Thursday, November 10, 2011

Opening Weekend of Heroes Homecoming A Dream Come True for Vietnam Vets

“Welcome Home” Celebration in Fayetteville, NC Gains Momentum as Veterans Day Weekend Approaches

Fayetteville, NC – November 10, 2011 – On a cold, rainy morning this past Friday, hundreds of people, the majority of whom were Vietnam War veterans, turned out for the opening ceremony of Heroes Homecoming in Fayetteville, NC. The ceremony, which was relocated indoors to the Airborne and Special Operations Museum (ASOM) due to weather, officially kicked off a commemoration that has been more than 30 years in the making. Heroes Homecoming is a 60-event, 10-day celebration honoring and paying tribute to Vietnam vets. The celebration will continue throughout the week in the days leading up to Veterans Day 2011.

Click here to view and download event photographs.

Event organizers have heard from Vietnam veterans from across the country – and even outside of the U.S. – who are planning on traveling to Fayetteville to take part in Heroes Homecoming. Vietnam veterans are noticeable as they arrive to town in large numbers, wearing t-shirts and baseball caps that proudly display their service. One Vietnam veteran in attendance at Friday’s opening ceremony described this long overdue welcome home as “a dream come true.”

Several events took place this past weekend following the opening ceremony, including the Heroes Crusade sporting tournament. The goal of the three-day event, which included a golf tournament, Fallen Warrior Rugby Tournament and run/walk/bike, was to raise awareness and funds for wounded warriors. Nearly 500 athletes participated in the tournament, raising $12,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project, Green Beret Foundation, RDU AMBUCS and Ride 2 Recovery.

The Vietnam Wall Traveling Memorial arrived in Fayetteville at the end of the Heroes Crusade bike ride. The memorial is a half-sized replica of the Washington, D.C. Vietnam Veterans Memorial and has been touring the country for more than 20 years. The wall was escorted into its position at the ASOM by the Rolling Thunder, who will also provide around the clock security while the wall is in town. The wall is open to the public 24/7 until noon on Monday, November 14.

Excitement surrounding Heroes Homecoming will continue to build with the arrival of Adrian Cronauer on Thursday, November 10. Cronauer is the inspiration behind the movie Good Morning, Vietnam and is the spokesperson for the event. Cronauer, who has dedicated a significant portion of his life to serving his fellow veterans, has spent the past several months making sure each and every Vietnam vet knows about Heroes Homecoming, so they can finally get the welcome home they deserve. He will participate in select Heroes Homecoming events while in town, including introducing a showing of his movie as part of the ASOM Film Festival on Friday, November 11; and taking part in the Veterans Day Parade and acting as emcee for the USO of NC Variety Show on Saturday, November 12.

The Veterans Day Parade, which will take place on Saturday at 11:00 a.m., will be the most visible of all the Heroes Homecoming events. The parade is the perfect opportunity for the entire community to come together in a public display of support and finally say ‘thank you’ to these deserving vets. All Vietnam vets are invited to take part by marching in the parade.

“We weren’t heroes and didn’t expect to be treated as heroes when we came home, but a simple ‘thank you’ would have been nice,” said Vietnam veteran and Heroes Homecoming committee member Bob Graveen. “That’s why Heroes Homecoming is such a big deal after all this time.”

Vietnam vets attending Heroes Homecoming are invited to check in at the event welcome center, which is located inside Freedom Memorial Park at the corner of Hay Street and Bragg Boulevard. Visitors can pick up event brochures and other information from the welcome center, which will be staffed with volunteers from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day.

Heroes Homecoming is being held in partnership with the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and is presented by WRAL-TV. For more information on Heroes Homecoming, visit www.HeroesHomecoming.com.

About Heroes Homecoming:
As America’s First Military Sanctuary Community, Fayetteville/Cumberland County is giving brave Vietnam veterans the welcome home they deserve. The community will host Heroes Homecoming – the biggest commemoration/reunion of its kind – for the 10 days leading up to Veterans Day 2011. The event series will feature celebrations, discussions, fellowship and memories for all those who attend. Heroes Homecoming is Fayetteville/Cumberland County’s way of showing all Vietnam veterans that we remember and appreciate their courage, their sacrifice and everything they’ve done to defend our freedom – now and forever.

About the FACVB:
The Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is a private, not-for-profit organization responsible for positioning Fayetteville/Cumberland County as a destination for conventions, sporting events and individual travel. For additional information, visit www.visitfayettevillenc.com or call 1-800-255-8217. Fayetteville/Cumberland County is America's first military sanctuary. Through the Army's Army and other volunteer groups, our citizens and businesses are dedicated to “watching over those who watch over us ©.”

Salute to Vietnam Veterans

Western Museum of Flight
November 12th, Saturday
11:00am – 3:00pm

Salute to Vietnam Veterans

Join us to honor American Veterans who served during the Vietnam conflict
 
·         Watch footage of aerial reconnaissance in Vietnam
·         See Vietnam-era warbirds up close
·         Hear a presentation on the origins of the Vietnam War and the history of American involvement
·         Free admission for Vietnam-era Vets!
 
3315 Airport Dr.
Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 326-954
www.wmof.com
 
Museum Members and Children FREE
Non-members: $5
Free parking available in museum lot

Refreshments available

Combined Federal Campaign Raises $7 Billion for Charities Nationwide

Beneficiaries of 50-Year-Old Program Available for Interview

Since 1961, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) has raised nearly $7 billion to help feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, protect the planet, cure diseases and change countless lives across the nation and around the world. Through the ups and downs of the American economy, more than 1 million Federal employees have continued to selflessly donate money and time to help those in need. In fact, despite the worst economy in decades, the CFC raised more than $281 million last year alone.

This Military Family Month and Veterans Day, the CFC and more than 150 benefitting charities that make a difference in the lives of military families across the country and around the world reaffirm their commitment to ensuring that service members and military families receive the care, support and resources they need and deserve. With the pending return of our Iraq war veterans and the ongoing hardships and uncertainties brought on by the nation’s current economic situation, the need for compassion, dedication and generosity has rarely been as great as it is now.

“Every day, our Armed Forces and their families are forced to make extraordinary sacrifices in service of our country,” said CFC Foundation Chair Kalman Stein. "As the CFC celebrates its golden anniversary, we hope such courage and devotion strengthens our commitment to these selfless individuals and inspires a new generation of Federal donors to usher in a vibrant new era of giving.”

WHO:  Spokespeople from the CFC - Spokespeople from national and local CFC benefitting charities that support service members and military families

WHY:  The CFC has helped change countless lives since its inception, including many service members and their families. The 50th anniversary is a great opportunity to showcase this impact and celebrate the CFC’s significant accomplishments.

WHEN:  Interviews are available through the end of the CFC giving season, December 15, 2011. Contact Scott Rieder at 202–248¬¬–5476 or srieder@vancomm.com.

The CFC is the world's largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign, with more than 200 CFC campaigns throughout the country and internationally helping raise millions of dollars each year. The mission of the CFC is to promote and support philanthropy through a program that is employee-focused, cost-efficient, and effective in providing all Federal employees the opportunity to improve the quality of life for all. Pledges made by Federal civilian, postal and military donors during the campaign season (September 1st to December 15th) support eligible non-profit organizations that provide health and human service benefits throughout the world. For more information about the CFC, visit http://www.opm.gov/cfc, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/FederalCFC and join us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CombinedFederalCampaign.

Salt Lake Community College Honors U.S. Veterans

The College One of 145 Schools Participating Nationwide in Remembrance Day Roll Call

Salt Lake Community College has joined a nationwide effort to honor American service men and women who have provided military service in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past decade. On Veterans Day, Friday, November 11, campus and community volunteers at more than 145 college and universities across the nation will read the names of the 6,200-plus casualties of Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn.

Conducted by West High School Navy JROTC Cadets, flag raising ceremonies will take place concurrently at 8:00 a.m. on November 11 at the flagpoles of the Taylorsville Redwood Student Center, South City Campus and Jordan Campus. 8:30 a.m. Roll Call will begin in the Student Event Center at the College’s Taylorsville Redwood Campus.

Each institution participating in the Remembrance Day National Roll Call will organize its own reading of names and will observe at Noon MST a simultaneous nationwide minute of silence.  Currently more than 145 schools in 50 states and the District of Colombia have agreed to participate in the event.

SLCC will have 35 volunteer readers, each of whom will read 180 or more names. Utah Army National Guard Chaplain Gene Whitmore will be one of the readers. “I’m involved with this event because I want to pay tribute to the men and women who have fallen,” Chaplain Whitmore said. “I also want to do what I can help to the general population understand how important the sacrifices are that soldiers—both those who live and who die—and their families are in defending this country’s freedom and our way of life.”

Lt. Col. (Ret) Brett Morris, the National Roll Call coordinator, said, “We wanted to rally campus communities across the nation to send a powerful message to the troops currently serving that their peers have not forgotten their sacrifices or those of the fallen.”

“The reading of individual names is very poignant because it emphasizes the significance of each and every life lost,” said Morris, a retired Army officer and the associate director for Veterans Affairs at Eastern Kentucky University.  “Like the names inscribed at the new 9-11 Memorial in New York, each of the fallen deserves to be remembered for their sacrifice. There is no effort to raise money or promote individual programs. The event is simply to honor those who have sacrificed so much on our behalf.”

The Remembrance Day National Roll Call is sponsored by the Veterans Knowledge Community of NASPA Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. NASPA is a 12,000-member association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of student affairs professionals. The Veterans Knowledge Community (VKC) mission is to advocate for best practices to help student Veterans transition to college and succeed. As the National Roll Call sponsor, the goal of VKC was to have at least one institution in each of the 50 states participate in the event.

For information about the Salt Lake Community College Roll Call events contact Darlene Head, at 801-957-3833 or email at Darlene.head@slcc.edu.  

For more information about the National Roll Call effort, contact Brett Morris at remembrancerollcall@gmail.com.

Visit va.eku.edu/rollcall for a complete list of participating schools.

Limelight Networks Provides Delivery Services for TV Worldwide 2011 Veterans Day Event Webcasts

Today, in honor of Veterans Day, Limelight Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:LLNW) announced that Limelight will provide digital content delivery services for TV Worldwide (TVWW) in a series of webcasts leading up to a national fundraising telethon event for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s Education Center (VVMF). The event will take place live from The Wall on November 11, 2011 via VVMF TV, the new Internet TV Channel that TV Worldwide has developed for VVMF, at www.VVMF.TV. Please share this news with your audience. Full text of the news release follows below and on Limelight’s media center.


TVWW leverages the Limelight Content Delivery Platform to support the webcast of numerous veterans and military events. This work is a part of an ongoing joint public sector relationship between Limelight and TVWW, in which Limelight provides exclusive content delivery services for TV Worldwide’s FedEd TV (www.FedEdTV.com ) Internet TV channel for government agencies and contractors.

To see Jeff Lunsford, CEO of Limelight, speak about the Veterans Day event with Dave Gardy, CEO of TV Worldwide, click here http://www.tvworldwide.com/player.cfm?ID=14074&width=560&height=314.

A.G. SCHNEIDERMAN RELEASES RESOURCE GUIDE TO ASSIST VETERANS AND SERVICE MEMBERS WITH CONSUMER, LEGAL PROTECTIONS

NEW YORK - As Veterans Day approaches, Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today released a resource guide to provide veterans and active duty military personnel information related to benefits, consumer protections and other legal issues. The Attorney General’s Resource Guide for Veterans and Service Members details numerous state and federal benefits available to those who have served in the armed forces, including housing, education and legal protections.

“To honor the brave men and women who selflessly serve our country, we must do everything we can to ensure military families are protected here at home,” said Attorney General Schneiderman. “From foreclosure protection to educational benefits to employment issues, veterans and active duty military personnel deserve to know the rights and benefits to which they are entitled. My office will continue to fight for those who have fought for us.”

The Attorney General’s resource guide details federal and state laws that provide benefits to those who have served in the armed forces, and includes:

• Educational benefits and opportunities;
• Protections related to debt, foreclosure, insurance, leases, and other contracts;
• A comparison of federal and state benefits; and
• Resources that provide additional information.

“Our servicemen and women are entitled to a number of important benefits, and the Attorney General's guide is a much-needed tool that will assist in navigating those resources. By helping our veterans and their families access the available services, Attorney General Schneiderman makes a critical contribution to our shared work of standing up for those who sacrifice for us,” said Senator William J. Larkin, who serves on the Committee for Veterans, Homeland Security & Military Affairs.

“As men and women in uniform return home to New York from serving abroad, it is more important than ever that we help them navigate through the complexities of the law. I am committed to working with the veterans of our state to guarantee that every right and benefit available to service members, dependents or survivors is protected,” added Schneiderman.

The Attorney General’s resource guide for veterans and active duty service members is available online at: www.ag.ny.gov/bureaus/consumer_frauds/vets/cover.html

Reflecting a commitment to standing up for our service members, earlier this year, Attorney General Schneiderman secured a $3.5 million settlement with a financing company that will result in hundreds of soldiers being relieved of their financial debt. The investigation revealed that the SmartBuy's Salmon Run Mall Kiosk was part of a larger scheme to defraud service members by deceptively reselling them computers and electronics at wildly inflated prices, and locking the soldiers into revolving credit agreements with undisclosed fees and very high interest rates--all paid directly from military paychecks to unlicensed lenders.