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WASHINGTON, June 10, 2009 – Many cheering and excited Virginians lined the route of the “Ride 2 Recovery” Memorial Challenge bicycle ride, in which 35 wounded warriors took part last month. Cyclists pose with actor Gary Sinise at the National Memorial Parade in Washington, D.C., May 25, 2009, before Virginia's "Ride 2 Recovery" Memorial Challenge bicycle ride. Fifty cyclists, including 35 wounded warriors, participated in the six-day, 350-mile bicycle ride across Virginia. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. This is the second year the ride was held in Virginia. “The event was very successful,” said John Wordin,...

As the nation once again honors those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country, the Veterans of Foreign Wars is struggling to recruit a new generation of warriors returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Newsmax.TV's Kathleen Walter takes a look at what VFW members are doing to ensure the organization survives for decades to come.

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2009 – Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry retired here today, 24 hours before being sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, dons a U.S. Army ball cap at the conclusion of the retirement ceremony for Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, Pentagon, Hall of Heroes, April 28, 2009. Eikenberry retires after 35 years of service and will be sworn in as the new U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan in a ceremony tomorrow by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st...

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), lifelong wounds, external and internal, are all real. Thousands of veterans have returned severely wounded and will need daily support for the rest of their lives. It is our country’s duty to care for them and provide them the very best. But, in addition to supplying them the best medical benefits possible, we owe it to these veterans to portray them as the heroes they are and ensure they are honored and accepted -- not feared or scorned -- when they return from the battlefield. These men and women -- wounded or not -- are the...

Janet Napolitano continues to thrash around for any rationalization she can find for the DHS report that painted political organizing on abortion, federalism, and immigration as potential national-security threats and called returining military vets a danger to the country they served. Yesterday on CNN, Napolitano tried explaining that the DHS doesn’t see these vets as threats. The DHS sees them as saps who don’t know any better than to fall into extremist traps: Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Sunday portrayed veterans as victims – not perpetrators – of right-wing extremism as she sought to combat the political controversy arising...

he head of homeland security said Sunday she regrets that some people took offense over a report warning that right-wing extremist groups were trying to recruit disgruntled troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. But Secretary Janet Napolitano added that "a number of groups far too numerous to mention" want to commit domestic terrorism attacks and are looking for new recruits. She told a cable news network the warning report that went out to American law enforcement agencies was consistent with reports that were issued before. "Here is the important point. The report is not saying that veterans are extremists. Far...

ANN ARBOR, MI – The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, announced that yesterday evening it filed a federal lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. The lawsuit claims that her Department’s “Rightwing Extremism Policy,” as reflected in the recently publicized Intelligence Assessment, “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” violates the civil liberties of combat veterans as well as American citizens by targeting them for disfavored treatment on account of their political beliefs.

Acknowledging that “an apology is owed,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano promised Thursday to “meet and clear the air” with veterans groups that were offended by her agency’s report citing “returning veterans” as terrorist risks to the U.S. “To the extent veterans read it as an accusation,” Napolitano told FOX News, “an apology is owed.” “I’ll meet with the leaders of some of the veterans groups,” she promised on “FOX & Friends.” “The last thing we want to do is offend or castigate all veterans. To the contrary, let’s meet and clear the air.” Napolitano said she was briefed on...

Homeland Security on guard for 'right-wing extremists'Returning U.S. military veterans singled out as particular threatsWASHINGTON – A newly unclassified Department of Homeland Security report warns against the possibility of violence by unnamed "right-wing extremists" concerned about illegal immigration, increasing federal power, restrictions on firearms, abortion and the loss of U.S. sovereignty and singles out returning war veterans as particular threats. The report, titled "Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," dated April 7, states that "threats from white supremacist and violent anti-government groups during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans...

Dasy wasn't just any household pet -- she was given to Luttrell following his return to the United States in 2006 from Afghanistan. Luttrell was the sole SEAL team member to survive an intense June 2005 firefight with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Dasy, named after each of Luttrell's fallen peers, Daniel "Danny" Dietz, Matthew "Axe" Axelson and Michael "Yankee" Murphy, reportedly helped the SEAL overcome his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

more than 400 severely injured veterans – 34 of whom hail from Colorado – will take part in the 23rd National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic from March 29 through April 3. It is the largest adaptive event of its kind in the world. Hosted by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and co-sponsored by the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), the clinic teaches veterans with disabilities in adaptive alpine and Nordic skiing, and introduces them to a number of other adaptive recreational activities and sports. It’s open to U.S. military veterans with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, orthopedic...

In Hopewell Township, N.J., the veterans of American Legion Post 339 have put their building up for sale. "Today's vets don't come out," 82-year old Jim Hall told The Times of Trenton last month. The post is down from 425 paying members in the 1960s and '70s to 202 this year; only about a dozen regularly attend. But it's America that has changed, not vets. Since 1970, the population of the United States has grown by about 50 percent, from roughly 200 million to 300 million. Over the same period, the number of active-duty armed forces has fallen approximately 50...

A love forged in flames: The awe-inspiring story of how a badly-burned soldier married his sweetheart 28th February 2009 Martyn Compton, a headstrong young soldier, met Michelle Clifford in a Kent pub in January 2006, and at their very first meeting he knew she was 'the one'. From that day on, the couple were virtually inseparable and, in June, Martyn picked a gold and silver engagement ring and asked Michelle to marry him. She lost no time in saying 'yes'. The only cloud on their blissfully happy horizon was that Martyn - then aged just 22 - was about to...

Martyn Compton, a headstrong young soldier, met Michelle Clifford in a Kent pub in January 2006, and at their very first meeting he knew she was 'the one'. From that day on, the couple were virtually inseparable and, in June, Martyn picked a gold and silver engagement ring and asked Michelle to marry him. She lost no time in saying 'yes'. The only cloud on their blissfully happy horizon was that Martyn - then aged just 22 - was about to be posted to Afghanistan for his first tour of duty with the Household Cavalry. Michelle, a teacher three years...

January 16, 2009, 4:00 a.m. Our Commander-in-Chief, TooConservative vets will give Obama the chance Democrats denied Bush. By Pete Hegseth Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are largely united in their ardent support for victory on those battlefields. At the same time, they represent a cross-section of the political spectrum in the U.S. I patrolled Iraqi streets with conservatives and liberals, blue and white collars, believers and atheists. But about the mission, there was very little doubt. To adopt an old saw: there are no anti-American GIs in Mideast foxholes.Once back home, veterans—and the groups that speak...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13, 2008 – The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are fought in deserts and mountains far removed from the oceans’ blue waters. But U.S. Navy sailors are increasingly seeing desert and mountain combat as they augment the units of traditional foot soldiers and medics. Navy Senior Chief Jim Pitts, a non-clinical case manager for wounded warriors, talks with Veterans Affairs social work supervisor Scott Skiles and Army Sgt. 1st Class Lee Smith, a wounded warrior military liaison. All are stationed at the Palo Alto Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center in Palo Alto, Calif. DoD photo by Fred W. Baker...

BELLMORE, New York (CNN) -- Walking through a crowded shopping mall can bring back memories of war. The shifting crowds, the jostle of passers-by and the din can all trigger Army Sgt. Kristofer Goldsmith's post-traumatic stress disorder.

(English-language translation) [Puerto Rico's] legislators moved - chairs and all - to Roberto Clemente Coliseum to honor during a special session the Puerto Rican soldiers who fought in the United States war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Within the framework of the observance of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Popular Democratic Party (PPD) and New Progressive Party legislators held a special session in which they spoke for over an hour to the hundreds of soldiers and their families who arrived at the Coliseum. The main speech was given by San Juan Mayor Jorge Santini. At a cost of $80,000 - not...

Vets for Freedom 'Four Months to Victory' Campaign On July 9, 2008, Vets for Freedom (VFF) kicked off a nationwide campaign entitled “Four Months For Victory.” This grassroots effort, combined with a $1.5 million media buy, will remind Virginians of the importance of success in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the War on Terror as a whole. VFF was founded two years ago by combat veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Today, our organization carries membership of 25,000 in all fifty states. The Virginia organization has 350 registered members, as well as countless supporters. We represent the courage, conviction and commitment...

For the first time, the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is about to get a substantial hand from advertisements by an outside group. Conservative and Republican groups have been largely quiet, leaving McCain heavily outmatched by Sen. Barack Obama's campaign fundraising juggernaut. Next week, Vets for Freedom — a 20,000-member, nonpartisan organization established by combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — plans to begin spending more than $1 million on a TV campaign that will include Ohio, Virginia and New Mexico. The group plans to spend millions more and to add other states to the...