Veterans News – January 25, 2016 Greetings all. What a snow storm! When I was growing up in Rochester, NY, in the 50's and 60's this was no big deal...but that was light years ago, and this is Washington DC. No plows in our neighborhood as of yet. For those of you that live in and around the DC area and all other areas hit by this storm, please be careful out there. Not a lot of News today because of Federal Government closure. Federal Government offices to be closed again tomorrow.
For Today: Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future. - John F. Kennedy
Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost. - John Quincy Adams
"Life in Washington is like being on a roll of toilet paper," said Riggins. "You know you're going to get smeared, but you try not to get flushed down." - Running Back Great, John Riggins before a Press Conference :-) :-)
---------------------------------------------------------------Veterans News ----------------------------------------------------------------Military.Com Article - VA Boss - Political Challenges Tougher Than expected. http://www.military.com/daily-news/2016/01/22/va-boss-political-challenges-tougher-thanexpected.html
------------------------------Piliero/Mazza, PLLC, Attorneys At Law, Client Alert – SBA Considers Public Comments on Proposed Size Standard Increases to NAICS Codes 562910 and 541519
. http://us5.campaignarchive1.com/?u=3137381f0d20c6d9665e6633f&id=628923da87&e=2437c2a935
------------------------------Defense News Early Bird Brief for Monday, January 25, 2016. http://view.exacttarget.com/?j=fe5912707562017b731d&m=ff011577756600&ls=fdcc1574746 702797514777266&l=fe8b13707d6c007d7c&s=fe1f13787563037a761273&jb=ffcf14&ju=fe241 17374610c78701374&r=0
------------------------------VA Media Summary and News Clips for Monday, January 25, 2016. Please see attached pdf.
----------------------------Reserve Officers Association (ROA) SmartBrief for Monday, January 25, 2016. http://www2.smartbrief.com/servlet/encodeServlet?issueid=6E24CADF-3ADB-420A-B76D762C4B9E66CB&sid=22cbe9eb-3ef0-4eca-8105-ef9f466dc32d
-----------------------------POLITICO Morning Defense for Monday, January 25, 2016. A Daily Briefing from Inside Washington’s National Security Apparatus. http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-defense/2016/01/carter-talks-ramped-up-isilcampaign-isil-video-shows-appears-to-show-paris-attackers-human-error-damaged-nuclearmissile-212320
------------------------------Your 5:00 pm Daily ExecutiveBiz Headlines. http://us4.campaignarchive2.com/?u=9447c61bfb9058cb4553aedbf&id=1243ca0c7c&e=a823c4dfb6
-------------------------------Your 12:00 pm Daily ExecutiveBiz Headlines. http://us4.campaignarchive1.com/?u=9447c61bfb9058cb4553aedbf&id=a37889fb5d&e=a823c4dfb6
--------------------------------Your 6:00 am GovConWire - Top News from Executive Mosaic. http://us4.campaignarchive2.com/?u=9447c61bfb9058cb4553aedbf&id=b65af0d4cd&e=a823c4dfb6
------------------------------Code of Support Foundation Presents Toast to Our Troops! Wednesday, February 10, 2016, 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Women in Military Service for America Memorial - 1 Memorial Ave., Arlington National Cemetery, VA. Come share in the camaraderie, and if you can, please consider sponsoring. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/toast-to-our-troops-tickets-19551817011?ref=ebtnebtckt
-------------------------------A Variety of Veterans Related News from a Variety of Sources.
The Washington Times: Soldiers on sabbatical in the private sector, an Army pilot program. While opening combat arms roles to female soldiers garnered the most publicity last month, minimal attention has been given to the Army’s decision to grant talented soldiers an opportunity to take a brief “intermission” in their military service to pursue opportunities in the private sector.
FOX News (Video): House probes claim the VA is spying on whistleblower emails. In this fourminute video, whistleblower Scott Davis claims VA is monitoring whistleblowers’ emails.
Examiner.com: GAO to audit VA’s Veterans Choice Program. In an effort to help veterans, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D, NY), Senator Johnny Isakson (R, Georgia), and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D, Connecticut) have convinced the GAO to conduct a comprehensive audit of the Veterans Choice program.
Military.com: VA Boss: Political Challenges Tougher Than Expected. Bob McDonald, now in his last year as secretary of Veterans Affairs as President Obama wraps up his administration, expected that there would be challenges when he took the job. He assumed the position 18 months ago amidst a major scandal involving long patient wait times and veterans dying while waiting for appointments.
Military Times: Student Veterans announce 2017 ‘NatCon’ – 7 takeaways from this year’s conference . 4. Bob McDonald motivates. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald, who also spoke at SVA’s NatCon a year ago, talked about transitioning the Veterans Affairs Department from being rules-based to principle-based, at one point invoking Gandhi’s example. The former CEO of Procter & Gamble and West Point graduate sat with Lyon on stage for a one-on-one conversation about authenticity, passion and leadership.
Military Times: VA blood biobank to play major role in conquering diseases. Nearly a half million veterans have rolled up their sleeves for science as the Veterans Affairs Department shoots to build the largest blood repository in the world. The VA's Boston-based Million Veterans Program is advancing the research on DNA mapping to better understand genetic markers linked to illnesses such as cancers, heart disease, post-traumatic stress and mental health conditions.
Knoxville News-Sentinel: Letter: Our VA clinics are excellent. The presidential candidates have all made promises to improve the situation at many Department of Veterans Affairs facilities. I recently was introduced to the system, and my experience was eye opening. The Sevier County service officer got me started. His concern was evident from the very start. He personally went with me to the Sevier County clinic. The clerk was warm and friendly.
WJXT-TV (4): Local Vet praises care at VA clinic, Navy Veteran who survived heart attack says staff treats him like family. Veterans Affairs clinics across the country, which have been under fire since an audit found hundreds of veterans nationwide died waiting for medical care, are making changes to improve treatment for veterans. Northeast Florida clinics are among those
working to improve medical care, and one local Navy veteran is praising the Jacksonville facility and its staff for his speedy recovery.
News & Observer: No place to go for a mentally ill Vietnam Veteran from Raleigh. No one should have to undergo the degradation and suffering my husband, a Vietnam veteran, recently experienced in his own country. My husband, Ronald Lee Davis, had a 100 percent VA serviceconnected disability rating. He had been receiving treatment for Lewy body dementia, an atypical Parkinson’s disease, as well as PTSD at the Durham Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center since fall of 2010. The medical care there was fantastic.
Fayetteville Observer: Our View: Real war on drugs means treating addictions. Last week, we told the story of Aaron Nowiski, a young Iraq war veteran who died in 2011 from a heroin overdose. But the story was about more than one soldier struggling with drug use. Today, heroin addiction is America's problem. It belongs to no single race, no particular class, no specific region. It is everywhere, in every community across the country.
The Wall Street Journal: No Back down: The DoD and Taxpayers Won. Your Aug. 22 editorial “The Progressive Principle” criticizes Democrats for “encourag[ing] students to load up on taxpayer-guaranteed debt” leading to an increasing number of Americans who aren’t able to make payments on their student loans.
ESPN: Weekend Warriors: The sport that saved Christy Gardner’s life. A few years ago, Christy Gardner's future looked bleak. She'd suffered multiple, traumatic injuries while serving overseas in the Army in July of 2006. Though she'd rather not talk about the specifics of what happened, because of "the nature of the mission we were on," her injuries were grave.
The Washington Times (AP): VA allowing dying paratrooper to spend last days with wife. The Veterans Administration is allowing a 92-year-old World War II veteran who is dying of cancer to spend his last days with his wife in a Colorado nursing home that is not approved by the agency, but his family says he is probably too close to death to move.
The State: Jury: Blythewood man defrauded VA, Social Security of $1.5 million in claiming hyped-up MS disabilities. A federal jury on Friday found a Blythewood man guilty of stealing $1.5 million from the Veterans Administration and Social Security by falsely claiming for years that he suffered extreme impairments from multiple sclerosis.
------------------------------------------------------------------------VETERANS EVENTS -------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal Business Council (FBC) 2016 List of Conferences and Events: Lot of events going on and set-up and managed by FBC. Here is the list that takes us through to October 2016. https://www.fbcconferences.com/search.aspx
------------------------------------Job ZONE Listing of Job Fairs for 2015 through 2016. http://us1.campaignarchive2.com/?u=0990c1fbb840ccb617b5992e6&id=383110f983&e=4c98ba860d
-------------------------------Virginia Department of Veterans Services, Virginia Values Veterans V3 Program, Training Schedule for January 12 – 31, 2016. http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=9cf88308-4cba-4f11-99bb19263b9e9666&c=f0bce490-c33d-11e4-887e-d4ae5292b9a6&ch=f0f7a3a0-c33d-11e4-887ed4ae5292b9a6
--------------------------------Engineer Job Fair. Sponsor: Corporate Gray / Washington Post. January 27, 2016, 9:00 am 12:00 pm. Location: Army Navy Country Club, Arlington, VA. If you have an engineering background, you are invited to meet face-to-face with Northrop Grumman, Amtrak, Federal Aviation Administration, ACT-I, Pepco, and other top companies seeking engineering talent at the Corporate Gray / Washington Post Engineer Job Fair on Wednesday, January 27, 2016. All engineering disciplines are welcome, including but not limited to software engineers, mechanical engineers, civil engineers, chemical engineers, computer engineers, electrical
engineers, nuclear engineers, aerospace engineers, RF engineers, systems engineers, and more! Go here for detailed information and to register. http://www.corporategray.com/jobfairs/372
-------------------------------January 2016 Objective Rally Point (ORP) Breakfast - Veterans Business Networking Event. Thursday, January 28, 2016, 7:15 AM to 9:15 AM, Army-Navy Country Club, 1700 Army Navy Drive, Arlington, VA 22202. Don’t pass up this opportunity to network with other Veterans focused on success in business. If you are a company looking for a VOSB or SDVOSB to team with there is no better place to find qualified Veteran owned businesses than at ORP. Although the focus of the ORP is on the connections made between and with Veterans, we do have a speaker each month. The speaker for January is Harrison Smith, Department of Homeland Security, Industry Liaison. Mr. Smith has a long distinguished career in government acquisition. He joined DHS in 2005 as a contracting officer. He later supported the Office of the Chief Information Officer as an Associate Director in the Information Technology Acquisition Center before transitioning full-time to the award and administration of enterprise-wide contracts. In this role, he acted as the Contracting Officer for several multi-billion dollar procurements in the services and IT arenas, most notably the PACTS, FirstSource II, and Enterprise Software Solutions procurements. In 2011, Harrison joined the newly-formed Enterprise Acquisitions Division (EAD) as an Associate Director, ultimately becoming the Division Director in 2013. During his tenure there, EAD’s portfolio of enterprise-wide contracts included more than 25 procurement vehicles with a combined ceiling of $68 billion. Hope to see you at ORP! For more information and to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/objective-rally-point-january-2016-tickets20592257998
-------------------------------Don't Miss the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) Government Contracting Forum. Thursday, January 28, 2016, 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM, Bethesda PooksHill Marriott. Cost is $60.00. Go here for more detailed information and to register: http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Don-t-Miss-the-MCCC-Government-ContractingForum.html?soid=1101128334983&aid=z6UtFBDgJ8o
-------------------------------Virginia War Memorial’s Popular Artifacts Roadshow Returns Saturday, January 30, 2016. For detailed information, please see the attached pdf.
-------------------------------SBA, Washington Metropolitan Area District Office Presents - Responding to a Federal Request for Proposal (RFP) 101: How to submit a compliant, persuasive and WINNING Bid. Wednesday, February 3, 2016, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM. U.S. Small Business Administration, 409 3rd St SW, Washington, D.C. 20416. For more information and to sign up for this cost-free event: http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USSBA/bulletins/1315ef7
-------------------------------Code of Support Foundation Presents Toast to Our Troops! Wednesday, February 10, 2016, 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Women in Military Service for America Memorial - 1 Memorial Ave., Arlington National Cemetery, VA. Come share in the camaraderie, and if you can, consider sponsoring. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/toast-to-our-troops-tickets-19551817011?ref=ebtnebtckt
-------------------------------National Veteran Small Business Coalition - DC Metro Dinner Meeting. Wednesday, February 10, 2016 from 3:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EST), Arlington, VA. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-veteran-small-business-coalition-10-february-2016-dcmetro-dinner-meeting-tickets20954599772?ref=enivtefor001&invite=OTA2MTY5MS93Z2F0ZXdvb2RAcXVhbGl0eXN1cHBvcn QuY29tLzA%3D&utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=inviteformalv2& ref=enivtefor001&utm_term=attend
--------------------------------SBA Workshop – Pricing for Government Contractors. Thursday, February 11, 2016 from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA), 4224 Cox Road, Glen Allen, Virginia 23060. This event is at NO Cost. Go here to register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pricing-for-government-contractors-tickets20481441543?utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=new_event_email &utm_term=viewmyevent_button
--------------------------------Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce – National Center for Veteran Institute for Procurement once again announces VIP. March 1 – 3, 2016, and June 21 – 23, 2016. VIP Grow is a 3-day, 27-hour comprehensive certification program designed for veteran businesses to increase their ability to win government contracts by establishing best business practices. Classes are instructed by industry experts, government officials, and agency representatives. To date, 546 Veteran-owned businesses nationwide have graduated from the program. VIP is offered at no cost to participants. Enrollment is open to Veteran-owned businesses nationwide and limited to one executive from each business. Class size is limited to 50 individuals per session. As I understand from a number of Veterans that have attended VIP, this is an OUTSTANDING program. Two sessions are now available but better sign up quick! Go here for more detailed information. http://myemail.constantcontact.com/VIPGrow---Spread-the-Word-to-Arm-Vets-to-Win.html?soid=1101128334983&aid=D95rd9q3xcc
-------------------------------VA OSDBU Announces the NASA/JPL and the City of Pasadena Service-Disabled VeteranOwned Small Business Industry Day. Tuesday, March 1, 2016 7:00 AM, Pasadena Convention Center, 300 East Green Street, Pasadena, CA 91101. Registration is Free. Go here for details and to register: http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USVAOSDBU/bulletins/12b94ae
-------------------------------Early Bird Registration - Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) GovConNet Procurement Conference. Thursday, May 12, 2016, 7:30am - 3:00pm, The Universities at Shady Grove, 9630 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, MD 20850. For more information and to register: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?ca=08c96955-1f83-4caf-b177027760fb00db&c=654b34e0-c049-11e3-b39b-d4ae529cddd3&ch=665b4550-c049-11e3-b39dd4ae529cddd3
--------------------------------Save the Date: VA OSDBU Announces the 2016 National Veterans Small Business Engagement. November 1 – 3, 2016, Minneapolis, MN. http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USVAOSDBU/bulletins/12dadbb
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Prayers and blessings for you and your loved ones and for our amazing Troops and their loved ones everywhere.
Godspeed all....Wayne
Wayne M. Gatewood, Jr., USMC (Ret) Founder, President, CEO Quality Support, Inc. Established 1989, VA CVE-Verified SDVOSB AIMS Consolidated Schedule GS-00F-0068M MOBIS - Schedule 874 8201 Corporate Drive, Suite 220 Landover, MD 20785 301-459-3777 - Fax 301-459-6961 http://www.qualitysupport.com/