Tag: veterans

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USF Kappa Sigma Brothers Bring Margaritas, Massages & “Magic Mike” To Charity Auctin

Down at the University of South Florida, the brothers of Kappa Sigma took their annual fraternity auction in a “Magic Mike” direction with some promo videos to help loosen the purse strings at their event.

The event auctioned off date packages with the brothers, some of which included margaritas, sky diving and massages to help the men raise over $2,700 for Fisher House, which aids wounded veterans and their families in recovering as they come home from war. Along the way, the evening also featured a choreographed routine a la “Magic Mike” to BSB’s “I Want It That Way.”

(Ok, so maybe walking the runway and dropping some of their clothes along the way also had SOMETHING to do with the fund-raising…)

Check out one of the videos below.

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An Arizona Love Story

Fred McQuire and George Martinez, both veterans of the US armed forces, were married in California this past July after 45 years together.

In recent years, both Fred and George battled life-threatening illnesses.

Sadly, George passed away on August 28, 2014 following a battle with pancreatic cancer.

The state of Arizona, where they lived together, does not recognize their marriage, and wants to issue a death certificate that will read “never married.”

Tomorrow, Lambda Legal will ask the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona to order the State of Arizona to provide an accurate death certificate.

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GOP-led House Committee on Veterans Affairs votes down equal benefits for same-sex spouses

The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, by a vote of 13-12, rejected an amendment that would update Title 38 of the U.S. Code to ensure that spousal benefits of gay, lesbian and bisexual veterans would be available no matter the state of residence.

Committee Chairman Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) said he opposed the amendment because it would interfere with states that have enacted laws related to marriage.

Section 103(c) of Title 38 of the U.S. Code governs veterans benefits. And currently, the code is dictated by the state of residence, not the state of celebration.

 In other words, veterans benefits for spouses are predicated on where you live, not where you got married. So even if you are legally married, if your current state of residence
doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage, those same-sex spouses are out of luck in regards to receiving the same benefits afforded heterosexual veterans and their spouses.

Lori Hensic, director of research and policy for the LGBT military group known as the American Military Partner Association, issued this statement:

“The ability of our nation’s veterans, no matter their sexual orientation, to access their earned benefits should be an issue that transcends partisan politics,” Hensic said. “It’s a sad reflection on the state of our Congress when our elected officials cannot put aside their differences to end this discrimination.”

(via Washington Blade)

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BREAKING: VA Secretary Shinseki resigns

https://twitter.com/YahooNews/status/472396997262340097

After growing calls for his resignation, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki has stepped down as of today.

According to President Obama, Deputy VA Secretary Sloan Gibson will step in temporarily as VA secretary while the administration looks for a permanent head for the department.

See the President’s remarks below via Politico:

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Quote of the day: President Obama on hiring our veterans

President Obama speaks to troops during surprise visit in Afghanistan

“I keep saying back home when you want someone who knows how to get the job done hire a vet.”
– President Obama speaking to troops in Afghanistan the day before Memorial Day.

Not only is President Obama right, but it’s a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with.

Too many veterans cannot find a job after their service and I think it’s reprehensible.  I’m glad to hear our President make that point over and over again.

More about his Memorial Day visit to our troops here.

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Tennessee: Two Iraq war veterans told to take commitment ceremony elsewhere

US veterans Anthony Wilfert and Brian Blas of Nolensville, Tenn., say Mint Springs Farm, which makes a point on it’s website to say it is “an all-inclusive venue,” agreed to host their commitment ceremony.

Unfortunately, days later the owner rescinded the agreement, reports WSMV-TV.

“I made it clear from the get-go that it was a same-sex ceremony,” said Wilfert. “He explicitly made it clear that it was not an issue, that they would host that type of ceremony.”

Wilfert and Blas said days after two employees told them it’d be fine to hold their ceremony at the venue, they got an e-mail from an owner at Mint Springs Farm reading, “Unfortunately, until same sex marriage is legal in the state of Tennessee, we cannot participate in this ceremony at our venue. I wish we could help, I truly do, but our hands are tied in this situation.”

“It is a private venue,” said Wilfert. “We purposefully chose a place that is not tied to a religious organization for that reason, so to mention something about state law is baffling.”

Wilfert also added, “To have fought in the military for freedoms and liberties of all Americans, it can be quite deflating to come back to fight a whole new set of obstacles.”

What is of interest to me is that the ceremony was NOT being described as a “marriage.” The couple was very clear it was a “commitment ceremony” which carries no legal weight. Commitment ceremonies are not illegal in Tennessee. So, what is really the issue here?

(via LGBTQ Nation)

WSMV Channel 4

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Senate Republicans vote down expanded educational and medical benefits for veterans

Last week, Senate Republicans voted down a bill that would have funded expanded educational and medical benefits for our veterans.

Republicans said the bill, supported by more than two dozen veterans groups, was “too expensive.”

Via Politico:

“I thought that maybe, just on this issue, this Senate could come together and do the right thing for our veterans,” Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told reporters after the bill was sent back to his committee.

”I am going to keep going on this. We are not going to give up on our veterans,” he vowed. “At some point, we are going to pass this legislation.”

Members of both parties are typically reticent to oppose legislation designed to help veterans and their families, but the downfall of Sanders’s bill underscored the frosty relations in the Senate and Congress at large, where it’s been tough to get much done.

Just two Republicans, Sens. Jerry Moran of Kansas and Dean Heller of Nevada crossed party lines and joined Democrats in their bid to move the bill forward.