On this West Virginia Morning, we cover several energy stories from the latest on the gas well explosion in Pennsylvania to what the West Virginia Legislature is considering to help protect gas well workers. Also, solar energy discussions, and a ride on a snowtube.
Tag: Veterans
American Legion Post 16 in Huntington to Host Forum
The country’s largest organization of wartime veterans, the American Legion will host a town hall meeting in Huntington tonight.
Members of the American Legion’s System Worth Savings Task Force plan to listen to concerns of veteran’s about the care they receive at the VA Medical Center in Huntington. Periodically the team visits VA Medical Centers is different regions of the country to evaluate the care being given, part of each trip includes a sit down with veterans from the area and specifically ones who have received care at the VA.
Jacob Gadd is Deputy Director for Health Care for the American Legion.
“We’ve found that veterans have a lot of pride in the care that they receive at the VA and while there are some challenges with parking or getting an appointment, different types of challenges with access, but we also encounter quality of care issues and concerns,” Gadd said.
As part of the teams site visit they’ll interview patients, staff and administrators at the hospital. The System Worth Savings Task Force was created in 2003. Gadd said the site visits are important to make sure that the veterans continue receiving the care they should.
“We’ve seen tremendous improvement over the last ten years and that’s really our goal with this report, understanding what improvements have been made, what issues or concerns the 15 hospitals we’re visiting this year are facing and then what is the VA’s five year plan,” Gadd said.
The task force travels to about 15 VA medical centers per year. They’ll compile an annual report based on findings and submit it to Congress, the White House and senior VA leadership. Veterans with concerns are invited to attend the meeting at the American Legion Post 16 Monday night at 7pm.
Listen to an interview with artist Maya Lin about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Listen today at 2 p.m. on West Virginia Public Radio
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial from Studio 360, part of the American Icons series
How do you build a monument to a war that was more tragic than triumphant? Maya Lin was practically a kid when she got the commission to design the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall. “The veterans were asking me, ‘What do you think people are going to do when they first come here?’” she remembers. “And I wanted to say, ‘They’re going to cry.’” Her minimalistic granite wall was derided by one vet as a “black gash of shame.” But inscribed with the name of every fallen soldier, it became a sacred place for veterans and their families, and it influenced later designs like the National September 11 Memorial. We’ll visit a replica of the wall that travels to veterans’ parades around the country, and hear from Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel how this singular work of architecture has influenced how we think about war.
Efforts to help state veterans continue
The author of a study published last year on state veterans is trying to do more to help them.Joseph Scotti has started a new organization called WHOLE…
The author of a study published last year on state veterans is trying to do more to help them.
Joseph Scotti has started a new organization called WHOLE Veterans. It stands for Welcome Home: Overcoming, Living, Engaging.
Scotti says it takes a lot of different people within a community to encourage veterans to reach out for help when they need assistance. He says there simply aren’t enough people at the moment to deal with absolutely every veteran who needs care.
The American Psychiatric Association’s guide on how to treat post-traumatic stress disorder has been updated. Scotti says veterans shouldn’t be worried about stricter qualification standards for treatment.
Scotti’s next study is geared specifically to hear from Gulf War veterans.