VA is now encouraging all veterans who were discharged from military service for refusing the COVID vaccine, numbering perhaps in the thousands, to seek an upgraded status and apply for restored GI Bill benefits.  A Department press advisory, distributed earlier this week, referenced President Trump’s January Executive Order 14184, Reinstating Service Members Discharged Under the Military’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate. Following issuance of the Executive Order, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed the military departments to […]

The Thanksgiving season means family, friends, and yummy smells coming from the kitchen that can tempt us to “pawtake” in the feasting. Although we are a part of the family, it is important for humans to know that some of the food on the table can be harmful to our bellies and even, in some cases, toxic! Below is a quick list of “paw-approved” foods and foods to avoid during the Thanksgiving holiday and stretching […]

The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) celebrates its 84th birthday on Monday, December 1. As the civilian auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, CAP was, ironically, established just six days before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Its purpose was to provide civilian air support to aid the war effort of World War II through border and coastal patrols, military training assistance, courier services, and other activities. After the close of the war, CAP was transferred […]

The scheduled meeting of the BVA Book Club for Wednesday evening, November 26 (Thanksgiving Eve), has been suspended due to possible conflicts with holiday preparations for the following day. The club will likely resume meeting sometime in December but probably not on the scheduled Wednesday, December 24 date when a potential holiday conflict could also occur.  Group Leader Anthony Woodson advises both current readers and those new to the book club to start and/or continue […]

The House of Representatives and Senate this week acted on S. 2392, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2025, sponsored originally by Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs Chairman Jerry Moran (R-KS). The measure passed both chambers.   A Presidential signature is expected shortly, kicking in additional compensation for inflation for wartime disability, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) for surviving spouses and children.   […]

Limited space in last week’s edition prevented BVA Happenings from including some of the most important and relevant images capturing the day’s events. This week’s issue looks back in pictures at some of those events.   VA Secretary Doug Collins, left, with BVA National President Wade Davis. Secretary Collins with Interim National Executive Director Lea Rowe The U.S. Army Band and Chorus provided the prelude music and several numbers for the ceremonial portion of the 72nd […]

BVA member, master speaker and writer, and Visions of BVA podcast host Steve Baskis left his Colorado home last week to spend a few days in Green Bay, Wisconsin, invited by close friend and river running colleague Ken Braband, the latter of whom co-founded the Milwaukee Team River Runner (TRR) chapter in 2011 and three years later formed a TRR chapter in Green Bay. TRR has hosted blinded veterans on kayaking activities throughout the country […]

Current BVA National Sergeant-At-Arms Brian O’Connell, a graduate of Norwich University, is spotlighted in the Fall edition of the Norwich Record, his alma mater’s alumni magazine. Flying Blind: From B-52s to the Classroom by Zack Bennett details Brian’s career as a U.S. Air Force navigator, academic instructor, flight instructor, squadron commander, and several other positions of major responsibility.   The article also traces Brian’s progressive but gradual loss of sight, multiple retirements, new connections to important […]

The Marine Corps celebrated its 250th birthday this past Monday with numerous events, including a major celebration in Philadelphia featuring historical reenactments, parades, and the one hundredth Marine Corps Birthday Ball in the Grand Ballroom of the City of Brotherly Love’s Bellevue Hotel, site of the first anniversary ball in 1925. Other celebrations throughout the year have included special ceremonies and activities at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, a Marine Week event in […]