Navy Reserve Capt. Eric C. Young has been nominated for appointment to the rank of rear admiral (lower half). Young is currently serving as deputy director for training transformation, and technology, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Washington, D.C...

Alexandria, Va. (Feb. 21, 2012) — Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) joined the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Reserve Affairs) and Chiefs of the National Guard and Reserves in honoring seven outstanding military family readiness organizations during the 2011 Department of Defense (DoD) Reserve Family Readiness Awards program on Friday, February 17, 2012 in the Hall of Heroes at the Pentagon...

Gene and Fana Loma were in a serious auto accident on Saturday, Feb 11, while enroute to a grocery store in Austin, Texas. Both are still hospitalized, but in a painful situation...

EDINBURGH, Ind. — Butlerville and Edinburgh, Ind. may just be two specks on the map of what some consider fly-over country. The public-at-large may not realize the significance Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center and Muscatatuck Urban Training Complex, near Edinburgh and Butlerville, respectively, play in the defense of the United States but to policy-makers in Washington, D.C., these two installations provide a valuable service in mobilizing, training, validating, deploying and demobilizing Soldiers and civilians to support contingency operations...

ARLINGTON, Va. (9/15/11) - The National Guard's 65-nation State Partnership Program won a major award here Tuesday.

The 20-year-old program launched in the final days of the Cold War received the 2011 William J. Perry Award for Excellence in Security and Defense Education.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2011 – No one has matched the United States' time, resources and commitment to accounting for its missing military members and honoring its prisoners of war, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said today.

During a Pentagon ceremony to honor National Prisoners of War and Missing in Action Recognition Day, the defense secretary talked about the nation's commitment to accounting for its missing patriots and honoring prisoners of war.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has launched a telephone service, Coaching into Care, to provide assistance to family members and friends trying to encourage their Veteran to seek health care for possible readjustment and mental health issues.

PITTSFIELD, Vt. (9/3/11) – Two things Hurricane Irene did not rob from Brian Halligan: His life – and Cappy, his golden retriever.

"I've lost everything. My life was in my house," Halligan said here Friday, standing on the half-acre of his three-and-a-half acre lot that Hurricane Irene's floodwaters left behind, most of his house washed hundreds of yards downstream. "I've got the clothes on my back. I've got to start life over again. We have our life; I have my dog; that's the most important thing."

WASHINGTON (September 8, 2011) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has automated its online Health Benefits Renewal (10-10EZR) form as part of its ongoing effort to streamline access to benefits.

"This action dramatically reduces the time it will take for enrolled Veterans to submit updates to their demographic information and further reduces access barriers to needed care for Veterans," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

SALAH AH DIN, Iraq (9/1/11) - Those who watched their televisions Sept. 11, 2001 and who were there in Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and New York can never forget what happened that day, but there is a growing population of young service members who do not remember.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced today that more than $2.2 billion in retroactive benefits has already been paid to approximately 89,000 Vietnam Veterans and their survivors who filed claims related to one of three new Agent Orange presumptive conditions.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced it has completed an important milestone on its joint path with the Department of Defense (DoD) to create a single electronic health record system for servicemembers and Veterans. OSEHRA, the Open Source Electronic Health Record Agent, has begun operations and will serve as the central governing body of a new open source Electronic Health Record (EHR) community.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2011 – Retired Army 1st Sgt. Renee Floyd wasn’t about to let a disability stop her from realizing her dream of having her own business. Applying 21 years of experience as an Army mechanic, she launched BRF Mobile Lube Service in Phenix City, Ala., in 2009 and began traveling to people’s homes and businesses to provide convenient oil changes and maintenance services.

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2011 – Hiring military reservists and veterans is a positive investment for America, the deputy director of U.S. Army Reserve Command told federal hiring officials yesterday.

Reservists and veterans have a vast resource of capabilities" that provides a distinct hiring pool for federal civilian jobs, Army Maj. Gen. Jon J. Miller said at the Veterans Employment Symposium, held here by the departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Labor and Homeland Security, and the Office of Personnel Management. The purpose of the symposium was to help federal hiring officials improve practices for hiring veterans.

They are men used to seeing their deeds pass as unrecognized as their battlefield movements, but Monday five National Guard and one active duty Special Forces Soldier took the limelight here to receive a French award roughly equivalent to the Silver Star. The six were honored with the Croix de la Valeur Militaire in a private ceremony at the French Ambassador's Residence attended by senior leaders including Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the Army chief of staff nominated to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Army Maj. Gen. Timothy Kadavy, deputy director of the Army...

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today released a new online publication, "Trauma-Informed Care for Women Veterans Experiencing Homelessness: A Guide for Service Providers." Available on the website of the U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau at http://www.dol.gov/wb/trauma/, the guide explains the unique experiences and needs of women veterans, and provides organizational self-assessment tools to aid service providers, such as social workers and community service organizations, that assist this population...

Air Force officials announced the service's top enlisted members Wednesday, naming Pennsylvania Air National Guard Staff Sgt. John Norris as one the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year for 2011 Norris, a tactical air control party specialist with the 193rd Special Operations Wing, began his journey to this level during his most recent deployment in Afghanistan, when he learned his hard work and dedication had been recognized.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced today that HUD will provide $46.2 million to public housing agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to supply permanent housing and case management for 6,790 homeless veterans in America.

A study led by Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) researchers found that aging Veterans who earned the Purple Heart show decreased mortality compared with those who had not earned the medal. Additionally, those war-wounded Veterans who survive into later life—especially those who do not develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—may provide valuable clues as to the factors that lead to resilience to combat stress.

ROME, N.Y. (7/11/11) -- New York Air National Guard members, working with the Eastern Air Defense Sector, supported the launch of NASA's final space shuttle mission June 8.

An HC-130 Hercules and pararescue jumpers assigned to the 106th Rescue Wing were on hand at Patrick Air Force Base, Fla. to provide rescue support if Atlantis astronauts had been forced to abort the mission and bail out of the spacecraft.

If the National Guard is to remain a fully operational force they must continue to develop programs within the joint structure, the 37th chief of staff of the Army said here Tuesday.

"As [the Department of Defense] articulates their organizational designs, their modernization strategies and whatever they are going to do to maintain the Guard … as an operational force, the [National Guard] should increasingly talk about what they can bring to the joint fight," Army Gen. Martin Dempsey said.

A Nebraska family is serving its nation above and beyond the call of duty, as three brothers are serving together in the area of Afghanistan's capital of Kabul and live in nearby Camp Phoenix.

All are in the same unit, are infantrymen in their 20s, and are married with young children.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that special disaster assistance may be available to Veterans with VA-guaranteed home loans who have been affected by recent tornados in Missouri.

5/16/2011 - PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Along with estimated crowds of tens of thousands of spectators on Florida's Space Coast, Senator Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz, kept a watchful eye as her husband, Commander Mark Kelly, and his crew as they blasted off from nearby Kennedy Space Center May 16 - marking the second to last time a space shuttle will leave Earth for the International Space Station.

The last surviving pilot of the famed 1942 Doolittle Raid, retired Air Force Col. William M. Bower, was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery today. A B-25 bomber flew overhead during funeral honors for the World War II veteran.

The daring raid on April 18, 1942 involved sixteen B-25s in a retaliatory strike against Japan just months following the attack on Pearl Harbor. 1st Lt. Bower commanded plane number 12. All sixteen aircraft launched from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hornet were lost in the attack.

LILONGWE, Malawi, May 16, 2011 – The after-action reports still are works in progress after a successful MEDREACH 11 medical humanitarian assistance exercise that wrapped up here May 13, but the Army Reserve already is exploring ways to expand its participation in theater security cooperation engagements in Africa and elsewhere.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that special disaster assistance may be available to Veterans with VA-guaranteed home loans who have been affected by recent tornados in the South. Veterans living in the designated disaster areas in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee may receive mortgage assistance through their loan servicers.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense agency, announced 30 employers are finalists for the 2011 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. The Freedom Award is the DoD’s highest recognition given to employers for exceptional support of their employees serving in the Guard and Reserve. The 30 finalists were selected from 4,049 nominations received earlier this year from Guard and Reserve service members or their families.

The PTSD Coach smartphone application (app), launched in April by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD), has already helped more than 5,000 users connect with important mental health information and resources.

"This new tool is about helping Veterans and Service members when and where they need it," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. "We are encouraged so many have already downloaded this resource and hope many more will utilize this convenient tool to access VA services."

Soldiers of the Louisiana National Guard’s 769th Engineer Battalion are constructing sand-filled basket barriers in Morgan City as a precautionary measure against the rising Mississippi River.

About 15 Guard members, assigned to the 927th and 928th Sapper Engineer Companies, on Monday began adding three feet of protection to a levee using HESCO baskets to help protect residential areas near Lake Palourde from flooding that could occur if the Morganza Spillway is opened later this week.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Easter Seals formally announced a partnership to provide comprehensive Caregiver Training to Family Caregivers of eligible post-9/11 Veterans as authorized by the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010.

ARLINGTON, Va. - About 3,000 National Guard members were responding to weather-related domestic disasters in 11 states on Friday, the majority in tornado-ravaged Alabama, while hundreds still tackled rising waters in North Dakota, epicenter of flooding challenging seven states.

In Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi, tornadoes killed and injured people and destroyed property; in Texas, drought fueled wildland...

KINSASHA, Democratic Republic of the Congo (4/27/11) - The National Guard is bringing a critical depth of experience and demonstrating its ability to be a seamless player as part of Total Force during the MEDLITE 11 exercise here, the director of operations for MEDLITE 11 said Tuesday.

"MEDLITE is showing that we can execute our mission, integrate seamlessly and do it cost effectively," said Air Force Lt. Col. Matt Peterson, the director of...

DoD announced today the TRICARE Young Adult (TYA) program is now open for enrollment with coverage beginning May 1, 2011.

Military dependents under 26, unmarried, and not eligible for their own employer-sponsored health care coverage may be qualified to purchase TYA, which offers Tricare Standard coverage, for monthly premiums of $186, as long as their sponsor is still eligible for TRICARE.

FALLS CHURCH, Va., April 22, 2011 - New TRICARE Online features give users access to expanded personal health data, including lab results, patient history and diagnoses, and provider visits.

The military health plan's new online features expand the website's "Blue Button" capability, which already allowed beneficiaries to safely and securely access and print or save their demographic information, allergy and medication profiles, officials said.

ARLINGTON, Va. (4/26/11) - Approximately 900 National Guard members are currently responding to floods, fires, tornadoes, and other emergency situations in six states.

Guard members are responding or staging personnel in response to weather reports which forecast more rain in already flooded areas of North Dakota, Missouri, Indiana, as well as tornadoes in Arkansas and ongoing wildfires in Texas. Minnesota is currently wrapping up operations.

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany, April 26, 2011 - By many accounts, 20-year-old Army Spc. Dustin Morrison is a living miracle – and a testament to the military medical system that's getting medical care to wounded warriors and moving them to progressively advanced levels of care faster than ever before.

CLARK FIELD, Philippines - U.S. soldiers and airmen exchanged K-9 training methods with the Armed Force of the Philippines during Exercise Balikatan 2011 here recently.

A joint team of six U.S. military personnel are currently working with more than 30 members of the Philippine army, Marines and air force working dog teams.

ARLINGTON, Va. (4/18/11) - Four National Guard states are today supporting civil authorities battling more than 30 wildfires threatening lives and property in Texas.

Drought conditions led to a reported 32 uncontrolled wildfires currently burning there.

Under the direction of the Joint Forces Air Component Commander for Air Forces Northern at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., four C-130 Hercules aircraft

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (4/19/11) - The family of a late Kentucky Air National Guard pilot was presented with his Prisoner of War Medal in a ceremony here April 16.

Merlin R. "Bob" Kehrer was a first lieutenant in the United States Army Air Corps who flew combat missions over Europe during World War II.

FORT DETRICK, Md., April 12, 2011 – There's little debate about the risk of a brain injury when a service member gets a blow to the head -- whether from an enemy round or from crashing against a wall or being inside a vehicle during an explosion.

But some of the foremost academic researchers from around the world, working in cooperation with the Defense Department's Blast Injury Research Program, are trying to determine exactly what happens to a service member's brain when it's exposed to a blast, but with no direct head impact.

WASHINGTON, April 11, 2011 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates wanted an Army chief of staff willing to challenge the status quo, and he believes he has one in Gen. Martin E. Dempsey.

Gen. Dempsey succeeded Gen. George W. Casey Jr. as the Army chief of staff during a ceremony at Fort Myer, Va., today.

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2011 – Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. expressed great pride in his soldiers and their families as he ended more than four decades of military service yesterday.

"I couldn't be prouder of your courage, your resilience and your commitment to the values and ideals that make this country and this Army great," Gen. Casey, the 36th Army Chief of Staff, wrote in a farewell letter to the troops.

WASHINGTON—As part of the Total Force, the National Guard has successfully transformed to an operational Reserve and must not be put back on the shelf as a strategic Reserve, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said last week.