Monday, March 16, 2015

John Preston, Marine Veteran - Singer/Songwriter

Last week I interviewed John Preston on TNAV.  Check it out!  He's raising money for the Boot Campaign.


US Dept of State VIP Fellows - from the VA Office of Economic Opportunity

Deputy Undersecretary Coy sends:

Colleagues and Fellow Veterans,

In August of last year, I wrote about an exciting opportunity for Veterans who have or are in a Master’s degree program. This program is the Veterans Innovation Partnership (VIP), a new public-private alliance platform aimed at serving America’s veterans and separating service members by preparing them for diplomacy and development careers, providing education and employment resources and expertise while enhancing America’s global leadership. Last year The State Department received over 1600 applicants, with 22 VIP fellowships chosen. This year the number of fellowships will increase to 40. The following provides more detail information regarding eligibility and the application process.

The U.S. Department of State is currently accepting applications for the Fall 2015 class of VIP Fellows.  The main focus of VIP is to build and deploy strategic partnerships between the U.S. government and the U.S. private sector to mobilize resources and build networks to promote foreign affairs career opportunities for veterans.  This fellowship will give applicants the opportunity to serve in foreign affairs roles primarily throughout the Department of State, but also at our participating agencies, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), or the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). The VIP fellowship will include full-time employment beginning in the Fall of 2015 and lasting for one year; responsibilities and compensation commensurate with a Master’s degree along with mentoring and professional development opportunities throughout the year.

Eligibility Requirements

VIP fellowships are only open to veterans who:
Are enrolled in a Master’s degree program in the preferred fields of International Business, International Relations/Affairs, Public Policy, Public Administration, or related fields (this includes MPA, MPH, MPP, MBA, and JD degrees)
Completed a Master’s degree in the preferred or related fields listed above less than two years prior to applying for the fellowship (except for veterans precluded from doing so due to their military service obligation, they will have up to six years after degree completion to apply)
Applicants will need to be able to obtain a Secret Level security clearance.
Criteria include outstanding leadership and life experience as well as excellence in academic, cross-cultural and communication skills.
To be considered, an applicant’s cumulative GPA for the master’s degree should be 3.2 or above on a 4.0 scale, or equivalent.

Application Process

To apply for a 2015 VIP Fellowship, please provide the following information to VIPFellowship@state.gov:

A current resume.  Use your resume to highlight your education, expertise, achievements and honors, extracurricular activities/community service, language skills, and any leadership experience. The resume should not exceed two pages.

A cover letter not to exceed 450 words.  In your cover letter, please include your areas of focus i.e. economics, regional affairs, technology, etc. Also include if you have interest in carrying out your fellowship in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), or the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

Declaration of Graduate Degree GPA (official transcript verification may be required at a later time)

DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge

Please provide, if applicable, your VA Service Connected Disability Rating Letter

The U.S. Department of State will be unable to process your application without this information.  In addition, this is a competitive fellowship opportunity with limited spots. This call for applications will remain open until March 27, 2015. Complete application packages received by the first cut-off date of March 20, 2015, 11:59p.m., will receive first consideration for employment. If your application is submitted and processed after this date, you will receive consideration on an “as needed basis”. Selections are expected to be made by May 2015 and expected start dates in September 2015.

Additional information about VIP is available at www.vipfellowship.org.  For additional questions, please contact VIPFellowship@state.gov or 1-866-300-7419.   Please refer to www.vipfellowship.org and @vipfellowship for further information and updates.

V/R

Curtis L. Coy
Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity
Veterans Benefits Administration
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

VA Core Values:  Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, Excellence (“I CARE”)

Please Remember:
If you would like to review prior messages sent through this listserv, click http://benefits.va.gov/vow/economic_opportunity.htm.
If you would like to research, find, access, and, in time, manage your VA benefits and personal information please visit and/or register at https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal.
If you looking for a job or an employer committed to hiring Veterans, please register on the Veterans Employment Center (VEC) at: https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs
If you are seeking employment in the federal government, particularly the VA, our VA for Vets high-tech tools and resources can help. Visit online at http://vaforvets.va.gov/ or call 1-855-824-8387.
If you would like to contact us about your VA education benefits:

You can send us a secure email that will usually be answered within 48 hours. You can also search for answers to frequently asked questions and register to be notified of any updates to the information. This contact method is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and can also be utilized worldwide. Click here to enter the "Ask A Question" site or here to review our frequently asked questions.

You can call 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551). This line only accepts calls from 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM central time Monday – Friday.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Veteran Restores '59 Chevy Pickup, Pledges Portion of Proceeds

One of our Veteran volunteers wants to show his thanks by pledging 10% of the sale of this truck he restored to GallantFew.  Please check it out and share!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251880884181

Saturday, March 14, 2015

Purdue Veteran Seeks Input for PTSD Program Under Development - Survey

Dear Fellow Veterans:

The military taught us to never leave a fallen comrade. Yet, millions of our fellow service men and women from the Korean and Vietnam Wars to the Gulf War and post-9/11 war eras are being left behind with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 83% of those that are afflicted with PTSD have either not been diagnosed or do not receive treatment. Every day, they suffer alone in silence with the invisible wounds of war. Every day 22 veterans commit suicide.

Veterans with PTSD need our help. Thanks to endorsement and support from GallantFew, this survey is being sent to thousands of you as a step in developing new programs to help our fellow veterans that are suffering. If you would like to help, please take the survey by clicking on the link below. Your feedback will help ensure that our comrades get the care they need and are not left behind.


Thank you in advance for your help.

Jeff Decker

U.S. Army, 2nd Ranger Battalion (2004-2008)
Purdue University EBV Class of 2014

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Amputee Pain Research - Survey

"Help researchers understand amputee pain and phantom pain by taking a 10 minute anonymous survey. We are interested in hearing from people with amputations at ALL levels and ANY level of pain (including no pain).

We hope to answer basic questions that directly impact amputees, including how phantom limb pain changes with time. This survey tool will be used one day to identify the best treatment for amputee pain and phantom limb pain.

Please go to: www.neuromaphantom.com  to request an access code to complete the study.

If you have any questions please contact Carlee Culver at carlee.j.culver.ctr@mail.mil  or 806-323-2110.

Thank you for your time.

Benjamin Kyle Potter, MD, FACS
LTC, MC, USA
Vice Chair, Orthopaedic Surgery
Musculoskeletal Oncology - JPMCC/WRNMMC & NCI/NHLBI/NIH Chief Orthopaedic Surgeon, Amputee Patient Care Program Department of Orthopaedics, WRNMMC"