NOVEMBER 2025 NEWSLETTER
“Honoring the sacrifices many have made for our country in the name of freedom and democracy is the very foundation of Veterans Day.” –Charles Rangel
HAVE YOU RETURNED YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOT?
“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was indeed a vital instrument of democracy, ensuring the integrity and reliability of a democratic process that we as a country hold so dear.” – Charles Rangel (June 11, 1930 – May 26, 2025), Korean War Veteran
TAKE ACTION! CONTACT YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO PASS THE JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT. Defend our voting rights!
Greetings! As we commemorate November as National Veterans and Military Families Month, we persevere to save our democracy. If you haven’t sent back your absentee ballot, please hurry up and vote! Election Day is November 4th! Check your state’s requirements for UOCAVA voters. Verify if your ballot has been received and accepted by going to Absentee and Mail Ballot Tracker. If your ballot has not been accepted, call your stateside voting office immediately. Need help? Email: [email protected].
We need your help on November 11th for our annual celebration to honor Veterans everywhere by ringing The Bells of Peace on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour wherever you are! Find a bell, any size, or be creative and make your own bell! This is part of the Doughboy Foundation’s incredible work and part of the annual celebration of our Veterans by the VMF Caucus. This is the fourth year that the DA Germany VMF Caucus and the Global VMF Caucus have been participating in this international event. Join us in spreading the word by organizing your own local ceremony at the 11th hour! Considering the focus of the Secretary of Defense, our military needs our support now more than ever! Please participate! Send us a photo of you ringing a bell for our next newsletter! [email protected]
The KHS AFJROTC is sponsoring a Veterans Awareness March at the Kaiserslautern HS Stadium, on November 11 from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. Support our cadets who are supporting our Veterans. 22% of the donations will benefit local Veterans’ groups.
Get your annual flu shot! In Wiesbaden at Hainerberg Lower Px-Old Bookmark, they will be offered for ID card holders by appointment November 4, 6, 12, 21, 24 from 2 pm to 6 pm and November 22, 10 am to 2 pm –Walk-ins after 5 pm.
November 15th from 8 am to 3 pm, USAG Wiesbaden is organizing Retiree Appreciation Day at Clay Kaserne. They will be offering flu, COVID, and shingles vaccinations along with free breakfast and lunch!
The NO KINGS/TYRANTS demonstrations across the world, called deeply American and an expression of patriotism by Senator Elizabeth Warren, were resoundingly successful! Tens of thousands of people gathered on Boston Common where Senator Warren declared “Donald Trump is not a king. Donald Trump is a bully.”
7 million people mobilized in the United States alone!
-Defense Department ordered to return banned books from its schools
-Books about race and gender to be returned to school libraries on some military bases
-Handful of DODEA schools directed to reinstate books removed by order of Trump
Resist with Democrats Abroad! Phonebanking volunteers needed!
Robert Scott and Terese Sarno
DAG VMF Caucus Co-Chairs DA Germany
What would you like to organize? Contact us at [email protected]
Ready to join our caucus? Be part of the conversation and make your voice heard!
TAKE ACTION UPDATE!
TAKE ACTION! H.R.5527 - 119th Congress (2025-2026)
CONTACT YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO SUPPORT THIS BILL AND BECOME CO-SPONSORS
Capitol Switchboard: You can call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at +1 (202) 224-3121. Ask to be connected to your Rep’s office. There are 12 co-sponsors.
H.R. 5527 To require the Secretary of Defense to restore access to curricula, books, and other learning materials at schools operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity, and for other purposes.
Restore the Right to Read at DoDEA Schools
Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) introduced the Stop Censoring Military Families Act (H.R. 5527), which would restore all books removed from Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools by the Trump administration and protect school curricula from political changes.
SAVE Act S.128–Urge your Senators to VOTE NO. Call +1 (202) 224-3121.
The SAVE Act could force Americans abroad to return to the U.S. just to register to vote annually. Make that call! If you can’t call, send an email. For a call script, click here.
VOTE VETS stated “It’s an effort to suppress Military votes. If it passes the Senate, it’s going to undermine our elections.”
UPCOMING ELECTIONS!
November 4th–General Elections
December 2nd–Tennessee 7th Congressional District
December 9th–Virginia Fairfax County
February 3rd–Virginia Caroline County
States, Not the President, Run Elections in America
NOVEMBER EVENTS
National Veterans & Military Families Month
Warrior Care Month National Family Caregivers Month
November 2– Daylight Savings Time 2025 ends
November 3-7 – National Veterans Small Business Week
November 4 – Election Day! Www.VoteFromAbroad.org
November 10 – Marine Corps 250th Birthday
November 11 –Veterans Day
November 11 – AFJROTC Veterans Awareness March 10am - 3pm CET Kaiserslautern HS Stadium
“Support our cadets who are supporting our veterans.”
November 11 – Ramstein High School AF JROTC will be sending a Color Guard and Formation of cadets to St. Mihiel American Cemetery in Thiaucourt-Regniéville, France to participate in the Veterans Day ceremony at the cemetery and in the village as well.
November 11 – THE BELLS OF PEACE 11 am local time everywhere! The Veterans and Military Families Caucus is participating in the annual Doughboy Foundation initiative The Bells of Peace remembrance of those who served in World War I. Everyone can honor our Veterans on Veterans Day--you do not need to be in a major city or live near an American Cemetery. Hold your own local Bells of Peace ceremony.
Wherever you are at 11:00 am, you can honor our Veterans by ringing a bell--organize a group or do it alone. Join us to commemorate the moment when the guns fell silent, and bells tolled on the Western Front...on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour in 1918, after four years of brutal combat.
Send a photo to [email protected] for the newsletter
November 15 – USAG Wiesbaden Retiree Appreciation Day, Clay Kaserne Bldg. 1000
November 21 & 22 – FALL OF FREEDOM Urgent call to the arts community to unite in defiance of authoritarian forces sweeping the nation. Our Democracy is under attack.
Upcoming DA Activities
DA EMEA RETREAT BRUSSELS
10-12 October 2025
Breakthrough ‘26: A Blueprint for a Way Forward
EMEA leaders and super-volunteers from 19 countries and 3 continents met in Brussels to prepare for the challenges leading up to the 2026 midterms. Participants shared best practices and ways to expand collaboration across the region.
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Hegseth orders troops to watch his speech decrying a 'woke' military.
"Frankly, it's tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops. Likewise, it's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon," Hegseth said.
Troops With Beards Banned From Pete Hegseth Event In South Korea: Report
"...troops with “shaving waivers are NOT authorized to attend”
Federal appellate decision restores union rights for Defense Department teachers
A three-judge panel…found that the Trump administration failed to meet its burden in requesting a stay of an injunction blocking the union-busting of the Pentagon’s corps of teachers on military bases. “ It is the government’s burden to convince us that restoring union protections to federal employees focused on K-12 education will make the country less safe. Because the government fails to meet that burden, I disagree with our dissenting colleague’s unquestioning acceptance of the government’s implausible claim of irreparable harm.”
Federal judge orders books returned to school libraries on some military bases : NPR
In her decision, U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles sided with the students and their families, writing that "the removals were not rooted in pedagogical concerns" but rather there was "improper partisan motivation underlying [defendants'] actions." Giles wrote that DOD officials must "immediately restore the books and curricular materials that have been removed."
Shutdown causes turmoil for some military families’ food assistance
“In the most recent Defense Department survey of active-duty military spouses, about 7% said they were currently using WIC benefits and 1% said they were using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps.”
More than 75,000 students affected by VA payment delays for education benefits
“Military students utilizing the tuition assistance program are now at an impasse with the lack of new approvals or support in any kind for the program,” the American Legion said.
DoD: No ‘Termination Date’ Set for Legacy Retiree IDs
Renewing Your Card
Full details on the DoD ID card system are available at MOAA’s ID card resource page.
Find Your Nearest ID Card Office | ID Card Office Online
Cardholders with questions regarding their ID, or facing trouble with the online renewal or appointment process, can contact DMDC at (800) 538-9552.
5 GOP senators vote to pass resolution terminating Trump’s Brazil tariffs
“Paul, speaking on the Senate floor, called the tariff a tax on U.S. consumers…The average price for a pound of coffee rose to $9.14 per pound last month — 41 percent higher than what it was in September of 2024.
White House ousts arts commissioners expected to oversee ballroom, arch construction
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