Military & Veterans News

Military & Veterans News VA expands access to Veterans Legacy Memorial, allowing Veterans to chronicle their life story Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs expanded the Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM) — the nation’s largest digital platform dedicated to the memory of Veterans and service members — to allow Veterans to tell their own story before they pass away. The new “Your Story, Your Legacy” feature will allow Veterans who have been approved for VA’s pre-need eligibility determination for burial in a VA national cemetery to log in to a secure website where they can privately submit images, autobiographies, military and life milestones, and historical documents.

Military & Veterans News Scott’s View: Remembering 9/11: How WeSalute Honored All Those Who Served Over The Last 23 Years Next Wednesday, September 11, is the 23rd anniversary of the attacks on U.S. soil. Remembrances will be happening at all the sites, New York City, Washington, DC, and western Pennsylvania.

Military & Veterans News Scott's View: U.S. Military Assisting Earthquake Victims in Turkey & Syria I am proud to see our U.S. military once again assisting in the face of tragedy. With the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and tens of thousands already counted as dead, the U.S. military is routing substantial aid from United States European Command to the region.

Military & Veterans Life Scott's View: Remembering our Korean War Veterans For decades, our military efforts in Korea 70 years ago were called the “forgotten war,” and many times mistakenly called “a conflict.” Well next week, July 27, is a time for all of us to remember the remarkable sacrifice our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines put forth during the Korean War.

Military & Veterans Life Cover Story: History of Flag Day “Since adoption of the Stars and Stripes, Americans — and people around the world — have continuously looked to our flag as a symbol of unity and liberty,” wrote President Biden last year on Flag Day. Like every year since 1916, the United States will celebrate the nation’s flag on June 14. Though Flag Day is not a federal holiday, it’s a day of observance and patriotism and coincides with the Army’s birthday.

Military & Veterans News Cover Story: "Chaos" by Gen. Raymond Bell The principal duty assignment described in my efficiency report dated 3 August 1969 read in part, “Operations Staff Officer, ACofS, J3.  Member, special planning group tasked to prepare long range plans for United States force reductions in Vietnam, residual force concepts and operations.”   The description frames my perspective of --- chaos.

Military & Veterans Life Cover Story: Military Olympians bound for Tokyo The Tokyo Summer Olympics are finally happening this month, after being delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite barring spectators for safety reasons, the Games will continue as planned. And, in keeping with tradition, our U.S. military will be represented: three coaches and 17 of the 614 American athletes competing this time are military members. 

Military & Veterans News Scott’s Corner: Heroes Meet Heroes 2020 Memories with Veterans & Olympians For the past nine years, Veterans Advantage has hosted U.S. active duty military, veterans and their families to celebrate their service to our country on Veterans Day. 

Military & Veterans News Scott’s View: Cyber Monday Discounts with Veterans Advantage We hope you had a restful and enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend. Lin and I dedicated most of our weekend to Zoom calls with our family and friends. We have so much to be grateful for!

Military & Veterans News Scott’s View: Black Friday & Cyber Monday Savings with Veterans Advantage Black Friday and Cyber Monday may be more popular than ever since nearly all of America is planning on shopping from home this year.

Military & Veterans News Scott’s View: Show Your VetRewards Card on Veterans Day The VetRewards Card delivers tremendous value for subscribers. For starters, it qualifies you to take advantage of dozens of exclusive savings in our Military Discounts Marketplace. Secondly, you can show your card at over 100,000 physical locations nationwide - such as car rental counters, pharmacies, Ford car dealerships and AT&T stores, among others - for additional VetRewards Exclusive savings.

Military & Veterans Life Cover Story: U.S. Army’s "Green to Gold” Program Offers Incentives and Motivations to Climb the Ranks For those looking for a great reason to enter the military, here's an inspirational story that will have you, or someone you know, enlisting today!

Military & Veterans News Presidential Proclamation: 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the United States Army On June 14, 1775, the sword and shield of our Republic were forged when the Second Continental Congress voted to establish what would later become the United States Army.  Today, our Nation proudly celebrates 250 years of our Army’s strength, service, valor, and discipline.  We honor its heroic legacy as the guardian of our sovereignty and our fortress against tyranny — and we pay tribute to the millions of warriors who live by the motto: This We’ll Defend.

Military & Veterans News VA announces $42M in grants to fight Veteran homelessness The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced the availability of $42 million in grants to eligible organizations to assist homeless Veterans and those at risk of homelessness with various legal services.

Military & Veterans News VA health and benefits app reaches 3M downloads The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced that its Health and Benefits mobile app has achieved more than 3 million downloads since its launch in 2021.

Military & Veterans News Record breaking VA claims production brings backlog under 200K The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today that its disability benefits compensation claims backlog is under 200,000 for the first time since March 5, 2023.

Military & Veterans News VA to host Memorial Day ceremonies at 130+ national cemeteries The Department of Veterans Affairs will host Memorial Day ceremonies this weekend at more than 130 VA national cemeteries across the country, with 100,000 total expected attendees.

Military & Veterans News VA makes it easier for Veterans to use community care The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced changes that will make it easier for VA-enrolled Veterans to access health care from non-VA providers at the department’s expense.

Military & Veterans News VA broadens online memorials for Veterans buried overseas The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today it has expanded its Veterans Legacy Memorial website to add 210,000 additional pages for American Veterans interred and honored in cemeteries and memorials managed by the American Battle Monuments Commission overseas. The collaboration between VA’s National Cemetery Administration and ABMC brings the total number of VLM pages to more than 10 million.

Military & Veterans News VA announces major survivor benefits reforms The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced a three-pronged approach to eliminate barriers and streamline the process for how eligible survivors and dependents of deceased Veterans and servicemembers apply for and receive VA benefits and services.

Military & Veterans News VA, non-profits partner to honor fallen Veterans during Memorial May Throughout May, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration is joining forces with non-profit organizations Carry The Load, Travis Manion Foundation and Victory for Veterans to pay homage to Veterans interred in VA National Cemeteries through a series of events, volunteer opportunities and shared stories.

Military & Veterans News VA marks 100 days of putting Veterans first Today marks 100 days of the second Trump Administration.  During this time, VA has launched a host of major reforms to refocus the department on its core mission: providing the best possible care and services to Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors.

Military & Veterans News VA to phase out treatment for gender dysphoria In response to President Trump’s Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government executive order, VA announced today that it will phase out medical treatments for gender dysphoria.

Military & Veterans News VA to terminate 585 non-mission-critical or duplicative contracts Following a thorough review of nearly 2,000 professional services contracts, the Department of Veterans Affairs today began canceling 585 non-mission-critical or duplicative contracts. These contracts, which will be phased out over the next few days, represent less than one percent of the roughly 90,000 contracts VA currently has in place.