CalVet Newswatch brings you the latest veteran news from California and beyond, delivered weekly to your inbox and updated daily on CalVet Connect. Scroll down to view highlights of this week’s top articles, or click here to visit our site.
California State Parks Offers Free Admission to Veterans and Military Personnel on Veterans Day
CA STATE PARKS — California State Parks honors the service of veterans, as well as active and reserve personnel, by offering free admission at 143 participating state parks on Veteran’s Day, Saturday, November 11. “California State Parks is proud to offer free admission on Veterans Day to all active military personnel and veterans as gratitude for their service. We welcome veterans to the amazing natural and cultural resources of our state’s parks,” said California State Park’s Director Lisa Mangat.
VA secretary calls Texas shooter a criminal, not a veteran
MILITARY TIMES — Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin took exception to describing the Texas church shooter as a veteran, because he was given a bad conduct discharge for domestic violence crimes in the ranks. “In my opinion, I do not consider him a veteran,” Shulkin said at a National Press Club event on Monday, one day after the Texas tragedy. “That would give him much more respect than he deserves. He is a criminal.”
Veteran employment in October breaks another record
MILITARY TIMES — The number of unemployed veterans continued to tick downward in October, marking a record low unemployment rate for the second month in a row, according to federal data released Friday. The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers show 2.7 percent of veterans were unemployed last month, down from 3 percent in September. Prior to September, the lowest veteran unemployment rate on record was 3.2 percent.
WWP survey shows some improvements for injured veterans
MILITARY TIMES — Despite serious military injuries, Wounded Warrior Project members have seen a steady growth in employment and college graduation rates in recent years, according to the group’s latest membership survey. More than a third of group’s members have earned at least a bachelor’s degree, up from 27 percent two years ago, and about 13 percent struggle with unemployment issues, a steady decline in recent years.
New technology puts the AI in aid for US veterans
TECH CRUNCH — As part of their latest endeavor to improve care for our country’s combat vets, the Department of Veterans Affairs has invested in a rapidly advancing form of intelligence: the artificial kind. AI has been hailed by most forecasters as a revolutionary force in all manner of fields, from transportation to predicting the weather, and this exciting wave of possibility promises to transform the healthcare sphere, as well. The opportunity to use this growing tech to improve veteran healthcare has rightfully attracted positive attention to some intriguing new initiatives.
After long debate, work to begin on Eisenhower Memorial
MILITARY TIMES — After years of public controversy and debate, work is finally set to begin on a massive memorial to President Dwight Eisenhower. A groundbreaking ceremony Thursday marked the start of the project, which has been plagued for years by a bitter fight over the memorial’s design and aesthetics. Speakers at the ceremony included members of the Eisenhower family, architect Frank Gehry and Kansas Senator Pat Roberts.
Anderson veteran almost finished with veterans cemetery art
KRCR NEWS — Steve Trammell was drafted by the Army and sent to fight in the Vietnam War when he was 19 years old. He spent a year overseas as a combat engineer. Like many soldiers, life wasn’t easy once he returned. Trammell is a welder and a fitter. He’s famous for his up to 9-foot-tall eagle statues. One of which is made up of 400 pounds of brass. He’s traveled the western part of the country showing these statues and providing them for memorials and events. He calls the project the “Belly of the Eagle”. Each eagle represents losses from a different conflict or tragedy from America’s military history. He is now creating an Air Force Memorial statue for the Northern California Veterans Cemetery in Igo.
