NCW Veteran News | NCW Veterans Info

08 Nov 2020

Can you believe this website started 4 years ago?! Neither can I! It’s certainly come a long way from the humble beginnings. Not only did I not have a lot of connections with the many regional resources yet, but I was also still somewhat new to developing websites with WordPress. Through the years working on this site as well as numerous sites for other clients, I’ve learned a lot about usability, features, administration, and sustainability. I’ve tried out a lot ...

29 Oct 2020

Free Access to National Parks expands to all Veterans and Gold Star Families

“Starting next month, veterans and Gold Star families will be able to visit national parks and other public lands for free, under a new initiative from the Department of the Interior announced on Wednesday. “Active-duty service members and their families are already granted free access to those sites under existing department rules. The new announcement broadens that benefit to more than 20 million more individuals in recognition of their service and sacrifice on behalf of the country. “In a statement, ...

28 Oct 2020

Less-Than-Honorable Discharge? Request an upgrade

Useful Information

“Veterans kicked out of the military due to negative behavior related to post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and sexual trauma have been upgrading their discharges after a 2017 law change, but there are potentially thousands of others left without access to care or benefits because of less-than-honorable discharges. “The landmark Fairness for Veterans Act, included in the 2017 military funding bill, aimed to help veterans upgrade their discharges. It requires a review from military officials to consider medical evidence ...

23 Oct 2020

Twisp American Legion Food Drive

Post Pride

On Sept. 17, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., American Legion Post 143 set up no-contact drop-off locations at both the post and at Hank’s Harvest Foods in Twisp. In addition to collecting toilet paper, laundry detergent, non-perishable boxed items and dozens of canned goods totaling several hundred pounds for The Cove food bank in Twisp, Post 143 also was able to collect nearly $700 in donations. “We took the money and we split it between the food bank and disaster relief ...

19 Oct 2020

Mann-Grandstaff Gets New VA Medical Records System

News

Spokane is on the front lines of rolling out a new electronic medical records system for veterans’ health care. Last month, officials from the Veterans’ Administration were on site at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center to provide training on the new and improved system. This new electronic records system will allow the many different branches of the VA Medical System to share information, such as patient records and medical history, without the need to issue print copies of those records ...

12 Oct 2020

Useful Information

Interested in starting and running a small, sustainable farm? Then this new course presented by WSU might be just the ticket. “Cultivating Success™: Whole Farm Planning is a 9-week, step-by-step course, to help you prepare a well thought out plan for your land, life, and farm business. Learn how to use a whole systems lens to create a living plan for your small farm future. Classes will meet weekly through Zoom, in an online classroom environment. You will be able ...

01 Oct 2020

Postvention – Support After Suicide Loss

As we transition out of Suicide Prevention Month (September), this seemed like a timely article worth sharing. “Veterans have a significantly higher suicide rate than other adults in the U.S. This means Veterans are also more likely to have known someone who took their own life. Uniting for Suicide Postvention (USPV) helps make sense of a suicide loss. The program connects survivors with resources to help them work through powerful and unique emotions specific to this type of grief.” “Suicide ...

29 Sep 2020

Tour of Duty Foundation

News

A community came together for an unaccompanied veteran who passed away, and in that process, another veteran discovered their new mission. Tour of Duty is a new non-profit that will serve active duty, veterans, and unaccompanied service members. I spoke with Cortlin Martin about this adventure and what he hopes will come of it. Can you tell us more about how this all started? “I found out the hard way back in March of 2020 that there are ...

29 Sep 2020

Civil Air Patrol updates – Sept 2020

Post Pride

During the last 6 months our meeting has gone completely virtual. The Senior staff and Cadets are still working hard on promoting and earning their achievements. PROMOTIONS Emmanuel Larson to c/Major, Cadet Commander Caleb Darlington to c/2nd Lieutenant, “A” Flight Commander Sophia Black to c/Staff Sergeant, “A” Flight Sergeant Austin Jeffris and Evan Coble to c/Staff Sergeant Hayden Reiber to c/Airman 1st Class Oliver Cawdery to c/Airman, “A” Flight Element Leader Chase Bull, Grey Olin, Kingsley Servian to c/Airman AWARDS ...

24 Sep 2020

Veterans In Business: Aaron Todd, Downtown Bike

Business

Welcome to a new feature here at NCW Veterans Info: Veterans In Business. It’s my honor to introduce you to local veterans who are starting or running businesses here in North Central Washington. In this first edition, meet Aaron Todd, owner and operator of Downtown Bike in Cashmere. I met Aaron during the Supernova Business Launch competition and was excited to learn more about how his military service contributed to his current business endeavors. Please tell us a little ...

21 Sep 2020

Howard Lane featured in Business Journal

News

Local veteran Howard Lane, creator of Cosmic Cars, was recently featured in the Wenatchee Business Journal. Some veterans never stop serving their country and their community. Howard Lane is one of those. He is responsible for the idea and the creation of Cosmic Cars – wooden toys for kids. Nothing fancy, just pure fun. Lane states, “I got the idea after some discussions with Tony Sandoval on his future vision for the CCVSO. His basic mission of helping veterans ...

19 Sep 2020

The US Flag: Display Half Staff at Home

Useful Information

Do you fly a United States Flag at your home? Have you wondered how to properly fly your American flag at half staff when appropriate? You aren’t alone. Apparently, people have been searching for this information for the last 10+ years online… So let’s take a look at how this should be done. First off, it’s important to note that American flags on display at residential locations are not required to be lowered to half staff, even when the US ...