Days before his 100th birthday, Wilburn Rowden was honored by the staff at Harry S. Truman VA with a party. As he entered the auditorium, more than 70 employees gave Rowden a standing ovation, cheering as he made his way to the front of the room. The World War II Veteran, former prisoner of war…

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, an annual observance to honor the courage of millions of Americans living with mental health conditions, celebrate the loved ones and professionals who support them and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health treatment. Prioritizing your mental health enables you to continue building memories with the ones you love by…

Roughly 400 Veterans packed the Beach Civic Hall on April 27 in Clarksville, Tennessee, as Tennessee Valley VA held its PACT Act Fair. Veterans had the opportunity to enroll in VA health care, file a claim, get screened for toxic exposures and connect with VA programs and services.  The PACT Act is a new historic…

VA’s oncology nurses are health care professionals who specialize in providing cancer care for Veterans. These highly skilled nurses work alongside physicians and other health care providers to deliver personalized treatment and support to patients and their families across the cancer care continuum. With their specialized knowledge of cancer treatments and therapies, oncology nurses play…

VA is now providing more care and more benefits to more Veterans than ever before, and in order to continue serving Veterans at this historic rate, we are hiring additional staff across the country. We are also implementing new hiring and retention authorities to grow and maintain a diverse, talented workforce that is focused on…

As we celebrate Memorial Day and honor those who have lost their lives for our country, we will pause in our duties to acknowledge the depth and breadth of these sacrifices that have made our way of life possible. And at VA, we will rededicate ourselves to our mission to provide Veterans with the care…

How would you feel if, due to poor eye health, you could no longer see your loved ones clearly or perform routine tasks that you’ve been doing your entire life? Many of our nation’s Veterans are, unfortunately, facing this reality. For Veterans like Earl White, 92, who is functionally deaf and losing his vision due…

Jaime Pacheco enlisted in the Army in 1970 and trained as a combat engineer, medic and Ranger. He also became a qualified Airborne Pathfinder after completing training in Panama. When deployed to the Republic of Vietnam in October 1971, Pacheco was assigned as a Ranger in Company H (Ranger), 75th Infantry, where he served in…

Reducing feelings of loneliness and social isolation may reduce the likelihood of dying by suicide. Understanding risk and protective factors is important to preventing Veteran suicides. “From Science to Practice” is a series of products designed to communicate the research in an easy-to-understand and quick-to-read format for clinicians and other stakeholders within VA and partnering…

Gregory Rund was born on Sep. 25, 1983, in Denver, Colorado, but was raised in Littleton. He was a freshman at Columbine High School when two teenage gunmen killed 13 of his classmates. He enjoyed sports and played on the Columbine High School football team that won a state championship his senior year. After the attacks…

Memorial Day can bring up many emotions in the Veteran community: grief, nostalgia, pride, even loneliness. For many, visiting their battle buddy’s resting place provides a sense of peace, comfort and duty. For those who can’t get there because of distance or reasons beyond their control, the day can feel hollow.  This Memorial Day, volunteers…

When it comes to specialized careers providing care to Veterans, medical technologists have a home in all our facilities. Whether you want to work in medical centers, diagnostic laboratories or even clinics, you won’t find a greater variety of care environments than at VA. That’s because medical technologists work across multiple disciplines — including chemistry,…