VFW Riders - District 4: April 2024


	VFW Riders Events

Event Coordinator	Gary DeMars
Form Date	04-16-2024
Riders Event Description	Independence Village of Plymouth Cookout
Ride Destination	Independence Village of Plymouth
Destination Address - Optional	14707 Northville Rd., Plymouth, MI, 48170
Comments	Our VFW District 4 Riders Group is invited to attend a cookout at the Independence Village of Plymouth Senior Living facility. Independence Village has a group of Veterans who want us to meet and socialize. This is an excellent opportunity for us to show our support for the veteran community in our District, and we hope that many of our Rider members will attend. Please put this event on our calendar. A group ride is not planned for this event and the cookout starts at 1:00 pm.
Ride Type	OTHER
Other Ride Type	Veterans support lunch
Ride Date	05-25-2024
Staging Location	Independence Village of Plymouth
Staging Address	14707 Northville Rd., Plymouth, MI, 48170
Staging Time	12:45 PM
KSU	1:00 PM


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G.I. Bill students: Receiving more than one monetary benefit? Check your direct deposit on VA.gov

Some students receive benefit payments to two banking accounts, but VA needs all students to consolidate their payments into one direct deposit account to help protect from fraud and to ensure VA pays veterans on time, every time, without error.

If you're a G.I. Bill beneficiary who also receives other benefits, you need to ensure you have a single bank account selected for direct deposit by April 20.

If you received a notification via text message or email, please take action by April 20. If you do not receive a notification, you are not impacted.

Learn more on the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency's website.

Register now for MVAA's third annual Veterans Leadership Summit

The registration deadline for the 2024 Michigan Veterans Leadership Summit is quickly approaching!

Join the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) May 1-3 at the DTE Energy Headquarters in Detroit. This summit was created for leaders of organizations whose primary purpose is serving veterans and their families to enhance their programming by networking and learning from one another in a group setting.

At last year's summit in Traverse City, more than 200 military veteran leaders and advocates from 90 cities, five states and Washington, D.C., came together to develop new and better ways to serve Michigan veterans and their families.

Register for the 2024 Summit. The deadline to register is Sunday, April 14.

400,000+ veterans enrolled in VA health care over past 365 days, 30% increase over last year

On Friday, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it has enrolled 401,006 veterans in VA health care over the past 365 days — 30% more than the 307,831 it enrolled the previous year. This is the most yearly enrollees in at least the past five years at VA, and nearly a 50% increase over pandemic-level enrollment in 2020.

The number of new enrollees increased in all 50 states year-over-year. The states with the most new enrollees over the past year include Texas (41,287 veterans), California (33,468) Florida (32,712), Virginia (20,537), North Carolina (17,562), Pennsylvania (16,167), Georgia (15,747), Ohio (12,717), Washington (11,873), Illinois (10,167), Colorado (10,028), Arizona (9,789), Tennessee (9,584), and Michigan (9,294).

This historic enrollment has been made possible by the bipartisan PACT Act — signed into law by President Biden as a part of his Unity Agenda for the nation — which allowed VA to expand VA health care and benefits to millions of veterans. Read the full story from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Last survivor of USS Arizona dies at 102

USS Arizona survivor Lou Conter died Monday at the age of 102. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)

The sole survivor serving aboard the USS Arizona during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has died.

Lou Conter, one of the last living ties to that date of infamy, passed away this morning at his home in Grass Valley, California, Pacific Historic Parks confirmed. He was 102.

Born in Ojibwa, Wisconsin, Conter enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1939 at the age of 18. Two years later, he would bear witness to the attack that finally drew the United States into the Second World War.

Starting his shift as quartermaster at 7:45 a.m. on Dec. 7, 1941, Conter had barely rubbed the sleep from his eyes when the Japanese assault began a mere three minutes later.

At exactly 8:09 a.m., the hull of the USS Arizona was struck by a 1,760-pound Japanese armor-piercing bomb.

Read the full story from Military Times.

17 books every service member should read, according to troops and veterans

We asked Military.com readers for their favorite book suggestions, and here are some of their top picks. (Collage of book covers created by Military.com)

The military community is awash in book suggestions — from branch-specific reading lists to those focused on personal and professional development. So Military.com set out to create an essential reading list by surveying the folks who have experienced the impact and importance of a really good book on their service.

Hundreds of U.S. service members and veterans responded to the informal survey with their (sometimes very strong) opinions. Their choices emphatically highlighted the books that not only shaped them as service members, but that they believe other troops should read as well. Military.com pored over the responses, categorized them and found the breakout books that readers believe will make a difference to those currently serving in the ranks.

From fiction to military strategy to psychology, there's something for everyone on this list — and there's the chance that at least one of these titles will be brand-new to you. Read the full list from Military.com.

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