VA’s National Cemetery Administration (NCA) manages 155 national cemeteries in 42 states. Memorial Day ceremonies will be conducted this year in more than 130 of them. NCA also provides headstones, markers, medallions, and Presidential Memorial Certificates for qualified veterans.  While not officially designated as NCA until 1998, its administrative birthday is 1973 when Congress passed the National Cemeteries Act creating an agency within the then Veterans Administration to oversee the national cemetery system dating back […]

Interest in BVA’s Dog Handlers Committee continues to steadily increase. This past week, for example, the monthly third Tuesday afternoon virtual meeting set a record for a session’s highest number of attendees ever. The addition of guest speakers, coupled with increased publicity and relevant discussion topics, appear to be significant factors in the recently added enthusiasm. The topics for this past week’s session were caring for a guide dog during the summer season and traveling […]

BVA members Lonnie Bedwell and Shawn Cheshire are now ever closer to reaching the top of Mount Everest and Mount Lohtse. A critical factor in the training and preparation has been adapting to the lack of oxygen at the altitudes at which they are now finding themselves (26,000-29,000 feet above sea level). On Tuesday (May 16), the teams received the green light to start climbing again after 15 days at base camp and on Wednesday […]

BVA Convention Coordinator Meredith Buono-DaGrossa continues to advise BVA members and their families to register as soon as possible for the Association’s 78th National Convention August 14-18, 2023, and to make reservations with the Marriott St. Louis Grand in the Gateway City. She also recommends making flight or other travel arrangements as soon as possible to secure the best rates.  Individuals and families planning to attend this year’s activities—highlighted by educational sessions, an increasingly popular […]

Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) has announced the second Flowers of Remembrance Day to be held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Sunday, May 28. The event precedes programs and ceremonies the following day at which BVA traditionally participates in a parade of flags and an organizational wreath presentation.  According to Gabriel Botero, Jr., Acting Veteran Service Organization Liaison for the Veterans Health Administration, the response from the public at last year’s inaugural Flowers […]

BVA’s Women Veterans Group was created to serve, support, and promote camaraderie among blinded and now low vision women veterans through awareness and advocacy efforts affecting their health and welfare.  The group’s leadership committee meets every fourth Wednesday of the month while the general membership virtual meeting occurs the day following, usually the fourth Thursday and on rare occasions the fifth Thursday. The virtual meetings via Zoom begin at 6:00pm Eastern Time. The next general […]

Join BVA’s VetTech Team this Wednesday, May 24, at 2:00pm Eastern Daylight Time as we welcome Dennis Moulton and Donny Osborn, Sales and Marketing Managers for Oregon-based Boundless Assistive Technology. The two company representatives will address the unparalleled selection of Assistive Technology and customer support options offered to the blind and low vision by Boundless.  The Assistive Technology industry and its products can present users with life-transforming opportunities when the appropriate product is matched with […]

BVA Louisiana/Mississippi Regional Group Secretary Gary Schoelerman recently reported that some of the group’s members, a little more than a year ago, convinced one of its newer members, Shawntina Gibson, to attend a Team BVA hiking-rock climbing-kayaking-biking event. Shawntina had never been rock climbing or kayaking before, and she hadn’t ridden a bike in years, but she was willing to give it a try and quickly fell in love with the challenge to mind and […]

BVA Happenings is pleased to acknowledge the latest in the list of holidays that make up National Military Appreciation Month throughout May 2023, paying special tribute tomorrow, May 20, to those currently serving in all six branches of the U.S. Military: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, the newly created Space Force, and Coast Guard, including the National Guard and Reserve Components of these branches. Prior to 1950, single celebrations were conducted for the Army, […]

Recognizing today, May 18, as Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) 2023, the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) is one of 52 national organizations to sign a statement calling on the federal government to require websites and software applications to be accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities. GAAD was created in 2011 to call attention to digital access and inclusion. An estimated one billion individuals worldwide and 61 million living in the United States currently […]