In honor of Father’s Day, we here at VA need your help to thank the men who have shaped our lives. Through an essay contest, we will put together a tribute honoring father Veterans. We want to hear from wives, mothers, and children, about why you’re proud of your Veteran. Tell us about his service; stories of deployments; his fondest military memory; lessons you have learned; or perhaps you just want to write your Veteran a “thank you” letter—it’s up to you!

Here’s how you can help: Please send us a photograph of you and your Veteran (we’ll accept family photos too!) and your essay. We will pick a few essays and feature them on the front page of VAntage Point. With each submission, please provide names, branch of service, when and where they served, and what they are doing now. Please send all information to newmedia@va.gov by Monday, June 4, 2012.

I am sitting at my desk at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. with a Mother’s Day card in hand and I can’t find the words.

My thoughts wander back to my last trip home to Vermont for her birthday in April. My brothers and I went for a hike up Arrowhead Mountain. It was a beautiful day and I’ll never forget the overwhelming feeling of awe and euphoria we all experienced as we reached the top. Below us lay the little town of Milton, but it looked so different. It was as if we were seeing it for the first time. The Champlain Valley lay majestically before us. The blue sky seemed endless and we basked in the spring sun. We all felt like we were kids again on some great adventure in our own back yard.

What was most comforting–most beautiful, really—on top of the mountain was that I knew we were going home to mom’s house. Reflecting on that for two weeks has made me realize that her support throughout my life has kept me going through a myriad of circumstances. Her unwavering belief in me kept me going when I was serving in Iraq. I never wanted to let her down. Her encouragement throughout a long period of unemployment and self-employment ultimately helped me maintain a steady course that led to the most rewarding experience of my life: serving my fellow Veterans at VA.

The most reassuring thought a son can have, I think, is knowing that his mother has always lovingly and freely given to him just by being there. Whether I was fighting in Iraq, working in Washington, or in my own backyard, I always had—and I still have—a home to go back to where I am loved no matter what. Thank you for being home, Mom.

Janny, as I affectionately call my mom, has never questioned my commitment to work for Veterans, even when I have.  Working in a bureaucracy can be crushing and I’d be lying if I said there weren’t days when I just want to pack it all in.  But my mom never lets me give up.  She listened carefully when I stressed about putting pen to paper to explain the civilian guilt I felt , she answered my phone calls and encouraged me to keep toughing it out at the office when my husband moved to the other side of the country (I stayed because I love my job and the work my team does matters to me), and she unwaveringly and unabashedly loves my teammates—all of whom served overseas.

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Social media has irreversibly changed the way we communicate and access information, from finding out the latest gossip to fueling revolutions around the world. Now that Facebook reaches nearly a billion people worldwide, we must find innovative ways to reach and connect people who may be in emotional crisis when seconds count.

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The issue of unemployment continues to impact folks across the country, and while there are promising signs that the newest generation of Vets has seen a downward trend in unemployment lately, much work remains to get Vets into meaningful jobs.

To help do that, we’re rolling out the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program. The program is designed to help provide training and education that will lead to high-demand jobs. Beginning on May 15, you can apply if you meet the following criteria:

• Are at least 35 but no more than 60 years old
• Are unemployed
• Received an other than dishonorable discharge
• Are not eligible for any other VA education benefit program (e.g.: the Post-9/11 GI Bill, Montgomery GI Bill, Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Assistance)
• Are not in receipt of VA compensation due to unemployability
• Are not enrolled in a federal or state job training program

VRAP will offer 12 months of training, with up to 12 months of assistance at the rate of the Montgomery GI Bill payment (currently at $1473 a month).

Participants will enroll in VA approved education programs at community colleges and technical schools that lead to an associate’s degree, non-college degree, or a certificate that will lead to employment. The Department of Labor will assist with job placement once Vets finish the program. The program is limited to 45,000 participants from July 1, 2012, through September 30, 2012, and 54,000 participants from October 1, 2012, through March 31, 2014.

Come back to this site on May 15 to submit an application if you meet the qualifications.

We know many Veterans are still out of work. VRAP is not a silver bullet, but it’s a step in the right direction to help folks get back into a career.

More than 200 wounded or injured active duty troops and Veterans, along with nearly two dozen British troops, have kicked off the 2012 Warrior Games at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The event, hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee, will introduce service members to Paralympic sports. Athletes will compete in seven sports, ranging from swimming to shooting to track and field in an effort to show that life doesn’t end after injury.

On Monday, First Lady Michelle Obama kicked off the Games with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey and U.S. Olympic Committee chairman Scott Blackmun.

“For me, these games embody the enduring resilience of our profession,” Gen. Dempsey said.

The Warrior Games coincide with the recently marked anniversary of Joining Forces, an initiative launched by Mrs. Obama and Dr. Jill Biden to leverage community support of Veterans and their families.

The Games will be held through May 5. For updates and pictures, visit Warrior Games on Facebook or the Warrior Games Flickr page.

Military and Veteran students have increasingly become the target of deceptive recruiting practices by for-profit schools since the Post-9/11 GI Bill became law. Here at VAntage Point, we’ve brought you news and commentary to help you make the best of your education decisions amid a sea of misinformation and unscrupulous advertising.

Today, the White House took a major step forward in restricting the ability of for-profit schools to take advantage of Veterans.

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A few weeks ago, we reported that Student Veterans of America revoked charter membership at a number of for-profit schools. The schools were charged with violating the terms of their agreement with SVA, which includes a clause stipulating the chapters would be run by student Veterans.

Today, SVA produced a list of the 26 schools whose charters the group pulled. Half are owned by a single company: Education Management Corporation.

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