BVA’s 75th National Convention became a causality of COVID-19 when the decision to cancel the gathering was made on May 8. In lieu of the annual convention, BVA hosted a series of successful virtual Zoom webinars on Zoom on August 10, 12, and 18-20 that were also live streamed on Facebook and drew audiences in the hundreds. We kicked off the series with an Introduction to Zoom on August 10 in order to help our

The acronym is LDRSHIP and the uppercase letters stand for Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, Personal Courage. These are the values of the United States Army to which Master Sergeant Eric Marts of Moorhead, Minnesota first committed himself when he enlisted in the Army National Guard in 1985. They are values to which he has remained devoted and true, notwithstanding the adversities he encountered as he fought for the freedom of millions and

As veterans of the U.S. Military, we are proud to have trained to defend our nation and then to have served honorably in whatever capacity and wherever we were assigned. Although we hold in special esteem the branch of the military in which we served, in my case the Marine Corps, the values promoted by each branch overlap and have many of the same themes. These are the values we have taken with us to

Values: Specific or general, there are positive values embedded in our organizations, our military, and our Constitution. They are hopefully enduring values. “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” are just the basis for values and freedoms such as independence, courage, leadership, integrity, honor, etc. As a blinded veteran or family caregiver, empower yourself and others through courage, integrity, independence, and dignity. How is this done? By standing up for yourself and your fellow “man”