncheon.
McDonough discussed the impact of the PACT Act, a bill signed in August by President Biden that expands medical benefits to veterans exposed to toxins from burn pits on military bases, and delivered an update on the state of Americaâs veterans and their families. (VA/Robert Turtil)
The following is his speech: Good afternoon. Jen [Judson, 115th Pres., NPC], thanks for that kind introduction, and for leading this truly great, and important, organization. Let me recognize the Press Clubâs American Legion Post and its commander, Tom Young, and all the Veterans Service Organizations represented here. You are critical to helping us serve Vets, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.
In just a little bit, as the sun starts setting over the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, theyâll begin the solemn tradition of reading 58,281 names etched in those slabs of polished black granite. Among them, approximately 1,500 still Missing in Action. So, in this 40th anniversary year of the Memorial Wall, Iâm honored to welcome home Vietnam Veteran Corporal Jan Scruggs, and all the Vietnam Vets. Corporal Scruggs, Welcome home. And on behalf of a grateful nation, thank you.
Thank you for your courageous service, for opening hearts to Vietnam Vetsâ heroic service, and for so well-honoring your brothers- and sisters-in-arms who died for this country, and for each other. Corporal Scruggs, and all Vets here today, would you stand, if youâre able, and be recognized?
Words can never express the depth of our gratitude to you, our Vetsâyour courage, selflessness, service, and the sacrifices made by you and your families. But, there is virtue in trying, in reminding everyone how these courageous men and women put their lives on the line, for all of us; how much they gave, often their last full measure of devotion; how much each is willing to give so the highest of ideals of our nation might endure for all Americans. Veteransâ valor is a constant reminder of true loyalty, true courage, true patriotism.
Finally, to all you courageous journalists here today: many of you have gone to battlefields, to cities under siege, and risked great danger to tell servicemembersâ and Veteransâ stories. And in so doing, you help us serve Veterans better than we ever could do alone. Thank you for holding all of us accountable, to all of the Vets.
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Itâs a privilege to be here as we prepare for Veterans Day. As we all know, Veterans Day is a day to honor Vets, to remember what theyâve done for our nation, and to recognize that when those Vets serve and sacrifice, so do their families, caregivers, and survivors.
But Veterans Day is something more. Itâs a call to action for all Americans to fulfill our sacred duty, as Americans, and serve Veterans as well as theyâve served us. Not just on Veterans Day, but every day. So, I want to talk about what weâve done at VA over the past year to serve Vets, and what we will do this next year to deliver for them.
With the Presidentâs leadership, Congressâs support, the work of VSOs, and many others, weâre stepping up for Vets. Since President Biden took office, weâve delivered more care and more benefits to more Veterans than at any other time in our nationâs history.
When it comes to benefits Vets have earned and deserve, weâre processing their claims faster than ever before. In fact, VA processed 1.7 million Veteran claims in Fiscal Year 22âshattering the previous yearâs record by 12%. And weâve gotten the claims backlog down to the lowest in yearsâdown to nearly 144,000 claims as of this month.
When it comes to honoring Vets with lasting resting places they deserve, weâre now providing almost 94% of Vets with access to burial sites within 75 miles of their homes. Thatâs possible by building and maintaining our 155 VA national cemeteries, and by funding construction, maintenance, and expansion of 121 state, territorial, and tribal Veteran cemeteries. And weâve expanded our online Veterans Legacy Memorial program to about 4.5 million Veterans, keeping Veteransâ stories alive long after theyâre gone.
When it comes to providing world-class healthcare to Veterans, study after study shows weâre delivering better health care for Veterans than the private sector, which is why 90% of Vets who come to VA for outpatient care trust that care to be, easy, effective, and based in respect for that Veteran.
And when it comes to advocating for Veterans, President Bidenâs leading the way. Heâs challenged all of us to make Vets a core part of a Unity Agenda that rises above partisanship and politics. And heâs hell-bent on fighting for Vets with the same kind of indomitable will and sheer determination they bring to the battlefields we send them to. When it comes to our Veterans and their families, heâs unyielding.
All of that work adds up to the one statistic that will always matter mostâVeterans lives saved, Veterans lives improved. Thereâs nothing more important than that.
Now, weâve made this progress by challenging ourselves every day with three questions.
First, âAre we putting Veterans at the center of everything we do?â That means making sure we meet Vets where they are, so they can access all we have to offer. It means making VA easy for Vets to use, with tools like new VA mobile apps that give Vets access to their benefits, right on their phones. It means making sure weâre delivering for Vets on time, every time, through initiatives like claims automationâcutting claims processing time for certain conditions from several months, to several days.
And as we approach the one year anniversary of the untimely death of Major Ian Fishback, let me underscore the vital importance of this questionâputting Vets at the center of all we do. Every door at VA has to be a front door, with multiple touch points for all of our services. And that means wherever a Veteran is treatedâat the local, state, or federal levelâthat care has to be integrated, it has to be coordinated, especially when it comes to mental health care. Vets and their families should expect that, demand it. And going forward, with the new tools we have in place in VISN 10, they will have that.
The second question, âAre we improving outcomes for Veterans with everything we do?â That means timely access to world-class health care, earned benefits, and the lasting resting places Vets deserve. No matter what. Because, ultimately, Vets will judge, not us, our success.
And the third goes back to something President Biden charged VA with the day I was sworn inââFight like hell for Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.â Thatâs our North Starâare we fighting like hell for Vets. Thatâs what we seek to do, every day.
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Let me give you a few examples.
First, weâre fighting like hell to maximize access to world-class care for Vets across America. Weâll stop at nothing to make sure Veterans have the best possible experience, wherever they access VA careâat home, in the community, or at VA. For those Vets getting care at home, weâre meeting them where they are, doubling down on tele-appeals, tele-health, and tele-oncology. VA clinicians have seen more than 9,000 Vets through tele-oncology, and we are expanding this life saving tool to include clinical trialsâmeaning that rural Vets are now getting opportunities previously unavailable to them because of their remote locations.
Weâre also supporting our caregivers by expanding the program of comprehensive assistance in October to cover all generations of Veterans, and by changing our policies so even more Vets get that support they need. For Vets getting care in their community, weâre working to make their experiences as timely and seamless as possibleâso they get the care they need, wherever they live, and when they need it. And for those getting care directly from VA, weâre going to modernize our facilitiesâbecause Vets in the 21st century shouldnât be forced to get care in buildings built in the early 20th century. We need a VA health care system with the right facilities, in the right places, to provide the right care for Veterans in every part of the country.
So, the bottom line with access is the same as ever. Vets who get their care at VA do better. Our VA clinicians know Veteransâin many cases those clinicians are Veteransâand thereâs nobody better at caring for Vets than them. Thatâs one reason why Vets who come to VA emergency rooms by ambulance are 20% more likely to survive in the following 30 days than those who were transported to private hospitals.
So, if anybodyâs asking where Vets should get their care, please, send Vets to us. Weâre going to get them the world-class care theyâve earned.
Next, weâre fighting like hell to end Veteran homelessness, a phrase that shouldnât exist in America. Our focus is on two simple goals: getting Veterans into homes, and preventing them from falling into homelessness in the first place. And weâre making real progress. Last year from this podium, I told you about two ambitious goals for 2021 to address Veteran homelessness in LAâwhere there are more homeless Vets than anywhere else in the United States.
The first goal was getting all of the roughly 40 homeless Veterans living on Veterans Rowâa homeless encampment out in LAâinto housing. The second goal was getting 500 Veterans in LA into housing by the end of the year. We not only accomplished those goals, we exceeded themâand used that to demonstrate that if we can tackle this problem in LA, we can tackle it anywhere.
So, we set another ambitious for this year. We will place 38,000 homeless Vets into permanent housing by the end of 2022. At the end of September, weâd already housed nearly 31,000 Vetsâover 81% of our goalâputting us on track to house even more Veterans than we anticipated.
And weâre not letting up. Weâre driving hard on homelessness prevention by increasing housing supply, making existing housing more affordable, and getting every Veteran the wraparound services they need to prevent homelessness in the first instance.
And last Thursday, we released the 2022 PIT Count results. It shows that the number of Vets experiencing homelessnessâon a single night last Januaryâwas 33,136, a decrease of 11% over January 2020, which was the last year a full PIT Count was conducted. Thatâs the biggest improvement in more than five years.
So, weâre not just taking our best shot at fighting Veteran homelessness. With the help of partners like HUD, USICH, VSOs, local communities, and front-line staff in VAâs Homeless Programs Office we are going to end Veteran homeless. Because no Veteran should be homeless in this country they swore to defend. Not now, not ever.
Third, weâre fighting like hell to prevent Veteran suicide. You saw VAâs recent report on Veteran suicides in 2020âthe most current data we have. A couple big things stand out from that report. First, more than 6,000 Veterans died by suicide that year. Thatâs devastating, unacceptable, and itâs why this work is so critical.
But that report also reminds us that suicide prevention is possible. There is hope. There were 343 fewer Veteran suicides in 2020 than in 2019âthe second year in a row weâve seen a decrease. Thatâs 343 Vets alive today, getting a second chance at life. Nothing matters more than that.
So, weâre building on that momentum. Weâre providing first-of-their-kind grants to suicide prevention organizations in communities, on the ground, across the country. Weâre ramping up our lethal means safety efforts to prevent warning signs from turning into tragedies. Weâre continuing to offer tele-mental health sessions to Vets who want them. Weâre making sure they get their mental health care exactly when they need itâand not a second later. And we rolled out 9-8-8, the new national suicide prevention lifeline thatâs connecting Vets quickly and directly to the Veterans Crisis Line by just dialing 9-8-8, then pressing 1. Because preventing Veteran suicide is our top clinical priority, and we will stop at nothingânothingâto ensure that Vets not only survive, but thrive.
Fourth, weâre continuing to fight like hell to make sure all Vets feel welcome and safe at every VA. Not some Veterans. All Veterans. Weâre doing that by helping non-citizen Veterans stay in the United States, where they belong, and making sure that eligible, deported Vets have access to VA benefits.
Weâre delivering care and benefits to those with Other-Than-Honorable discharges. Weâre eliminating any racial disparities that exist at VA, and setting up processes to prevent them in the future. Weâre making sure LGBTQ+ Vets are supportedâand well-servedâacross VA. Last month, for example, we closed a gap in benefits for surviving spouses of LGBTQ+ Vetsârighting a wrong thatâs a legacy of the discriminatory federal ban on same-sex marriages.
And weâre getting women Vetsâour fastest growing cohort of Vetsâthe care theyâve earned and deserve. A few weeks ago, I visited the Military Womenâs Memorial for their 25th Anniversary. Etched in the glass panes in the ceiling are powerful words of courageous women Vetsâwords the sun illuminates when the light hits that glass just right. None of those words are more illuminating than those of World War II Veteran Lieutenant Anne Brehm, words that always bear repeating. âLet the generations know,â she said, âthat women in uniform also guaranteed their freedom ⦠that our resolve was as great as the brave men who stood among us.â
My late colleague and friend, and a great friend of Americaâs Veterans, Secretary Ash Carter, was committed to that principle. It was Secretary Carter who opened all military roles to women. Heâd be proud that women Vets have been our fastest growing cohort, and weâre proud to serve them. But we havenât always done as well by women Vets as we should have. So, weâre fighting like hell to serve them as well as theyâve served us.
Weâve done that by taking important steps to make our health care facilities and programs safe, respectful, and welcoming to women Vets; by providing Women Vet Coordinators in every regional office to help them access benefits and provide assistance specific to them; by having VBA dedicate one specially trained team to review each military sexual trauma claim, so we do not re-traumatize survivors who come forward to seek the benefits theyâve earned; and by listening to VA health care providers and Vets from across the country who sounded the alarm that abortion restrictions were creating a medical emergency for pregnant Vets. Thatâs why we made the patient safety decision to offer abortion counseling, andâin certain casesâabortion services to pregnant Veterans and eligible VA beneficiaries.
Because at VA we donât serve some Vets. We serve all Vets. For far too long, too many Vets who fought around the world to protect our rights and freedoms have had to fight brutal battles here at home for their own rights and freedoms. But at VA, those fights are over. In this administration, no Vet has to fight for the quality care and benefits that theyâve earnedâno matter who they are, where theyâre from, or who they love.
Last but in no way least, weâre fighting like hell to deliver for toxic-exposed Veterans. One of your own has led the country in that fightâVeteran and journalist Kelly Kennedy. About this time 14 years ago, Kelly started the thankless and rigorous task of holding people like me accountable when she published her first of dozens of articles on the casualties of burn pits.
Over the years, her work catalyzed the national conversation on burn pits, educated us on the effects of toxic exposure on the battlefield in stark terms we could no longer turn away from. She told painful stories of servicemembers deteriorating, dying, after exposure to poisons they breathed when deployed. She first introduced us to the enormous dangers of things we had never heard aboutâlike fine and superfine particulate matter, chemicals troops may have been ingesting that sound as horrific as they are: arsenic, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, benzene, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid.
Kelly told the human stories of Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and families who were suffering, so we as a nation would not, and could not, forget. Now, I imagine part of that was about being a good journalist, guided by the spirits of greats like Joe Galloway, Dickey Chapelle, and others. And I imagine a lot of it was about compassion, deep devotion to servicemembers and her fellow Vets.
And now, nearly a decade and a half later, as a result of her workâand, certainly, the hard work, heavy lifting, and persistent voices of many, many others in this roomâone of the biggest expansions of Veteran benefits in history was signed into law by President Biden, a law that will deliver care and benefits to millions of toxic exposed Veterans and their survivors.
With this new law, VA has recognized new presumptions of service connection for more than 20 health conditions related to toxic exposureâincluding exposures like Agent Orange, burn pits, and more. Weâll bring generations of new Vets into VA health care and increase the health care benefits of many moreâand that will result in better health outcomes, across the board. Weâll deliver benefits to more survivors of Vets who passed away from toxic exposure. And weâll invest in our workforce and our infrastructure to deliver those additional servicesâand modernize 31 more VA health care facilities.
This is a great thing. And I donât think it would have happenedâsurely not have happened nowâwithout Kellyâs dogged pursuit of the truth, with all our VSO partnersâ dogged pursuit of the truth. Thatâs what I mean when I say that you that you all make VA betterâtelling the stories that need to be told, and holding us accountable to Veterans and their survivors.
Like anything else of this importance and magnitude, implementing this law wonât be easy. So, weâre counting on you for your helpâto hold us accountable, yes, and especially, to communicate to Veterans, and their family members, what this law means for them.
This is what we want every Veteran to know about the new law on toxic exposure.
First, we want Veterans and survivors of Central Command from 1991 to 2021, 30 years of war, to apply for their toxic exposure benefits right now. So far, Veterans have filed nearly 137,000 claims under this law.
Second, and I want to be very clear here, because itâs important. We made all conditions outlined in this new law presumptive August 10, 2022âthe day the bill was signed into law, rather than phasing them in over years, as the law anticipated. VA will begin processing benefits claims filed under this new law on January 1st, the earliest date possible. And beginning tomorrow, weâre offering enrolled Veterans a new toxic exposure screeningâan important step toward making sure that all toxic exposed Vets get the care and benefits they deserveâeven if they donât know today that they were exposed.
Because Vets have waited too long. Weâre not going to make them wait any longer.
Third point. For Vets who file for a toxic-exposure-related condition before the one-year anniversary of the signing. That is, for those who file before August 9, 2023, their claim and benefit will be retroactive to the date of signing, August 10, 2022.
Fourth point. Iâm proud to announce for the first time today, on National Cancer Awareness Day, that weâre expediting benefits delivery for Veterans with cancer conditions covered by the law. This work is a part of President Bidenâs vision for the Cancer Moonshot, which will end cancer as we know it. And itâs a part of his broader efforts across the government to do so.
So, we will expedite Veterans claims if they have been diagnosed with melanoma, brain cancer, neck cancer, pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, glioblastoma, head cancer of any type, respiratory cancer of any type, reproductive cancer of any type, gastrointestinal cancer of any type, lymphoma of any type, and lymphomatic cancer of any type.
Fifth, any Veteran, family member, or survivor can learn more about this new law by visiting VA.gov/PACT, or by calling 1-800-MY-VA-411. 1-800-698-2411.
So, thatâs what every Vet needs to know about this law. And we need your help communicating it, so every Veteran gets the care they need, and the benefits they deserve. We wonât rest until they do.
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So, from access, to ending homelessness, to suicide prevention, to toxic exposure, thatâs where weâre going. Thatâs how weâre going to keep fighting like hell for Vets, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
Now, let me say a final word to the Vets. Your honorable service in uniform set the example for the rest of us in this great country. In so many ways, youâre the keepers of our national ethosâthat deep and abiding sense of purpose you learned in serving, your camaraderie, your sense of teamwork that made you stronger, together, in combat and, now, in your communities. Itâs so unique in the country.
Looking around, thatâs exactly what we need today. Camaraderie. Truth. Togetherness. True service. True patriotism. And itâs something that all of usâeach of usâcan learn from. Because we all are stronger when weâre togetherâwhen we are one.
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So, again, to all the Veterans here today and watching, thank youâfor everything. And, to the Press Club, my thanks for all that you do holding us accountable to Vets, their families, their caregivers and survivorsâtelling their stories in the powerful ways that you do.
God bless each of you, and God bless our nationâs servicemembers, our Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors.
With my friend Paul, I spend five days in Osaka, Japan. The trip provided much refreshment, and excitement, not to mention many challenges. It was my first visit to the country, and, I feel, it certainly won't be my last, as there are still many places left to see, and so many new things to learn.
We had several destinations highlighted on our itinerary, the foremost of which was Universal Studios. We spend an entire day there, going on rides and more often than not, queuing for them. The excruciating wait times were worth it, however, for such exhilarating fun, especially on the Hollywood Roller Coaster, my personal favorite. The next morning we followed up that successful endeavor with a trip to the Himeji Castle, a place which came highly recommended by my colleague, whose succinct description of the heritage site was, "awesome." Indeed, as a history buff, I enjoyed walking the storied grounds and climbing through the maze-like interior of the keep which was designed not so much to comfortably house the royal family as to confound the invading enemy. The castle is a must-visit. Other attractions of note include the Osaka Aquarium, and the Tennoji Zoo; both teemed with animals of every shape and size. We also at length ventured into several shopping districts inside of which were myriad stores, selling all sorts of fashion and gadgetry, countless restaurants and several gambling parlors - the Japanese, it seems, love their slot machines as much as the Hong Kong Chinese love their horse racing. Lest I forget, we frequented several video arcades to play the latest and greatest games; Paul played well, while I more often than not got 0wn3d. There is a lot to do in Japan.
Japanese culture, of which I've heard so much, really is distinct and separate from other Asian cultures. Their patterns of action and their peculiar artifacts certainly aren't the same as those which feature prominently in Hong Kong. For one thing, the MTR culture was more civilized and less stressful: people queued up for trains and let passengers alight first before permitting themselves to board; cellphones never rang and cabin cars were as quiet as bedrooms at midnight; and to imagine all of these people enforce their norms without public service announcements, without any coddling, conspicuous signs - that's amazing. What proved difficult was trying to find a garbage can. It was easier to find a vending machine, from which one could purchase a variety of drinks or cigarettes, than a bin in which to dispose of these delectable, perishable goods.
As for the general citizenry, they were most accommodating and hospitable, with several individuals going out of their way to help Paul and I find our way around the dense sprawl of the city. Language wasn't a concern despite our limited Japanese; amazingly enough, our comfort was their concern! I won't forget their selfless service, as one day, I hope, I'll be able to return the favor. That the girls were quite attractive and that I demonstrated a propensity to ask attractive girls for directions go without saying; however, I understand now that their sexiness and sophistication stem not from comely faces but coherent attire. Rather than adorn themselves like a typical Mong Kok girl in a ridiculous neon rainbow palette, with jeans or unseemly spandex underneath dresses, skirts or other tops better left to stand alone, Japanese girls opt for more somber, sensible colors - black and cream-colored - and what's more, they aren't afraid to whip out the tasteful pantyhose or to show some skin, even. We had plenty of time to ogle the ladies, and to their credit, freezing temperatures weren't enough to dissuade many of them from forsaking, icing their shorts, as we saw countless pairs being worn on the street. That's what I call fashion professionalism!
Overall, Japan is a marvelous little land full of the eccentric, as well as the endearing. It was a fascinating place to explore, and I'm thankful that it was done in the company of my friend , with whom candor was not at a premium. We both learned a lot and look forward to the next trip!
Yesterday, 23 July 2019, saw the funeral of PC Shazad Saddique, a Greater Manchester Police officer who sadly passed away whilst holidaying in Scotland.
Hundreds of people attended to pay tribute to the 38-year-old both at the Medina Mosque in Oldham and at Chadderton Cemetery.
PC Saddique’s cortège was accompanied by family, friends and colleagues as it made the final part of its journey from Chadderton Community Fire Station to the cemetery. It was led by horses from the force’s mounted unit and police motorcyclists.
PC Saddique joined GMP 12 months ago and was a student officer based on the Tameside District. He enjoyed serving his local community and formed close relationships with many of his colleagues, who have described him as an outstanding individual and role model.
Outside of work, Shazad enjoyed hiking and trekking, and was heavily involved in outreach work with youths in the local community, which focused on enabling youngsters to experience outdoor activities in the countryside.
Paying tribute to him, his family said: “Shaz was the most selfless person you could ever hope to meet; he always put other people first and wanted to make every new experience a fun one.
“He had a real passion for the outdoors and helping others, particularly young people in the community. Deep in his heart, he felt very strongly about youth outreach programs and getting young people out in the countryside to do fun activities.
“He was sincere in his devotion and worship. He was passionate about Thikr gatherings and was devoted to the teachings and guidance of his Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoobi. He loved nature for the very fact that it was a means for him to remember and praise his lord.
“His final trip to the Isle of Skye was sincerely to gather a group and collectively praise Allah, as a spiritual retreat.
“He achieved so much and we were always so proud of him. He completed marathons all over the world and did hiking challenges throughout the UK, all in the name of raising money for charity.
“He loved his family more than anything; he was a supporting figure and a role model for his siblings. He was the best dad, and his wife and kids were his absolute world.
“It has been clear for us to see how much he meant to so many people and how many hearts he touched. The outpouring of support for the family has been huge and for that we want to thank everyone.
“We will miss you dearly bhai Shazad, but you will never be forgotten.”
To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk
You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.
Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.
You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.
Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy: true fulfillment.
Tony Robbins
November 24, 2013 - CHEVERUS AWARD RECIPIENTS.
Congratulations to the 95 Cheverus Award recipients for 2013 who are receiving their recognition at this moment at Holy Cross Cathedral in a Mass with Cardinal Seán. The award recognizes years of selfless service, often unheralded and done with no recompense but the knowledge of having given all to the Lord. The recipients are:
Susan Abbott, St. Theresa of Avila, West Roxbury
Laura Albaladejo, St. Patick, Brockton
Josephine and Charles Anastasia, St. John Chrysostom, West Roxbury
Ruth Andrews, St. Katharine Drexel, Boston
Mother Teresa Benedicta, OCD, North Region
William Bibeau, St. John the Baptist, Haverhill
Madelyn Brown, The Catholic TV Network, Watertown (2012)
Judy Burton, St. Mary/St. Catherine of Siena, Charlestown
Jacquelyn Butterfield, St. Anne, Littleton
James Buxton, Holy Trinity, Lowell
John Carter, Sacred Heart, Waltham
Everett Casey, Sacred Heart, Middleborough
John Cheboryot and Mercy Anampiu, St. Michael, Lowell, Kenyan Apostolate
Antonio Jr. and Gracita Chiefe, St. Mary, Randolph, Filipino Apostolate
Deacon Charles Clough, West Region
William Corrigan, St. Anthony of Padua, Allston
Marileia Costa, St. Anthony of Padua, Everett, Brazilian Apostolate
Paul Daly, Sacred Heart, Quincy
Joan DeGuglielmo, St. Francis of Assisi, Cambridge
Sister Thomasita Delaney, RMS, Merrimack Region
Samuel E. DeMerit, St. Paul, Cambridge
Jose DePina, St. Peter, Dorchester
Barbara Devita, St. Thomas of Villanova, Wilmington
Linda Devoll, St. John the Evangelist, Canton
Rose DiMare, Immaculate Conception, Revere
Anne Doherty, St. Camillus, Arlington
M.J. Doherty, Archdiocese of Boston
Kevin Dolan, Sts. Martha and Mary, Lakeville
Thomas Dwyer, Esq., Archdiocese of Boston
Joanne Eagan, Sacred Heart, Lynn
Stephen Fair, St. Mary of the Assumption, Brookline
Walter Faria, St. Mary of the Nativity, Scituate
George and Linda Furtado, Immaculate Conception, Everett
Rosa Garcia, St. James, Haverhill
Deacon Alfred Geneus, St. John the Evangelist, Cambridge, Haitian Apostolate...
photos by George Martell - Pilot New Media, Archdiocese of Boston.
With my friend Paul, I spend five days in Osaka, Japan. The trip provided much refreshment, and excitement, not to mention many challenges. It was my first visit to the country, and, I feel, it certainly won't be my last, as there are still many places left to see, and so many new things to learn.
We had several destinations highlighted on our itinerary, the foremost of which was Universal Studios. We spend an entire day there, going on rides and more often than not, queuing for them. The excruciating wait times were worth it, however, for such exhilarating fun, especially on the Hollywood Roller Coaster, my personal favorite. The next morning we followed up that successful endeavor with a trip to the Himeji Castle, a place which came highly recommended by my colleague, whose succinct description of the heritage site was, "awesome." Indeed, as a history buff, I enjoyed walking the storied grounds and climbing through the maze-like interior of the keep which was designed not so much to comfortably house the royal family as to confound the invading enemy. The castle is a must-visit. Other attractions of note include the Osaka Aquarium, and the Tennoji Zoo; both teemed with animals of every shape and size. We also at length ventured into several shopping districts inside of which were myriad stores, selling all sorts of fashion and gadgetry, countless restaurants and several gambling parlors - the Japanese, it seems, love their slot machines as much as the Hong Kong Chinese love their horse racing. Lest I forget, we frequented several video arcades to play the latest and greatest games; Paul played well, while I more often than not got 0wn3d. There is a lot to do in Japan.
Japanese culture, of which I've heard so much, really is distinct and separate from other Asian cultures. Their patterns of action and their peculiar artifacts certainly aren't the same as those which feature prominently in Hong Kong. For one thing, the MTR culture was more civilized and less stressful: people queued up for trains and let passengers alight first before permitting themselves to board; cellphones never rang and cabin cars were as quiet as bedrooms at midnight; and to imagine all of these people enforce their norms without public service announcements, without any coddling, conspicuous signs - that's amazing. What proved difficult was trying to find a garbage can. It was easier to find a vending machine, from which one could purchase a variety of drinks or cigarettes, than a bin in which to dispose of these delectable, perishable goods.
As for the general citizenry, they were most accommodating and hospitable, with several individuals going out of their way to help Paul and I find our way around the dense sprawl of the city. Language wasn't a concern despite our limited Japanese; amazingly enough, our comfort was their concern! I won't forget their selfless service, as one day, I hope, I'll be able to return the favor. That the girls were quite attractive and that I demonstrated a propensity to ask attractive girls for directions go without saying; however, I understand now that their sexiness and sophistication stem not from comely faces but coherent attire. Rather than adorn themselves like a typical Mong Kok girl in a ridiculous neon rainbow palette, with jeans or unseemly spandex underneath dresses, skirts or other tops better left to stand alone, Japanese girls opt for more somber, sensible colors - black and cream-colored - and what's more, they aren't afraid to whip out the tasteful pantyhose or to show some skin, even. We had plenty of time to ogle the ladies, and to their credit, freezing temperatures weren't enough to dissuade many of them from forsaking, icing their shorts, as we saw countless pairs being worn on the street. That's what I call fashion professionalism!
Overall, Japan is a marvelous little land full of the eccentric, as well as the endearing. It was a fascinating place to explore, and I'm thankful that it was done in the company of my friend , with whom candor was not at a premium. We both learned a lot and look forward to the next trip!
This simple picture is not about photographic brilliance but about stepping out of our boundaries & helping those in need.
Krishnan is from Palakkad in south east Kerala India & had come to Goa for work but not finding any ended up on the streets hoarding things as people gave over the past two years.
Sister gave him a haircut, cleaned him, gave him new clothes & while talking he said he would like to go back to Kerala so we bought him a ticket & put him on the train. He left with a smile
I just attended the beautiful wedding of two gorgeous, selfless & special people......Carolyn & Mark...
It was elegant, yet relaxed and down to earth...... just like Carolyn!...
We all had to jet off to a beach side town...........a place very special to them...........where they had shared good times........ & recuperated from some not so good times.........& also where he proposed...........
For the first time since the pandemic, the H.O.M.E. Project’s annual brunch fundraiser returned as an in-person event at the John A. Burns School of Medicine campus
November 24, 2013 - CHEVERUS AWARD RECIPIENTS.
Congratulations to the 95 Cheverus Award recipients for 2013 who are receiving their recognition at this moment at Holy Cross Cathedral in a Mass with Cardinal Seán. The award recognizes years of selfless service, often unheralded and done with no recompense but the knowledge of having given all to the Lord. The recipients are:
Susan Abbott, St. Theresa of Avila, West Roxbury
Laura Albaladejo, St. Patick, Brockton
Josephine and Charles Anastasia, St. John Chrysostom, West Roxbury
Ruth Andrews, St. Katharine Drexel, Boston
Mother Teresa Benedicta, OCD, North Region
William Bibeau, St. John the Baptist, Haverhill
Madelyn Brown, The Catholic TV Network, Watertown (2012)
Judy Burton, St. Mary/St. Catherine of Siena, Charlestown
Jacquelyn Butterfield, St. Anne, Littleton
James Buxton, Holy Trinity, Lowell
John Carter, Sacred Heart, Waltham
Everett Casey, Sacred Heart, Middleborough
John Cheboryot and Mercy Anampiu, St. Michael, Lowell, Kenyan Apostolate
Antonio Jr. and Gracita Chiefe, St. Mary, Randolph, Filipino Apostolate
Deacon Charles Clough, West Region
William Corrigan, St. Anthony of Padua, Allston
Marileia Costa, St. Anthony of Padua, Everett, Brazilian Apostolate
Paul Daly, Sacred Heart, Quincy
Joan DeGuglielmo, St. Francis of Assisi, Cambridge
Sister Thomasita Delaney, RMS, Merrimack Region
Samuel E. DeMerit, St. Paul, Cambridge
Jose DePina, St. Peter, Dorchester
Barbara Devita, St. Thomas of Villanova, Wilmington
Linda Devoll, St. John the Evangelist, Canton
Rose DiMare, Immaculate Conception, Revere
Anne Doherty, St. Camillus, Arlington
M.J. Doherty, Archdiocese of Boston
Kevin Dolan, Sts. Martha and Mary, Lakeville
Thomas Dwyer, Esq., Archdiocese of Boston
Joanne Eagan, Sacred Heart, Lynn
Stephen Fair, St. Mary of the Assumption, Brookline
Walter Faria, St. Mary of the Nativity, Scituate
George and Linda Furtado, Immaculate Conception, Everett
Rosa Garcia, St. James, Haverhill
Deacon Alfred Geneus, St. John the Evangelist, Cambridge, Haitian Apostolate...
photos by George Martell - Pilot New Media, Archdiocese of Boston.
Yesterday, 23 July 2019, saw the funeral of PC Shazad Saddique, a Greater Manchester Police officer who sadly passed away whilst holidaying in Scotland.
Hundreds of people attended to pay tribute to the 38-year-old both at the Medina Mosque in Oldham and at Chadderton Cemetery.
PC Saddique’s cortège was accompanied by family, friends and colleagues as it made the final part of its journey from Chadderton Community Fire Station to the cemetery. It was led by horses from the force’s mounted unit and police motorcyclists.
PC Saddique joined GMP 12 months ago and was a student officer based on the Tameside District. He enjoyed serving his local community and formed close relationships with many of his colleagues, who have described him as an outstanding individual and role model.
Outside of work, Shazad enjoyed hiking and trekking, and was heavily involved in outreach work with youths in the local community, which focused on enabling youngsters to experience outdoor activities in the countryside.
Paying tribute to him, his family said: “Shaz was the most selfless person you could ever hope to meet; he always put other people first and wanted to make every new experience a fun one.
“He had a real passion for the outdoors and helping others, particularly young people in the community. Deep in his heart, he felt very strongly about youth outreach programs and getting young people out in the countryside to do fun activities.
“He was sincere in his devotion and worship. He was passionate about Thikr gatherings and was devoted to the teachings and guidance of his Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoobi. He loved nature for the very fact that it was a means for him to remember and praise his lord.
“His final trip to the Isle of Skye was sincerely to gather a group and collectively praise Allah, as a spiritual retreat.
“He achieved so much and we were always so proud of him. He completed marathons all over the world and did hiking challenges throughout the UK, all in the name of raising money for charity.
“He loved his family more than anything; he was a supporting figure and a role model for his siblings. He was the best dad, and his wife and kids were his absolute world.
“It has been clear for us to see how much he meant to so many people and how many hearts he touched. The outpouring of support for the family has been huge and for that we want to thank everyone.
“We will miss you dearly bhai Shazad, but you will never be forgotten.”
To find out more about Greater Manchester Police please visit our website. www.gmp.police.uk
You should call 101, the national non-emergency number, to report crime and other concerns that do not require an emergency response.
Always call 999 in an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, violence is being used or threatened or where there is danger to life.
You can also call anonymously with information about crime to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers is an independent charity who will not want your name, just your information. Your call will not be traced or recorded and you do not have to go to court or give a statement.
The 54th Naval Cadet Class PLX
The 54th Naval Cadet Class on a tough, scenario-based Personal Leadership Exercise, designed to test their courage, respect, integrity, loyalty and selflessness. Go Navy.
Like a diary
...His presence in my life made me selfless. He made me want to sacrifice. He made me generous. He made me perpetually mindful of his state without ever feeling tired. He never made me feel impatient or angry. He made me notice my rigidity. No matter what he did or what happened, only a single thought emanated form my heart, “Was he happy?”
I did without everything I needed and wanted, missing none of it. He made me break all my deeply ingrained patterns without missing a beat. He made me laugh. He made me reflect. Yet I was the one overtly responsible for him.
He had this effect on me without asking me for any of it, without telling me to do any of it. He was a real Sufi. Not like the one everybody called me, making me wince, just because I stopped partying and didn't gossip. Who was younger than me, child-like and the epitome of sweetness.
As I wrote I knew I had made others feel like Shaan was making me feel. People other than him had made me feel the same. But then there was always a reason that connected me to something in them; blood, beauty, softness, sound. All of what attracted me to them, made me become attached to them, was bestowed by God, but I always forgot Him and became besotted with the one who was the manifestation of His Blessing.
Shaan only saw me and everything I did through Allah alone. I knew that when he walked into my place the first time after he had moved into his apartment and said, "Tareef uss Khuda ki jiss ne tujhe banaya." All praise to Allah who made you the way He made you. It was line from a song in some Indian movie.
I had laughed then and thought it was sweet. But it was something else entirely. He only saw me through Allah and so, for him, everything I did came only through His Lord. I was the means and He was the Source.
Everything I offered, he could have easily done without. He had no need for anything material. But most of all, Shaan made me begin to wonder about love, what it really was. How I had always experienced it with endless intensity yet it now seemed it was always superficial. Shaan was wiping everything out in terms of my understanding of the construct of that which the Sufis called "the first movement of the Universe." At 50, I guess I would be starting anew.
Whomever I loved before, when I thought about them, I thought about them. But with Shaan, when I think of him, I end up thinking of myself. He makes my nafs he focus, not his person. I think of my mistakes with forgiveness. I aspire to be like him. Whenever he gives me things I know I won't eat I take them, then ask his permission before I give them away. I have never done that in my life.
He is a Mo'min so he is a mirror. It's one thing to read something, then understand your self through it. It's entirely another for it to appear before you and you see it.
I was frustrated one day with my niece. I didn't know how to get her to do something I wanted so I asked his advice. He said exactly nothing. In his world there was no making someone do anything. Even one's own self. I guess that's where the sincerity bridge came in for me. When I forced myself to practice that which is beyond my capability and so its execution became false.
I would sometimes plead with people to make them see something that was right for me. Even right for them. It never worked. Shaan was alien to the concept. Yet he was from this world. He was born in it. He lived here. But there was no cunning, no sarcasm, no plotting or planning. Once or twice while talking to someone else trying to persuade them to do something, I winked at him. The second time I did it he said out loud, "I don't know what that means." I think, embarrassed, I just smiled.
I don't know if I will ever be able to figure out which I did to deserve him.
I thought maybe I should start making a list “What I learnt from Shaan today” which came from what I learnt about Shaan today. For instance we went to the park, just him and I. He wanted to play soccer. I wanted to pray at the shrine. I told him to play outside it so he wouldn’t wander off. I went in and then waiting for the Azaan came out again. Just then the call to prayer started.
I saw Shaan standing with the ball in his hand so I walked over.
“Why aren’t you playing?” I asked.
He pointed at the sky and just said, “Azaan.”
Later I asked him why he didn’t play because of it. “We only do one thing when the Azaan comes,” I said to him. We being the ones with money in Lahore. “No listening to music. That’s it! So do you do that out of adab, respect, not play?”
He just looked at me and said, “It’s the Azaan. And it was the Friday prayer,” he said with emphasis as if it made the answer obviously clear.
The next day we were hanging out in my lounge and I started asking him questions about a specific negative pattern. Why did it exist and what was the motivation or cause for it to occur. I guess I was being philosophical. Or pretending to be because I had specific people in mind that I clearly wanted to complain about without naming them. Not that he knew them. And I realized he showed me my lack of sincerity that existed even in a benign conversation.
Every time I created a scenario to describe the behaviour I was thinking about, he would give me an answer I didn’t understand at all. It was like if one said something to a child that was negative and they would say something back that made no sense because they literally had nothing to say about it. So I tried again and again he said something totally random. And I realized what was happening. Shaan never said anything negative about anyone or anything, even conceptually. Ever!
Even the landlady who kicked him out in 7 days, all he did was take her tea and coffee and all kinds of food. Every time he ate, he wanted to share his meal with her. No wonder by the end of it, she was sitting downstairs in his place every time I called him. I was like what the hell!
But she clearly sensed his energy. It was palpably purifying. He made me see what was wrong with me without saying a word about it or about me. I was the exact opposite all the time with every single person I knew. All I did was highlight their flaws, not in a mean way since my intent was to be provide a solution, but nevertheless I would be highlighting their flaws and giving them remedies based on what I was learning. It was insane!
I never even saw Shaan pray. I never asked him about it of course.
Then one evening I said, “In the Quran, Shaan, it says “establish prayer.” Not read it or perform it. “Aqeemu salat” – establish prayer. What does that mean to you?”
Shaan flicked his hair aside and just said matter of factly, “I think it means when you pray, pray with a pure, truthful heart. When it is clean and cleansed of everything.”
I just stared at him. He wasn’t even praying and he was in a state of establishing prayer. Which I had heard Uzair describe as being on the prayer mat the same as off of it; Physically clean and focused on Allah alone. The ablution was a requirement we could fulfill and hope it was correctly performed. But the singular focus on God, zero distraction, who had that in their salat?
My friend Zee asked him while we sat at her house, "Your manners are excellent Shaan. Who taught them to you?"
Shaan was sitting upright on his chair as if it were a stool. He never leaned back when he sat on something. It was the opposite of how I sat.
"Many nice people of very high ranks. I have met them in my life and their akhlaq, (morality and character), is beautiful."
I jumped into the conversation. "Where did you meet them? In the park?"
"I meet them in my dreams," he said looking at me.
Shaan was a lucid dreamer. Whenever I asked him how he slept, he often answered, "I had lovely dreams last night."
For someone who hardly ever remembers a dream, it was noticeable for me that how his night passed was a function of his dreams. While mine was always a function of my restlessness.
"So what do they say to you?" Zee asked.
"They say, 'You are a good kid. You must do good things.' And they always say, 'You must be better and better that what you are continuously.'"
I looked at him in silence. It was amazing to me how Allah Himself raised those who were special to Him. There was no formal training, no reading, no writing. Shaan didn't even have a physical Spiritual Master in his life. Everything that he knew was passed on to him from the Realm of the Unseen by those who were there.
I couldn't help but think of Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him). The verses where Allah calls him an Ummi which almost every translator understood literally as "the unlettered one." But I guess they were ordinary for that was the last thing he was. It was an yet another exclusivity that separated the blessed being of Nabi Pak (saw) from all of Mankind.
Maqam al Ummiyat – The Station of being an Ummi
Tafseer e Jilani :
“Amongst the 124,000 Prophets and 313 Messengers, the maqam, station, of being Ummi is specific to only the Last Messenger (saw). Never before has the word been used previously for any Prophet or Messenger.
The Meaning of Ummi; The word Ummi is derived from the word umm which means origin or source or root. So Nabi Kareem (saw) is Ummi because he is the origin of everything. For example, Mecca is called Umm ul Qura because it is the origin and first of the cities. The Quran is called Umm ul Kitab because it is the foundation and source of all the books.”
I heard a lecture of Sheikh Nurjan Mehramadi of the Naqshbandi silsila about why the Quran uses the word “Ummi” for Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him), the unlettered one, which only the Sufis have interpreted correctly;
Sheikh Nurjan: “The ears of Syaadna Muhammad (saw) submit to Allah alone and there is no human who can change the course of that reality. And that’s why Allah clarified this station of Sayyedna Muhammad (saw) when we say Ummi-hi, it is not that he in unlettered, He is the custodian of all uloom, knowledge, knowledge of awwaleen wa akhireen (beginning to the end), and his holy soul is the fountain of all realities.
But in a way in which Allah wanted to lay a claim that no human has taught this benevolent soul and and no human can come and say, ‘No, I taught him poetry when he was young, I taught him alphabet at this age,’ so that they would stake a claim to have composed the Quran. For Allah is the Best of Planners and He knows how bad humans are that they would try to claim, ‘No, no, these teachers taught and that’s how the Quran came.’
So Allah cleared the field and said, ‘There’s no teacher for this soul but someone who is Shadeed ul Quwa, Immensely Powerful, referring to Himself. He only listens to Allah.”
Shaan had no concept of money. He didn’t care about those things. He had no sense of money and what things cost. I brought him a wireless speaker like I got for myself rom the States and the next day he called me.
“Ma’am you have spent Rs. 50,000 on this speaker for me. It’s too much.”
I smiled. “It didn’t cost 50,000 Shaan (which was about 300 bucks). It cost me 5,000. Don’t worry about it.”
But it wasn’t like the speaker made him thrilled to receive it. Like at 50 I might be if someone gave me something I really liked. That was the reaction I always searched for, waited for with Shaan. The excitement. But it never came. He wanted nothing from the world. He had no attachment to it.
When he moved to my place I told him we should buy him some winter clothes.
"The weather is changing. So I think we should buy material f or a few shalwar kamizes and I can find a men's tailor to get them stitched for you."
"I want two," he declared. "A purple and you pick the other colour."
"I don't know," I said. "Two might not be enough,"
"No," he said with certainty. "One to wear and one to wash."
When I translated a verse from the Quran about the illusive nature of the world we were warned of throughout it, I thought of Shaan again.
إِنَّا جَعَلْنَا مَا عَلَى ٱلْأَرْضِ زِينَةً لَّهَا لِنَبْلُوَهُمْ أَيُّهُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلًا
(Truly we have made all that is on Earth as an adornment for it) that We may try them, as to which of them is best in their deed.
Surah Al-Kahf, Verse 7
Tafseer e Jilani:
Inna ja’alne ma ala alardi: Without doubt We created upon this Earth three basic things; animals and humans, vegetation, and buried treasures. And we created whatever else comes from this Earth; different tastes and different lusts, which are physical or fantasy.
Zeenatal laha: These are adornments for it that make it (the world) beautiful and attractive…
Ayyuhum ahsan amlan: to see which of them (Mankind) has the best deeds and these deeds are the ones which are completed with true guidance and reflection by detachment from the world. And the absence of focus towards it and staying away from its enjoyment which is an illusion. And staying away from the distraction it creates and its lusts which bring with them all kinds of pain and difficulties and desires. It is these wishes which in turn cause different sins and crimes.
It is then imperative that in this world then one lives in a single room and wears a single outfit and eats simply, for everything else is just debris which is transient, which inherits sinfulness and trials.
The other day Shaan and I went to the park. As I sat with him on the back seat, he started reciting poetry. Which he loves to do. Always extemporaneous. I don't understand it usually but once in a while, he catches my attention. On this day, the last line he spoke in Urdu was;
"In your hand is the tasbeeh (rosary), in your hand is the Quran,
Become the namaz!
I was getting dropped off at the shrine. He was going to play with a ball with Usman. The same day later, we were coming home from somewhere. I had been getting up for Tahajjud (the prayer before Fajr) but my nafs and Iblis were both goading me to give it a miss.
"Let's sleep," was my nafs' mantra.
Iblis was more tactical. "How about doing it a day and taking a day off?"
Trust him to say what was going to hit a nerve with me. I had read that fasting every day was not suggested. Doing it on alternate days though was recommended. So that the act, one of the highest in terms of exercising restraint and acquiring mindfulness, taqwa, did not become a routine that was fruitless.
As we came close to my house, I asked Shaan, ashamed by my question, "Shaan, I was thinking. I feel a little tired so maybe I don't pray Tahajjud every single day. What do you think?"
This is after I had done the tafseer of the verse with Qari Sahib;
وَمِنَ ٱلَّيْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِۦ نَافِلَةًۭ لَّكَ
And rise from your sleep and pray during the part of the night and extra voluntary prayer,
it may be well that your Lord will raise you (to) a station praiseworthy.
Surah Al Isra’, Verse 79
Wa: And if you want even more closeness (to Allah) and blessings, then awaken your heart and body, in the last part…
Min al layli: of the night and leave sleep out of desiring the Pleasure of Allah…
Fatahajjad bi hi: and pray the Prayer of Tahajjud, prolonging your recitation in it so it becomes…
Nafilatan: extra…
Laka: than the dutied prayers for you. It will increase your Closeness and your honour (before your Lord).
No wonder I felt ashamed.
Shaan said something but he mumbled it so I leaned in.
"I'm sorry?"
And he softly said, "Who can tell someone to not pray Tahajjud."
I leaned back. I thought he was going to say something that was in agreement with my want. That it was ok to skip it or take a break once in a while. But he didn't. He just said;
"Who can tell someone to not pray Tahajjud."
I set my alarm.
A month in I realize Shaan is an Aspie. He's in the spectrum. My friend who works with kids like that told me. I have a close friend whose first born also has Asperger's. It was true. I couldn't get him to do anything.
He still took a shower from the sink. He left the fridge door open. The tap running. The light in his bathroom always on. I called her and she told me I had to put up signs. That my verbal instructions were like Charlie Brown heard an adult - waan waan waan waaan waaan!
I thought about what that meant for me, his being like that and it clicked. I had to learn to accept, through him, what people cannot change about themselves. I had to learn to do it without anger, without impatience, without judgement. I had to learn to do it kindly.
I knew so many people who were unchanging and planning on staying that way. My reaction to them was always the same; hard. I was so easily angered, so easily offended.
وَإِمَّا يَنزَغَنَّكَ مِنَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ نَزْغٌ فَٱسْتَعِذْ بِٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
If an evil suggestion come to you from Satan stirring you (to blind anger),
then seek refuge with Allah. Surely He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
Surah Al-A’raf, Verse 200
Tafseer e Jilani:
Wa Imma Yanazaghannaka: So if reaches you whispers which then disappear, thus placing you in a state of disruption…
Min Shaitaan: it is from Shaitaan, who influences you physically through the organs which cause anger and stokes the ego in a way that is only ignorant creating a false sense of dignity…
Nazghun: causing doubts and delusions that persuade you to become angry and take you out of the state that you have been ordered to stay in, which is tolerance and softness of behaviour.
Fasta’iz billah: So come into the Refuge of Allah from these entrapments and return to Him from these doubts and this plotting. He is with His Glory Enough to protect you from his evil and treachery.
Inna hu: Indeed, Allah is Pure from everything that is negative…
Sami’un: and is the Acceptor of your prayers,
Aleem: and the Fulfiller of your needs.
And all I could do was remember one line; "...creating a false sense of dignity..."
I wondered how that was going to go.
It was his birthday yesterday. He turned 47. I still can't over it. He looks like he's 22. Using no fancy moisturizers during the day and cleansing creams at night like the rest of us only a few years older than him. I kept telling him to at least use some lotion on his face as it got colder in Lahore but of course he ignored me.
He wore his new black shalwar kamiz and looked beautiful. His smile is always radiant. Nazli was the only one I asked. She was always kind to him. The others were too busy or didn't care. And now I didn't care.
I thought about it after the party was over and I was in my room alone. Was that it with people? Having a person in the house that one cared for, took responsibility for, worrying about their emotional state, was that what made them indifferent to others?
Ever since Shaan was in my house, I didn't care at all about who I met and who I didn't. I didn't miss anyone. I didn't seek anyone. I played with my coach five days a week at the park. Shaan came with us walking around while I played. Before we started, I played Catch with him.
It was a tennis ball and we threw it at each other only a few feet apart. Shaan brought the ball in a bag he had sewn himself. He washed it before he put it inside and washed it after we played so it was always clean.
I cried as I thought, would I be like the others whose indifference made me sad so many times throughout my life, leaving me perplexed as to why it happened.
Would I?
The thing I started to notice with eagle eyes was the behaviour of every single person in my life towards Shaan. Whether it was kind or not, that was all I cared about. Only two people were; Nazli and Shuggy Aunty. Everyone else acted like a nut. Obviously it didn't have anything to do with him. It was just an unveiling of their state before my eyes.
Shaan didn't care at all what anyone said to him. At all! He was unaffected by everyone's behaviour around him. No matter how personal they got. Or aggressive! He was like the desert upon which fell rain and left it unchanged like it had never been there.
Actually it felt more like the fire that turned to flowers only for Hazrat Ibrahim. Those words people hurdled at him were no less than fire but for him they might as well have been flowers. Once again that which I had only known intellectually came alive for me. People are harsh or rude only when something is wrong with them. But despite knowing that, all my life I took it personally.
When I asked him about them ever, mentioning gently their madness, he dismissed it quite casually. "It's ok Ma'am. I don't mind what anyone says to me. Plus beautiful people have a tendency to be proud," he said matter of factly.
I smiled.
His manner of forgiving made me focus on mine. I realized that when I don't say sorry to someone its because I think of them as lesser than myself. Otherwise I have no problem uttering the word "sorry." I excuses I made to justify not asking for forgiveness after acting like a jerk; it was all masking that I thought of them as lesser than me.
On Christmas I had thought Shaan could give some money to the staff in the house who were Christian. I had money of his that someone had sent me. I had forgotten about it on the morning of the 24th when I went downstairs and saw he was busy with something.
His back was turned me to and I saw scissors so thought he was doing his usual thing; accenting his clothes with pockets and zips. When I came back from the kitchen and entered his room, I saw him coming towards me with two paper bags.
"What is that?" I asked curious.
"These are presents for Aunty Bholi and Safdar."
I looked in. I saw two boxes. Then he leaned in and whispered, "It's only sweets."
I looked at him in amazement. "You made these? The bags and the boxes?"
He beamed. "I made them."
I lunged out and hugged him.
"Wow Shaan! They are so beautiful. "
He had even put string in the bags so one could hold them upright.
When I went upstairs my heart felt elation. There was something about working with your hands, making things with them. That is what all the Prophets did always. Work with their hands. I was downloading music at the time. With my headphones on, a house track blaring, I looked at mine and wished they could make something for someone else as well.
It was a hell of a start to a Friday.
...
(work in progress)
Watch this selfless account of love as a newly married man helps his new wife re-connect with her lost lover to make her happy. But will this action result in happiness after all for the girl?. Watch Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam full movie on Eros Now!
Copyright © 2013 Phil Dodd, All Rights Reserved.
This, the start of my “Remarkable People” project begins with Jill – selflessly fundraising for WaterAid. I have to admit, this shot was not taken by me. It was taken by a young up & coming photographer – Molly Dodd (my 9 year old daughter !!), while on holiday. Needless to say, the following question after a few pushes of the shutter button was “can I have a camera for Christmas Dad ?” How could I refuse ?!!
Jill (or “Nanny Jill” to Molly) is family & she is based in North Yorkshire & this is her story:
"In 2003 I began making hand-crafted greetings cards for almost every occasion, firstly for ourselves then for our daughter who wanted to pay me. I refused but she insisted, so, as our church at that time was raising funds to sink wells in Mali, I decided that WaterAid should receive the money. Our friend and hairdresser was my second customer; she is still a very regular contributor and always gives in excess of the cost of the cards. I still charge just £1 for each card. Each year we take my cards to sell at our twice yearly Methodist Synod and usually do very well, as we now have regular customers who make a bee-line for our stall. On the third Saturday in October we hold a Coffee Morning in our home, we have just held our ninth; these occasions are very happy and people enjoy meeting old friends, some they may not have seen since the previous year. We have two very dear friends who help us out greatly by making tea and coffee to enable us to circulate.
There are millions of people throughout the world, in many countries, who do not have access to clean water or any sanitation. WaterAid not only provide clean water but teach the local people to maintain the equipment and supply the necessary tools".
So, believe it or not, just by selling these handmade greetings cards (and great they are too !) Jill has raised over £7500, I’m not sure how far this would go in terms of helping to supply clean water etc, but one thing I am sure of is that the people that WaterAid help would be a lot worse off without it !
It’s a staggering amount to have raised, & the fundraising goes on – “Congratulations Jill”, long may it continue.
Jill’s actions have touched (& continue to touch) other people’s lives on the other side of the world & I think that is remarkable.
Thanks for looking and / or commenting....
Best Regards,
Phil.
Update : As of January 2016, Jill has now raised the fantastic total of £11,550 for WaterAid. Personally, I feel that raising such a large amount of money for such a worthwhile cause deserves high praise - "Well Done Jill, long may your fundraising continue...."
Update : ( again !! ) Jill's running total as of November 2017 now stands at £14,823 ( just £177 short of her December target of £15,000 ). This latest addition to her fundraising has been achieved through coffee mornings, donations, still selling her hand-made cards, etc & again from my perspective ( as I'm sure you will agree ), is a massive contribution to WaterAid's funding & one she should feel very proud of. "Well done Jill" ! :)
Update again...
As of late December Jill's total now stands at £15,347 - target achieved !
The figure's just keep going up.... !! As of June 2018, Jill has now raised the fantastic amount of £16,000....
Should you wish to donate to help others, click the following link... Thanks !