Government
COVID-19 killed at least 40 military veterans at VA nursing homes in Pa.
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Newly-public data shows outbreaks among staff and residents throughout the pandemic.
Government
Lawmakers ask governor to fully fund veterans support program
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“Each year despite the program’s stunning success rate, our veterans are forced to travel to Albany to advocate for funding for the program.”
App NEWS
How 9/11 And 20 Years Of War Changed Fort Drum
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The Watertown base transformed from a peacetime installation of the 1990’s post-Cold War era, to a deployment hub on a war footing.
Government
As The U.S. Leaves Afghanistan, Congress Members Discuss Future Of Defense
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“Everything that we anticipated could happen is happening. I don’t think the president is in a position to be able to lead right now.”
air show
Army Golden Knights Glad To Be Back In The Sky At Binghamton Airshow
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“Last year we had a lot of downtime, literally.”
News
A Little Known Connection Between Upstate And The First Juneteenth
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“Hard to believe its 2021, and no marker has even been erected and that’s one reason so few people know about his story and his significance in history.”
News
Afghans Who Aided US Troops Plea For The Evacuation Of Their Families
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The United States is withdrawing from Afghanistan after 20 years since invading after Sept. 11, 2001. Local Afghans who assisted American troops are pleading for the U.S. to evacuate their families.
american homefront
Most Of The West Point Cadets Who Cheated On A Virtual Exam Will Be Allowed To Remain Enrolled
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The academy began to allow more discretion in punishing honor code violations after the 1976 scandal.
Bipartisan Lawmakers Say It’s Time To Fund A Veterans Support Program Differently
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“I, too, have lost more friends due to post-traumatic stress than I have lost friends who have died overseas in combat.”
App NEWS
Biden Reverses Ban On Transgender Military Personnel. Is It Enough?
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“What we still need is the Equality Act to be passed. Without that major legislation, we’re still subject to the whim of the president.”
Government
Three Members Of The New York National Guard Killed In Helicopter Crash Near Rochester
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“These are our freedom providers and just showing again that freedom is not free, we lost three great Americans today in the service of our country.”
Can West Point And Annapolis Offer A Road Map For Reopening Colleges?
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Mandatory masks, strict discipline and rigorous testing have helped the academies, including West Point and Annapolis, welcome students back to campus. Can other schools learn from their example?
West Point Graduates’ Letter Calls For Academy To Address Racism
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Retired Capt. Mary Tobin, a West Point graduate, is mentor to some recent alumni who wrote an open letter to academy leaders. They’re part of a long legacy of Black cadets addressing systemic racism.
american homefront
After Treating COVID-19 Patients In New York, Reservists Return To Rising Cases At Home
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“If we really didn’t feel like there was much we could do for that patient, we would move on, and that’s sort of the idea of disaster management, do the best you can for the greatest amount of people,”
New York VA Featured In Inspector General Report On PPE Shortages
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“It’s baffling that the Veterans Health Administration does not have a strategy in place to address the shortages of PPE in New York.”
Hospital Ship USNS Comfort Scheduled To Sail From New York
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The iconic vessel was intended to provide overflow capacity to the New York metropolitan area but ultimately wasn’t needed as badly as first feared.
Blue Angels And Thunderbirds Salute New York Coronavirus Responders With Flyover
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The joint demonstration between the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s Thunderbirds will begin early Tuesday afternoon over New York City, Newark and Trenton, N.J., and Philadelphia.
Health
National Guard Taking Its Fight Against Coronavirus To All Sections Of PA
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Approximately 850 Pennsylvania Guard members are supporting operations throughout the state to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Hospital Ship USNS Comfort Arrives In New York To Ease Coronavirus Pressure
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The Comfort will use its roughly 1,000 beds to treat patients who do not have the coronavirus disease COVID-19 but who urgently need other care.
‘Absolutely Ridiculous’ To Militarize U.S.-Canada Border Over COVID-19
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America’s longest undefended border totals around 4,400 miles and hasn’t been militarized since after the American Civil War.
New York Governor Calls For Army Corps To Help Build Temporary Hospitals
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he has already identified four sites to build temporary hospitals to help deal with the surging cases of coronavirus in the state.
Coronavirus: U.S. Navy Hospital Ship Deploys To New York
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The pair of ships, the USNS Comfort and the USNS Mercy, will help local medical workers grapple with an influx of patients. But it remains unclear precisely when they will be ready to go.
New York Law Restores Benefits To Many LGBTQ Veterans Discharged Less Than Honorably
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Veterans in New York State who received less-than-honorable discharges that can be linked to their sexual orientation may have state veteran benefits restored, under legislation signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
VA Report On Veteran Suicides Shows Mixed Trends, Busy Prevention Efforts
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Overall, annual suicides increased by 43.6 percent between 2005 and 2017. Among veterans, that increase was 6.1 percent.
Government
Gillibrand Visits Military Installations In New York
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This week, one of her stops took her to Rome Lab and the Defense Finance and Accounting Services office at the Griffiss Business Park.
107th Airmen Reunite, 50 Years After Responding To The “Pueblo Incident”
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Members of what was then the 107th Tactical Fighter Group were called to duty in early 1968, and were first sent to South Korea to serve in a support role after the USS Pueblo had been captured by North Korean forces.
New York Senator Attacks $3.6 Billion Diversion From Military Projects To Border Wall
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Defense Secretary Mark Esper began notifying lawmakers which projects will be canceled in their districts. “It is a slap in the face to the members of the Armed Forces,” Sen. Chuck Schumer said.
‘I’m Still Dealing With It’: How New York Veterans Are Learning To Cope With PTSD
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For many veterans, coming home from war is more difficult than what they experienced on the battlefield while they were deployed.
Many Families Must Fight For The Medal Earned By Their Veterans
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Many veterans and families of deceased veterans who are owed this medal, however, must often undergo a painstaking process to acquire the deserved medal.
This Time, A Three-Time Purple Heart Recipient Gets A More Dignified Presentation
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“Roland” Hayes enlisted in 1966 at the age of 18. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and the following year, he was stationed at a base in Vietnam, where he served as a cook. But he’d soon end up on the front lines.
Medal Of Honor Winner Returns To New York For Hometown Hero’s Greeting
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“My first stop in New York City was a gay pride parade. I thought to myself I didn’t know how this was going to go – you know, Army guy, uniform, Medal of Honor – they saluted me. They told me to go get ISIS. They thanked me for my service.”
News
A Rare Butterfly Found Refuge At An Unlikely Place: A PA Military Base
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The training center welcomes hundreds of people each summer who want to see the “regals.”
Peers Remember The David Bellavia They Knew Before He Earned The Medal Of Honor
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“I don’t really think a person receives an award. I think it’s the award is what people respect and the person is just the custodian of it.”
West Point Says 1 Cadet Killed, 22 Other People Injured In Road Accident
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The accident occurred around 6:45 a.m. ET near a training area in New York state and involved a light medium tactical vehicle — the military’s multipurpose transport truck — the academy says.
PA Paratrooper On Commemorating D-Day: ‘Show Some Citizenship’
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Leslie Cruise served as a paratrooper during the D-Day invasion, June 6, 1944. The 95-year-old veteran reflects on his survival often and believes he has an obligation to share his story.
Renewed Push Meant To Extend Agent Orange Health Care To Blue Water Vets
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An estimated 90,000 veterans have been denied coverage. These are the Blue Water Navy Veterans, who served on ships off the Vietnamese coast but may have also been exposed to the chemical.
Veterans Travel Upstate To Help Ship, Park Prepare For Tourists
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They came to Buffalo from places including downstate New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to renew an annual tradition.
Homeless Veterans: Why It Happens, And Who’s Working To Avert It
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“My grandfather was my hero growing up. He used to tell me every day, be nice to everybody every day, especially the downtrodden. And this guy is more downtrodden than anybody else I’ve ever seen.”
April Marks Month Of The Military Child
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For many, it means a childhood involving multiple relocations. It also means long-term separations from parents who are called to active duty or deployed overseas.
Vietnam Veteran Living With PTSD Begins Walking Tour Of New York State
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A Vietnam Veteran who has lived with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for the past 50 years is taking a walk across New York State to raise awareness and support for other veterans, young and old, who are also living with PTSD. He began his journey in Buffalo.
Four WWII Chaplains Who Sacrificed Their Own Lives Remembered
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“They decided to stay on the deck, give up their life vests, and give them to other sailors or civilians who were aboard the vessel.”
Sailor In End-Of-War Celebratory Kiss Served On Ship Now Moored In Buffalo
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His spontaneous kiss of a passing woman in Times Square was captured on film and published by Life Magazine. George Mendonsa died last weekend at the age of 95 but a part of his life now rests docked in the waters of the Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park.
What Do Veterans’ Advocates Want From Lawmakers In 2019?
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The common theme at the state and federal levels is seeking more support for mental health services, especially for suicide prevention.
For Many Veterans, Four-Legged Friends Make For Better Bonding
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More awareness is being raised for the mental well-being of veterans after they have finished their service. Many are turning to a special loved one in their reinsertion into civilian life. Those loved ones come in the four-legged variety.
Holiday Cheer? Not So Easy For A Veteran Living With PTSD
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During the Holidays, people are encouraged to be merry. But for many, the opposite occurs and depression or other mental health issues rise to the surface.
Food and Farms
Proposed Changes To Military Milk Deliveries Could Hurt New York’s Dairy Industry
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A new federal proposal would change the way New York’s military installations get milk, and could hurt local dairy farmers. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) is trying to stop it.
Ground Is Broken On African-American Veterans Monument, Though More Funds Are Needed
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BUFFALO, NY (WBFO) – Ground was broken Friday at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park on the site where a future African-American Veterans Monument will be erected.
News
Remembering The ‘American St. Nick’
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ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Richard Brookins died last Thursday at the age of 96. He was a WWII veteran but his impact as a soldier is perhaps best known for the impromptu decision to have him dress up as Saint Nicholas on December 5th, 1944.
At 10 years old, Buffalo’s Veteran Treatment Court Now Mentors Similar Programs
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Ten years ago, Buffalo became the first city in the nation to introduce a court specifically for veterans who, through support and treatment, could overcome issues that put them in legal trouble and were preventing them from living lives as productive civilians.
binghamton
Protesters In Salina Say Lockheed Martin Has Blood On Its hands
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The suburban Lockheed Martin facility is the focus of these protesters carrying signs accusing the company of having blood on its hands. Ariel Gold of Ithaca said a recent Saudi bombing using U.S. made weapons has prompted this gathering.
Last-Known Surviving Mohawk Code Talker
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He is among the Native Americans who played a special role in World War II, serving as the famed Code Talkers
A New York-Born Soldier Killed In Korea Finally Honored With A Purple Heart
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BUFFALO, NY (WBFO) – Sixty-seven years after his death, a Buffalo native has received a half-dozen medals – including the Purple Heart – for his service in the Korean War.
Explosion At PA Army Depot Injures Four
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Officials said the victims suffered burns and three were airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries. Terrorism in not suspected.
american homefront
As Russia And China Grow Their Militaries, Troops In New York Train For New Fronts
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Since 9/11, American troops have been focused much of their training on the fight against insurgent groups in the Middle East. But now, the military is preparing for the possibility of war with nations that have bigger, more sophisticated armed forces.
News
Security At Air Force’s Rome Lab Under Scrutiny
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SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – Members of New York’s Congressional delegation are trying to secure funding to build a fence around the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome. Without the proper security, they fear the “Rome Lab” is potentially vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
News
Choppers From Fort Drum Fill The Skies Over Northern New York
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SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – The North Country will experience additional helicopter traffic over the next week. It’s part of a first-of-its kind training exercise that Fort Drum says will better prepare their soldiers for the fight of the future.
Science
DARPA ‘Improv’ Challenge, a Tiny T-Rex, and Plastic Homes for Sea Life
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Lt. Samantha Ratanarat loads soil samples onto the LEM after completing an extra-vehicular mission. Photo by Josh White
Science Friday airs on WSQX March 18, 2016 from 2-4pm.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, is turning to the crowd to hack toasters, vacuums, and other off-the-shelf products to figure out how these technologies might be used against the military. Science writer Maggie Koerth-Baker brings us this story and other science picks from the week. Plus, how floating plastic waste can provide a home — and a transportation system — for sea life.
Kids & Families
Military Family Resources
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As many as 700,000 U.S. children under the age of five have a parent in the military. To help support the military families that live in our region, WSKG has created this resources page. Here you find national and local initiatives offering important, specialized content for military families. WSKG also has a variety of family toolkits available please contact jstapleton@wskg.org to learn more. Additionally, you can find these materials in our community at the Greater Binghamton Airport’s Military Family Room.