HR 2985 Veterans ID Card Act

P.O. Box 44 • Sandwich, MA 02563 • 508-888-1129 • veteransaction@gmail.com

December 20, 2011

The Honorable Bill Keating

297 North Street

Hyannis, MA 02601

Dear Representative:

The Cape and Islands Veterans Action Committee is requesting that Representative Keating co-sponsor the following bill, HR 2985; Veterans I.D. Card Act.

Atlantic County, NJ  Veteran ID

This bill would offer veterans a means of providing proof of having served in the armed forces of the United States.  Veterans must carry with them their DD214s in order to offer proof of service.  The I.D. card would provide a photo, thus, preventing fraud by some individuals.  The Veteran’s I.D. Card would be issued by request only.

WWII ID Card

A number of businesses offer discounts to veterans. The vast majority of veterans do not carry their DD214s with them resulting in the failure to receive those discounts.

Thank you for your consideration to co-sponsor this legislation.

Respectfully,

Richard D. Carey

Executive Director

Click here to read entire bill !

Patrol Officer Richard F. White Appointed as New Military Support Officer

THE YARMOUTH POLICE DEPARTMENT

MEDIA RELEASE

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Patrol Officer Richard F. White Appointed as New Military Support Officer

Yarmouth Police Department Patrol Officer Richard F. White has been appointed to serve as our first Military Support Officer.

The Yarmouth Police Department strongly supports and recognizes our Veterans and their families. We realize the sacrifices made and want to insure that all of the needs of our Police Officers and their families serving in our Armed Forces are recognized and met. We further recognize our nation’s large scale and long term commitment to two wars and the reliance on National Guard and Reserve Forces and that many of these individuals are past, current, and future members of the Yarmouth Police Department and the profession of Law Enforcement.

The creation of a Military Support Officer is a proactive step and part of our ongoing Community Policing Plan.  The appointment of Patrol Officer White is based on his record of serving with distinction for the past 24 years as a full time Yarmouth Police Department Patrol Officer. In addition, Patrol Officer White served for three years as an active duty soldier in our United States Army and for 18 years as a Military Police Officer in our United Army National Guard.  Furthermore, Patrol Officer White has earned an Associate Degree in Applied Science from Central Texas College and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Law Enforcement from Western New England College. Patrol Officer White resides in Yarmouth and is married and the proud father of three adult children.

In addition to his regular patrol duties, Patrol Officer White will serve as the point of contact between our Command Staff and front line Supervisors, Veteran Officers, and our Armed Forces.  Some of his areas of assignment are:

·         Understanding Today’s Military

·         Veteran Officer Reintegration Guidance

·         Employing Veteran Recruits

·         Available Veteran Resources 

·         Identify Issues and Make Referrals to the      Appropriate Resources

The men and women of the Yarmouth Police Department welcome Patrol Officer White to his new assignment and recognize the value of our Veterans and earnestly appreciate their ongoing service and sacrifice.

This media release was prepared and distributed by Yarmouth Police Department Deputy Chief of Police Steven G. Xiarhos

Phone:  508-775-0445 extension 2150 or 

Email: 

sxiarhos@yarmouth.ma.us

Towns faulted on aid to veterans Assistance mandates go unmet, state says!

Towns faulted on aid to veterans

October 25, 2011|By Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff

Massachusetts veterans and their dependents appear to be forfeiting hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual state benefits because some municipal officials who serve veterans are unaware of available aid, not working state-mandated hours, or not trying hard enough to locate retired service members, state officials say.
As a result, officials said, thousands of financially struggling veterans might not be receiving cash payments and medical reimbursements they are entitled to get.

Twenty-three communities have no veterans agent or do not employ a full-time officer, as required by law. A total of 177 cities and towns failed to meet the state’s Sept. 1 deadline to document the status of their veterans agents, according to officials.

Dear Friends of Veterans, and Veterans Agents, Public Officials and interested parties.

Until last week on December 7th, 2011,(Pearl Harbor Day 70 years later,) we in Harwich, had no listing for our towns' veterans agent!

• http://www.harwich-ma.gov/Public_Documents/HarwichMA_VetAgent/index

Brewster still has no listing on their town's website for their veteran agent as well, it would behoove us all to contact our various town web masters, as I have in Harwich and ascertain as to WHY we to seem hide our veterans service outreach telephone number numbers and email addresses.

Veterans have done their share and we continually disrespect them, and their families sacrifice, we at least owe it to ourselves and our veterans never forget the contributions and help these warriors and their families to have all services made directly and inconspicuous  available.

We must go beyond the yellow ribbons, and Veterans Day parades, and memorial day celebrations to actively help our veterans and their under-served families, by developing real outreach in actions, directories, and websites since this the the new medium of ideas and community information.

We should have town blogs and facebook communities helping each-others' communities as well, in the spirit of rationalization. We should also have a county wide veterans task force to be introspective and be in consultation with all towns to do a needs assessment of our Barnstable veterans.

We also I believe need a county mental health coordinator to connect the dots with both regular citizens, and their families as well as veterans, and their familie, to secure the much needed substance abuse counseling and treatment other than incarceration in the Barnstable House of Corrections.  Perhaps we should correct out thinking about treatment of mentally un-well individuals, and as the ADA acts states not  treat these folks as felons and criminals, but left untreated with PTSD and other maladies, they will cost our communities one way or another, and not forget that the human cost of war is ongoing as collateral damaged folks who live, and work among us. We need a alternative plan of action, rather that locking them up, and trowing away the keys. The real key is prevention, assessment and treatment and transportation to such treatment, county wide.

Why do we seem to incarcerate our veterans at an alarming rate in our state prisons and county jails? Why don't we have a census of the veterans in jails? The Massachusetts Bar association when asked recently how many members are veterans, stated "they knew not how many were veterans and never counted them!

We propose a new sensitivity for and to veterans, but it up to all of us to point the way forward and embrace our retuning brothers and sister veterans in facts and in deeds.

John Bangert

Veteran Advocate