Dave Allevato - Service Officer
VFW Post 2150 -
McKinney, TX
With thanks and gratitude to: Lt. James “EMO” Tichacek, USN (Ret)
POW/MIA Update Valuable artifacts
stored away and forgotten for decades in a government warehouse have been
recovered and are being put to good use. The value of these relics is not
monetary, but their eventual rediscovery is expected to prove to be invaluable
to some families of
John Byrd, director of JPAC‘s Central Identification Laboratory, said he began searching for old chest radiographs in about 2001 or 2002. "I became aware of them because I read an old paper by an anthropologist who had used those radiographs for a study, and so I thought, ‗Man, those would be a treasure trove for us,'" JPAC members "kept asking the (National Personnel Records Center) in St. Louis, ‗Where are these things?' And nobody knew," In 2005 the center decided to destroy the X-rays because they were emitting noxious gases, and to recover the silver content. "Somebody luckily remembered that JPAC had been looking for these things and contacted us and said, ‗You still want these?'" JPAC, which is tasked with investigating, recovering and identifying missing American war dead, now has chest X-rays for about 75 percent of the Korean War missing, or about 6,400 individuals, officials said. The X-rays, taken for tuberculosis screening, are particularly useful because DNA to make an identification — a preferred method — can't be extracted from the Punchbowl unknowns.
According to the Congressional
Research Service, the 867 unknowns came from two sources: 416 were turned over
by the North Koreans following the armistice, and 451 were from U.S. Graves
Registration recovery efforts after the war. At
For 2012, JPAC said it has an even more ambitious goal of 30 Punchbowl unknown disinterments. As many as 400 sets of Punchbowl Korean War unknowns may be able to be tested for identification given current technologies — the most important of which is the chest radiographic comparison, JPAC spokesman Maj. Ramon Osorio said. The fewer number of disinterments and identifications in the past reflects the "careful approach we have taken over the years," he said. "Per current policy, we only exhume remains that we believe can be identified in relatively short order," Osorio said. The new emphasis also comes with increased pressure on JPAC to increase identifications as World War II and Korean War families seeking a return of lost loved ones themselves start to die off. The clavicle and vertebrae comparisons are now viewed as key potential components of an identification. Carl Stephan, a JPAC forensic anthropologist, said the command has been working on radiograph comparison for about seven years, but the past three years "is where we've really been able to home in on the methods and improve them and test them and make sure they are reliable and then start applying them to the cases that are coming through."
There are "well over dozens" of unique characteristics that can be examined on the relatively short clavicles alone, from their overall shape to ridges and spurs, Stephan said. With a single clavicle and a clear radiograph, "we can make an identification just off the one bone," said Stephan, who developed JPAC's standard operating procedures for making the X-ray comparisons. In a validation test with results published in the spring in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, Stephan said he and another individual were able to correctly pick out chest radiograph matches in a field of 1,000 individuals. Stephan also has been working to come up with searchable algorithms so a computer can make a match in seconds. "That's very pioneering and very difficult to do," said Byrd, the lab director. ―He‘s been at it a couple of years, and we have partnered with scientists at other federal labs to try to develop these algorithms. I would say we‘re probably within about eight months of having a usable program that will search for us.‖ [Source: Star Advertiser William Cole article 8 Nov 2011 ++]
VA Home Loan Update It‘s easy to forget that a house in the suburbs is not the only option a first-time home buyer has with a VA home loan. There are plenty of options available and the Department of Veterans Affairs has anticipated many of them when it comes to purchasing property and choosing options. For example, did you know VA will approve home loans for qualified borrowers who want one custom-built? A construction loan has rules and procedures especially for the issues related to having a new home built from scratch as opposed to existing construction homes. VA rules say ―eligible purposes‖ for a VA home loan include the ability to ―purchase or construct a residence, including a condominium or cooperative unit, to be owned and occupied by the veteran as a home‖. There are plenty of other options.
VA mortgage terms may also include money for the purchase of land where ―the residence is situated or will be situated.‖ Borrowers may choose to borrow money for a new construction home, or choose a manufactured house or mobile home AND the land required for the new home. For mobile homes, the VA requires the mobile home to be considered ―real property‖ which means there must be a permanent foundation. A mobile home or manufactured house can‘t be unattached to the permanent foundation, and other requirements apply including issued related to builder‘s warranties or guarantees for the foundation. Some borrowers already own land and don‘t want to purchase more. VA rules address these concerns, too. ―...Loans may also be guaranteed for the construction of a residence on land already owned by the veteran (a portion of the loan may be used to refinance a purchase money mortgage or sales contract for the purchase of the land, subject to reasonable value requirements)…‖ In these cases, construction is limited to properties with no more than four family units and a single business-use unit. The VA makes one exception in the case of ―certain joint loans‖. When applying for a VA loan under those circumstances, ask your lender what the rules and restrictions are for joint loans for your individual needs. The VA considers exceptions and unusual situations on a case-by-case basis. [Source: http://www.valoans.com/va_article.cfm?id=241 Oct 2011 ++]
DFAS Death Notification Defense Finance and Accounting Service officials report that survivors can now use a "fast form" to report the passing of a retiree on the Internet rather than waiting on the phone. The DFAS Form 9221 for notification of death can be processed quicker than faxed or mailed forms, said officials, and they save paper and postage costs. Officials warn that if a survivor doesn't receive confirmation of receipt from DFAS within 48 hours of submitting the form, they should call 800-321-1080. The form can be completed and submitted online from the privacy of a customer's home, or with the help of a casualty assistance representative. Submitting the form initiates all of the same actions a DFAS customer care center representative would:
-- The retiree's account will be suspended to avoid release of monthly payments.
-- A Standard Form 1174 claim form will be sent to the retiree's arrears-of-pay beneficiary.
-- If the decedent was enrolled in the Survivor Benefit Plan or the Retired Serviceman's Family Protection Plan, an annuitant care package will be sent to the beneficiary.
The notification-of-death form
is only for reporting the death of a military retiree. Annuitant deaths must
still be reported to one of the DFAS customer care representatives at
800-321-1080. For submission Part A and B are required. Part A is information
about the deceased. Part B is information about the person making this report.
DFAS would appreciate any information that you can provide in Part C and D. This
information will be used to contact the retiree's beneficiaries in order to
facilitate the payment of any outstanding retiree pay. To obtain the fastest
service, click "Submit" at the bottom of the internet page after you have filled
out the form. You may also fax it to (800) 469-6559 or mail it to DFAS at
Displaying the Flag A Navy veteran was
almost evicted from his
Management insisted that the flag eviction was not due to a lack of patriotism, and the complex even installed a lit flag pole outside the building after it was requested by some tenants. But Zivica criticized the pole, saying it lacked a pulley system, hence you can‘t lower the flag to half mast. Terry McDonald, the CEO of St. Vincent de Paul, the management company, said the notice was for ―hanging something outside the building without permission. If you're going to live in a situation where there's lots of other tenants, you need to follow the rules that are set up, McDonald said. The management has now relented and will allow him to hang his American flag in the commons area on Veterans Day — and some other days, as well. Now Zivika can display the red white and blue 20 days out of the year off the awnings, free from fear of eviction for doing so. St. Vincent de Paul said it got "a lot of attention" when the story spread nationally. So, it announced an agreement with Zivica: He can stay and the flag can be displayed on days the two parties have agreed on, "provided it is done in a manner that's respectful to the flag and our other tenants." Details about the specific days weren't immediately available. Zivika said, "It got resolved very quickly and it all went over well and I'm very pleased," He's pleased not just over the outcome, but the outpouring of support from around the country. "One thing that really excites me about this thing is all the e-mails, and Facebook and people calling up." The calls poured and by 11 a.m. 4 NOV, the receptionist counted 144 phone calls about the flag controversy. McDonald said, "The irony is that an organization that probably does more to help our veteran community as an agency is being pillaraged [sic] for not helping veterans."
The U.S. Congress passed the ―Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005‖ which states that ―A condominium association, cooperative association, or residential real estate management association may not adopt or enforce any policy, or enter into any agreement, that would restrict or prevent a member of the association from displaying the flag of the United States on residential property within the association with respect to which such member has a separate ownership interest or a right to exclusive possession or use.‖ However, the act goes on to say that an association may adopt ―any reasonable restriction pertaining to the time, place, or manner of displaying the flag of the United States necessary to protect a substantial interest of the condominium association, cooperative association, or residential real estate management association.‖ [Source: Associated Press articles 4 Nov 2011 ++]
Afghanistan/Iraqi Campaign Medals An additional campaign phase has been approved for the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Pentagon officials announced 1 NOV. Accordingly, an additional campaign star corresponding to the campaign phase is now authorized for wear on the campaign medal. Campaign stars recognize a service member's participation in DOD-designated military campaigns. Service members who have qualified for the Afghanistan Campaign Medal may display a bronze campaign star on their medal for each designated campaign phase in which they participated. The stars are worn on the suspension and campaign ribbon of the campaign medal. The period for the additional phase, called Transition I, began 1 JUL 2011 and will run through a date to be determined. Service members should contact their respective military departments for specific implementation guidance. The four previously approved campaign phases are:
Liberation of
Consolidation I: Dec. 1, 2001, to Sept. 30, 2006;
Consolidation II: Oct. 1, 2006, to Nov. 30, 2009; and
Consolidation III: Dec. 1, 2009, through June 30, 2011.
[Source: AFPS article 2 Nov 2011 ++]
Legislator’s Vet Voting Record To find out how your Congressman and Senator Voted on Key Veteran Issues plug in your zip code at http://capwiz.com/dav/keyvotes.xc/?lvl=C . You can also use the site http://www.votesmart.org/official_congress.php?dist=bio.php . Click on your state, click on your congressman click on issue…veteran issues.