Hegseth Confirmed as Secretary of Defense: After a narrow confirmation vote in the Senate, Pete Hegseth, a former Army National Guard major, was sworn in as the 29th secretary of defense. Upon taking office, Hegseth outlined his vision for reforming the military, emphasizing accountability, high standards, and merit within the Department of Defense. He stressed the need to restore warfighting readiness, reduce bureaucracy, and reallocate resources to boost military effectiveness. Read more.

VA Helps Veterans Preserve Their Legacy: VA has expanded access to the Veterans Legacy Memorial (VLM) to permit eligible veterans to record their own life stories. VLM is the country’s largest digital platform dedicated to the memory of veterans and service members. The new "Your Story, Your Legacy” feature will allow secure submission of images, autobiographies, life and military milestones, and historical documents. Following the veteran’s passing and approval of a request for burial or memorial benefit, VA will release the veteran’s content to the individual’s VLM page on the public-facing website. Read more.

VFW 2025 Priority Goals: The 119th Congress is now in session. Fortunately, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act was passed and signed into law in the final days of the previous Congress. This bipartisan, bicameral legislative package was a significant and long overdue victory for transitioning service members, veterans, caretakers, and survivors. However, there was much unfinished work on other important legislation. The VFW 2025 Priority Goals include many issues that still need to be addressed. We will continue to advocate diligently to ensure the newly seated Congress provides the resources and care our nation’s veterans and their families have earned and deserve.

MIA Update: The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced two identifications and one burial update for service members who have been missing and unaccounted for from World War II.

 

Identification:

-- World War II Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Justice J. Buttala

-- World War II Army Pvt. Charles W. Smalley

 

Update:

-- World War II Army Pfc. Robert L. Bryant, Virginia

 

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