Category: VA

Tomah VA inducted 107-year-old Merchant Marine Veteran Reynolds Tomter into its Hall of Heroes on Dec. 3. Tomter was born in April 1917 where he lived on a farm two miles from Pigeon Falls, Wisconsin. He married Dorothea Hoff in 1939 and they had a daughter, Julie Ann. Though he planned to enlist in the…

From my perspective as an Air Force Veteran with decades of experience working in Veteran suicide prevention, here are a few things all Veterans should know: Suicide is preventable. There is hope. VA offers a range of programs and initiatives for all Veterans, no matter when or how you served. The first thing Veterans experiencing…

Gregory Zielsdorf was on the kidney donor list for three years. Zielsdorf, 49, works at Erie VA as a transportation assistant. He served in the Army from 1995 to 2016 and served two tours in Iraq. During his time in the Army, he experienced flare ups of gout and his kidney levels changed for the…

Born Johann Banner in Stanislav, Austria, in 1910, John Banner became known for his role as inept German prison guard “Sergeant Schultz” in the “Hogan’s Heroes.” The 1965 comedic television show about U.S. soldiers held captive by Nazis during World War II ran for six years. Banner originally sought to become a lawyer at the…

Columbia VA achieved a significant milestone Dec. 4 by performing its first spinal cord stimulation (SCS) implantation. This cutting-edge procedure provides relief to those experiencing chronic pain and who haven’t responded to other treatments. The process began with a trial phase to evaluate pain relief. If the trial provides at least a 50% reduction in…

For many people, if you were to ask them, “Where do you see yourself at the age of 76?” The response probably wouldn’t be, “Re-learning to downhill ski.” For Army Veteran Gayle Smith, that is exactly what she is doing. Growing up in rural upstate New York, Smith learned to ski at 10 and was…

Disclaimer: The sharing of any non-VA information does not constitute an endorsement of products and services on the part of VA. Every day, countless Veterans and service members rely on VA medical facilities for healing and support. While these facilities provide essential services, the emotional and personal support offered by volunteers is unparalleled in its…

Imagine discovering someone used your name to take out loans or buy a car. Unfortunately, unauthorized use of personal information and identity theft continues to be a significant threat. For Veterans especially, the risk of identity theft is high as criminals target reoccurring monthly benefits payments. Bad actors utilize stolen privacy information to exploit VA…

Samantha Santiago is an Army Veteran and active-duty military spouse. She is dedicated to using her experience to articulate the challenges faced by military families and Veterans. Here are her insights on continuing service. Many Veterans and transitioning service members share a desire for camaraderie, the urge to work for a common purpose, and a…

Disclaimer: The sharing of any non-VA information does not constitute an endorsement of products and services on the part of VA. Built by Veterans for Veterans, Warrior PATHH is an in-person program designed to train you to manage struggle, trauma and hardship.  Warrior PATHH is a peer-led, non-pharmacological program based on posttraumatic growth—the science of…

Have you heard the phrase “No Pain, No Gain?” Growing up as an athlete, I certainly took that concept to heart. However, in more recent years—and after events including a knee surgery, and birth of a child—I have found how incredibly important it is to know my limits and to find balance between effort and…

Disclaimer: The sharing of any non-VA information does not constitute an endorsement of products and services on the part of VA. Brick by Brick Vets has found an unconventional approach to reach Veterans. The online gaming organization for Veterans is using Twitch, a networking and streaming platform used by gamers, to host two-hour Q&A sessions…