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Recognizing the Service and Valor of Our Vietnam Veterans

Tomorrow, Saturday, March 29, is the eighth anniversary of the Vietnam War Veterans Recognition Act of 2017, signed into law during the first Trump Administration. The recent legislation designates each March 29 as National Vietnam War Veterans Day. To our now thousands of BVA members who served during the Vietnam War era, the National Board of Directors and National Headquarters once again offer a much belated but sincere “Welcome Home” and “Thank You for Your […]

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Vernon Humphrey Appointed New BVA National Executive Director

The BVA National Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Vernon F. Humphrey, PhD, as the Association’s 17th National Executive Director. Vernon’s new assignment is effective immediately. Vernon became active in BVA after enrolling in the Ambassador training course. During the intensive training in 2021, he learned more about the organization, which “lit a fire in him” to participate at a much higher level. He attended his first national convention in August 2022 in […]

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Celebrating 80 Years of Serving One Another: A Unique Cadre of American Veterans

At 8:45am Eastern Time, exactly 80 years ago today, some 100 blinded veterans gathered in one room, the size of which has never been documented, perhaps because so few of the attendees could see it. The room’s location was a residential school for boys, converted temporarily by the Franklin D. Roosevelt Administration into a training facility for veterans who had returned from World War II with little or no remaining sight. Many of them were […]

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Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month Gains Extra VA Emphasis  

Colorectal cancer is one of the most diagnosed cancers among veterans, and early detection can save lives. As part of its commitment to supporting veterans’ health, VA’s Veterans Health Administration hopes that every veteran knows about VA’s mailed FIT (Fecal Immunochemical Test) Program—a convenient way to get screened without needing to visit a VA facility. Each month, more than 25,000 eligible veterans receive a FIT in the mail. It’s a simple, at-home screening process that […]

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BVA Unites with Dozens of Organizations in Support of Major Richard Star Act

S. 1032, the bipartisan Major Richard Star Act, has the full support of BVA and approximately 50 of its sister organizations as Senate Veterans Affairs’ Committee Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Rick Scott (R-FL) team up to introduce the bill in the U.S. Senate. As proposed legislation affecting a number of blind and low vision veterans, S. 1032 already has 43 Senate co-sponsors. A House of […]

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In His Latest Book, Paschal Baute Offers Tips in Maintaining Sanity in an Insane World

BVA member Paschal Baute, Ed.D., of Lexington, Kentucky, 95-year-old retired psychologist, storyteller, author, poet, and frequent contributor to the BVA Bulletin, has added still one more book to his 40+ works centered on conflict resolution and human behavior. His latest, Sanity Way—Stories of People Keeping Their Heads above Water, outlines Paschal’s conclusions from listening to more than 70,000 hours of people’s problems and 16 contributors to the book. Through a collection of powerful stories about […]

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Revisiting the VA Auto Grant: Veterans May Be Eligible for Second Grant

BVA reported two years ago on an enhanced transportation benefit for disabled veterans. Based on a handful of recent inquiries, many new Association members, and more readers of BVA Happenings than ever before, the topic deserves to be revisited and reemphasized. Prior to early 2023, VA offered a one-time, single-use automobile grant to those who needed to buy a specially adapted vehicle outright, but this all changed with the passage of the Advancing Uniform Transportation […]

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Women’s History Month: A Look Back at Tenure of BVA National President Liz Carr

Celebrated annually in March, Women’s History Month is a time to commemorate and celebrate the contributions of women to culture, society, and the advances of civilization, recognizing their work on behalf of causes such as BVA. The Association’s members and their families need look no further than Elizabeth “Liz” Carr, a blinded veteran from Glen Oaks, New York, for a model of dedication, grace, and professionalism as she worked in support of her fellow veterans. […]

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Counting Down to an Astounding BVA Milestone

At 8:45am on March 28, 1945, approximately 100 recently returning World War II service members and veterans gathered for a much-publicized meeting at Avon Old Farms Army Convalescent Hospital. The minutes of the meeting recorded that the group assembled, all young men at the time, were recovering from combat injuries, the most notable of which was their loss of sight. Time spent at the Connecticut facility also consisted of a program of instruction and practical […]

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BVA Respectfully Salutes Sister Organization on Historic 106th

On March 15-17, 1919, more than a thousand war-weary members of the American Expeditionary Forces gathered in Paris for a “morale conference.” The Paris Caucus would lead to the creation of what would become The American Legion, a national organization that would advocate for veterans and service members of all branches of the military for more than a century. BVA congratulates the American Legion on this milestone accomplishment. The Legion, as it became known, was […]