The family of Timothy Hall, a wounded soldier from Hawthorne, Nevada, penned a very warm letter of gratitude, which was published in the Record-Courier.  You can take a look at it here, and I highly encourage you to do so.

Ms. Sally Wiley sits as a Commissioner on the Veterans Services Commission, the appointed body that oversees the Nevada Office of Veterans Services. This last week, she conducted an interview with several Carson Valley papers to discuss the upcoming events offered by this agency, as well as her roll in supporting our mission.  

Sally Wiley is on a new mission.

As an appointee to the Nevada Office of Veterans Services Commission, the Gardnerville resident

is working to raise awareness of veterans — especially women — of benefits available to them.

Read the whole thing here.  

The annual State of the Union Address in Washington, D.C., is a time when the president attempts to tell the nation its temperature, lay out goals and objectives for moving forward, and otherwise inspire the nation with the message the Administration would like to see moving forward.  To a lesser degree, it is also a time for disagreement and, of course, politics.  Last night's State of the Union Address had all of this and more, especially with respect to veterans and military related issues, primarily related to the budget and the two ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

I did not know it when I heard the speech last night, but there was a special Nevadan in attendance at the invitation of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.  Timothy Hall of Hawthorne, who I have blogged about here and here, was in available for the speech as a representative of the sacrifice by veterans that the Senator has attempted to recognize in the state and in the country.  Read the whole press release here.

As we all settle back in to another week heading into another holiday, it is great to see that more news coverage is dedicated to those who are serving our country.  I found these two stories to be particularly interesting over the holiday weekend, both clearly stating how much hearth and home is missed by out service members over the holidays.  First, take a look at this story in the Reno Gazette-Journal about two members of the Nevada National Guard who were able to come home for the holidays.   And then this story here about a school in Minden that was able to broadcast a student's Christmas concert over to his mother in Afghanistan.  

Last week, Carole Turner, the Deputy Director of the Nevada Office of Veterans Services, spoke to the hosts of The Forgotten Promise radio program. The Forgotten Promise show was created by veterans for veterans, and is geared toward educating our veterans about benefits, how to receive them, and various other issues impacting all veterans. The show is heard live on the Las Vegas area on KDWN (AM720).  You can listen to it streaming here.  If you know Carole, you know that her knowledge of veterans’ issues and policies is only matched by the heart she puts into her work.  Both her knowledge and her dedication to the veterans of Nevada come through in this very insightful interview.  Listen to the whole thing here and you’ll be sure to learn a lot.  I know I did.