Top 5 stories in VA - Aug. 27, 2021

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES

08.27.2021

Story by Adam Stump 

Department of Veterans Affairs

IT’S AUGUST TWENTY-SEVENTH, TWENTY TWENTY-ONE AND HERE’S THE TOP FIVE STORIES IN VEE-A THIS WEEK.

 
THE LAST PART OF A FOUR PART SERIES ON AFGHANISTAN FOCUSES ON RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR PTSD. WHILE THIS SERIES FOCUSED ON AFGHANISTAN VETERANS, OPTIONS APPLY TO ALL VETERANS. ACTIVE DUTY AND VETERANS SHOULD NOT BE ASHAMED OF GETTING THE HELP THEY NEED, SAID SENIOR ENLISTED ADVISOR TO THE CHAIRMAN RAMÓN COLÓN-LÓPEZ. AN AFGHANISTAN VETERAN HIMSELF WHO BATTLED PTSD, COLÓN-LÓPEZ SAID SEEKING MENTAL HEALTH HELP SHOULD BE ROUTINE. HE SAID WE DON’T THINK TWICE ABOUT PUTTING WEAPON SYSTEMS IN MAINTENANCE BECAUSE WE NEED THEM, ADDING WE NEED TO DO THE SAME FOR THE HUMAN WEAPON SYSTEM.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE RESOURCES AND THE SERIES BY GOING TO BLOGS DOT V-A DOT GOV AND SEARCH AFGHANISTAN 
THIS YEAR, THE TEAM RED, WHITE & BLUE, OR TEAM R-W-B, OLD GLORY RELAY RETURNS AFTER A TWO-YEAR HIATUS. SIXTY-TWO DAYS. NINE STATES. 2,500 MILES. FROM SEPT. 11 THROUGH NOV. 11, VETERANS AND SUPPORTERS WILL RUN, WALK, AND HIKE SIDE BY SIDE. THEY WILL CARRY AN AMERICAN FLAG FROM NEW YORK TO GEORGIA IN HONOR OF OUR NATION’S VETERANS. TEAM R-W-B AND THE RELAY SUPPORT AMERICA’S VETERANS BY HELPING THEM FIND LASTING FULFILLMENT THROUGH THE CREATION OF DEEP BONDS WITH OTHER VETERANS AND CIVILIAN SUPPORTERS. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RELAY AT TEAM R-W-B’S WEBSITE.
VEE-A IS LISTENING TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COVID-19 VACCINE AND HOSTING A BLOG SERIES ON QUESTIONS FROM VETERANS. IN THIS INSTALLMENT OF YOU ASKED, WE ANSWERED, VEE-A ANSWERS VETERAN QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT COVID-19 INFORMATION THEY CAN RELY ON. VETERANS CAN RELY ON VEE-A.GOV AND VEE-A PROVIDERS FOR ACCURATE INFORMATION. THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION AND THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ALSO HAVE SCIENTIFIC DATA TO HELP YOU MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS. THESE SOURCES PROVIDE THE FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS FROM COVID-19.
IN THE LATEST EPISODE OF LIVE WHOLE HEALTH, VETERANS CAN LEARN ABOUT YIN MEDITATION. WHEN OUR DAYS FEEL OVERLY BUSY OR STRESSFUL IT CAN BE NICE TO SLOW DOWN AND FIND MOMENTS OF STILLNESS. THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO DO THAT THROUGHOUT THE DAY, EVEN IF JUST FOR A MINUTE OR TWO. VA’S WHOLE HEALTH APPROACH INCORPORATES SELF-CARE TECHNIQUES, INCLUDING MINDFULNESS, TO HELP YOU FIND STILLNESS AND TO BE MORE CONSCIOUS OF YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS. THIS TYPE OF PRACTICE CAN HELP WITH RELAXATION, PROCESSING GRIEF AND IMPROVING FOCUS.
 
ON THIS EPISODE OF BORNE THE BATTLE, ARMY VETERAN JAMES STAYS-KOOL SPENT NINE YEARS IN WEST BERLIN DURING THE COLD WAR, SERVING IN A CLANDESTINE AND SMALL SPECIAL FORCES UNIT KNOWN AS DETACHMENT A. HIS MISSION BORDERED ON THE IMPOSSIBLE, TASKED WITH BEING READY TO CROSS INTO EAST GERMANY AND SABOTAGE THE SOVIET ARMY AT A MOMENT’S NOTICE IN CASE THE SOVIET UNION EVER DECIDED TO LAUNCH AN INVASION. FOR DECADES, STAYS-COOL HAD TO KEEP HIS LIPS SEALED ABOUT DETACHMENT A BECAUSE IT WAS CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. NOW WITH IT DECLASSIFIED, HE WANTS EVERYONE TO KNOW ITS STORY. 
YOU CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE STORIES AND READ MORE AT BLOGS DOT VEE-A DOT GOV.

• Date Taken: 08.27.2021
• Date Posted: 08.27.2021 15:09
• Story ID: 404069
• Location: WASHINGTON, DC, US