My friend Christina Roof at AMVETS just posted a reminder about this a few days ago, which reminded ME that I shoulda put this up when it first happened in April, and didn’t (no good reason).

Veterans with service dogs are now eligible for the same VA benefits that veterans with guide dogs have been receiving for years.

Details here:  “VA Clarifies Veterans’ Assistance Dog Policies, Offering Benefits For New and Previously-Denied Claims”

This is an absolute must-read for anyone with an interest in service dogs for veterans (i.e., EVERYBODY). It explains the VA policy on service dogs, the process to have one approved, and how to apply for the  benefits VA provides for care of the dog. (BTW, the link in that article to the VA site is wrong – this is the correct one: http://www.prosthetics.va.gov/ServiceDogFAQ.asp )

I talked about this issue back in September of last year (“Finally, The Real Story About The Department Of Veterans Affairs And Service Dogs For Veterans”). As I said at the time, it seemed like, after 7 years of saying they weren’t gonna do it, the service dog change just ’showed up’ on the VA website one day without any announcement.  Plus it also appeared that veterans were still getting differing answers about that change depending on what office they talked to.

This clarification addresses those issues. And, as the AMVETS release says, you need to reapply for this benefit even if – in fact, ESPECIALLY if – you were turned down before.

The big issue here, and my concern all along, has been that there could’ve been many veterans who might’ve applied for a service dog, but haven’t because they’ve been concerned about handling the routine expenses, and they just didn’t want to say that.

We’re never gonna know how many we missed in the 7 years it took to make this change, but at least that’s not something we should have to worry about any more.

Assuming, of course, the process works as advertised. I’m VERY interested to see people’s experiences with it -  please let me know what they are, good or bad.

ble for the same VA monthly stipend for expenses that veterans with guide dogs have been receiving for years.

In case it’s not real obvious which one (or you’re just a wiseguy):  one of us hasn’t been to space – me.

It was my great privilege and honor to spend a large portion of Monday and Tuesday this week with three astronauts from Space Shuttle mission STS-131 who just returned from space April 20th – Commander Navy Capt Alan Poindexter, Pilot Air Force Col Jim Dutton, and Mission Specialist Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger.

The occasion was a visit here to Colorado Springs including Challenger Middle School, Challenger Learning Center, Mountain View Elementary School, and the US Air Force Academy that was organized by my close friend Art Romero and which he very graciously allowed me to be a part of.

I’ve known Jim since he was a cadet at USAFA and I was on the staff over 20 years ago, Dex and Dottie I only met this week, but I’ll tell you this about all three of them. I honestly think you couldn’t meet three more impressive and truly just plain nice people on the planet (or I guess off the planet, too – that just rolled right off my tongue that way, I swear).  Although Dottie really has the edge there (sorry, guys) – I’d been told more than once before I met her that everybody just loves her, and now I understand why.

Beyond that, it was another tremendous experience and one of those once-in-a-lifetime things you feel very, very lucky to have been involved with.  That really doesn’t even begin to cover it, but it’s about all I know to say.

And just like I mentioned a few days ago when talking about Rocky Bleier, same thing applies here, too.  If you know me, you know at some point we’ll be talking about service dogs, especially for veterans, and Canine Companions for Independence, and you can bet that happened with my three astronaut friends as well.

Thanks again to everybody who made this possible, starting with Art.

(Click on the image for a much larger version)

When I heard Rocky Bleier was coming to the Warrior Games, I knew I had to meet him, although I had no idea how to make that happen.

If you don’t know who Rocky is or his story….well, you should. Go look it up right now – I’ll wait.

I grew up in Pittsburgh in the 60s and early 70s and was already in the Air Force by the time Rocky and the Steelers won their first Super Bowl in 1975. Matter of fact, I was actually home from DC for the Martin Luther King Day weekend and went to the parade that Monday on the way back to the airport. (Yes, for those who aren’t old enough to remember, there was actually a time they played the Super Bowl in the middle of January and not February. But I digress…)

When they won the next one a year later in Jan 1976 I was in Thailand, and watched it in the middle of the night on one of the first live satellite TV broadcasts the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service did – in fact, might’ve been the first. By the time they made it back in Jan 1979, I’d been to language school in the States again and was back overseas, this time in the Philippines, but again watching them live on TV in the middle of the night as they beat the Cowboys in a game that my Dallas fan friends still get tight jaws about to this day (and which still gives me great pleasure to see them get). For the last of the first four in Jan 1980 I was back in Omaha.

I don’t think any of that is unusual or makes me special – there are thousands of men and women who could tell the same story, only with the locations changed. And I didn’t ask him, but I bet Rocky hears those stories all the time. I think he really likes to still hear them, but then again he could just be the nice guy I truly think he is and he’s just humoring all of us.

Rocky was probably always my favorite Steeler, and my reasons are what I really think are the obvious ones. Doing his time when he probably coulda gotten out of it, coming back from being so badly wounded, and going on to win four Super Bowls.

What I always liked most, though, was even when the Steelers were at the top, Rocky seemed to be the guy that got overlooked by other teams, didn’t get the credit for being the fantastic player he was, and he was always happy to burn the teams that did that.  They’d be looking for Franco, or Stallworth, or Swann, and – bang – Bradshaw hands the ball off to “little” Rocky and he either eludes a buncha guys, or pounds down the middle with a few of them – almost always much bigger than he was – hanging on for dear life.

So, when I was standing at the end of the Olympic Training Center pool Friday afternoon about quarter to 5 just as the final event of the games had ended, and I looked up and about an arm’s length away, there was Rocky… Well, once I got past that momentary delay your mind does as it realizes “Yeah, that’s really who that is”, I knew I had to say hello.

We took that great picture you see, and then talked for several minutes – no crowds, “posses’, anybody – just us. (And, yes, he does look that good. I didn’t realize he was 64 until I looked it up later – I should look that good now, much less then, and had I thought about it, I’d have asked him what the secret was.)

Perfect ending to what has been one of the most wonderful – and emotional – coupla weeks of my life.

Oh, yeah…

Since the focus of this site is service dogs, in particular dogs for veterans and from Canine Companions for Independence, you may be wondering what this post has to do with that.  Well, we were there with our current puppy in program, Ophelia, and Rocky, just like everybody else I meet, got to hear about that subject in some detail from me (actually, he asked ME about it).

Rocky, thanks again.

]]> http://www.albrittain.com/veterans/rocky-bleier-and-me-at-the-warrior-games/feed/ 2 http://www.albrittain.com/veterans/wounded-warriors-on-ice/ http://www.albrittain.com/veterans/wounded-warriors-on-ice/#comments Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:41:37 +0000 Al http://www.albrittain.com/?p=2058 Saw this USA Hockey Magazine story about the USA Warriors Ice Hockey Program via the Walter Reed Army Medical Center fan page on Facebook yesterday – talk about motivational! (Not to mention probably the coolest hockey story I’ve ever seen.)

“I’m probably the only person you’ll ever meet who opted to have their leg amputated so they could play hockey, and that was my whole goal. I spent two and a half years at Walter Reed, and everyone there knew that my first goal in life was to get back on the ice.”  – SFC Joe Bowser

Read the whole thing here: “The Warriors Way”

Read more here:
Double Amputee Skydives at Walter Reed
Dana Bowman

Here’s a must-watch three minute video:

You can read more details of his actions that day at Blackfive:

“SFC Jared Monti – Medal Of Honor (Afghanistan)”

WLF is “a non-partisan organization committed to the protection and promotion of the reputation and dignity of America’s Warriors” and is “a passionate advocate for the preservation and elevation of the hallowed legacy of the American Warrior Class.”  Their core tenets are:

I. Defend the Defenders
(Through advocacy and policy influence, we will enhance our warriors ability to fight and win)

II. Care for the Wounded
(We will never stop fighting for dignified and complete care of our wounded troops)

III. Honor the Sacrifices
(We will never forget the Fallen and we will honor the sacrifices made by military families)

Yeah, I know there’s a sea of “veterans groups” already, but I see this one as occupying a unique place, which I think will become apparent to you the more time you spend on the site and the more you read. For one thing, you don’t have to be a veteran to join.

Plus, the big thing that makes this one stand out for me is the people behind it, in particular Matt Burden and David Bellavia.  I don’t know them personally, but I know of them – they have stellar reputations and are “real deal” guys – and we do have some mutual friends.  Please make sure to read their bios and statements, and watch their videos:

Matt Burden:

http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/staff/details.asp?id=12218

http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/?page=History

David Bellavia:

http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/staff/details.asp?id=12216

http://www.warriorlegacyfoundation.org/?page=ExecutiveDirMessage

So, please go to the site, check it out, and join if you are so inclined.

It’s a very personal interview where Susanne really lays out her feelings for the troops and where those feelings come from. Very enlightening, too, since I don’t know that most people understand that the Red Cross does the kinda things she talks about:

“Red Cross seeks customers, support”

Doesn’t mention it there, but she’s a very big supporter of service dogs for veterans as well as the new therapy dog program at Fort Carson – she’d been instrumental in the therapy dog program at Landstuhl before coming here.

As I said, a very personal interview, and, knowing Susanne some, I know that it’s dead on accurate – helping out wounded warriors is her life.  I give her big points for being so forthcoming – Susanne explains her reasons for doing that on her blog, One Life to Give:

“Red Cross in The Fort Carson Mountaineer”

Air Force Coach Troy Calhoun (in blue) and Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel visit Henry Bautista at a U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.

The visit is part of Coaches Tour 2009, where a number of NCAA coaches are visiting the troops – next stops are Turkey and Iraq. You can read more here:

“NCAA coaches visit wounded warriors in military hospital”

Riders in the Wounded Warriors Soldier Ride make their way over the Naval Academy Bridge Saturday morning.

“Residents, mids honors Wounded Warriors with bike ride”

This is the sixth year for the ride, which kicked off at the White House on Thursday.  You can check the entire schedule for the rest of this year’s ride events here:

http://sr.woundedwarriorproject.org/