To view in PDF, click here

"Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting."                                                    –Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Editor’s Message 

Greetings! When encouraging people to vote, we often hear the refrain “My vote doesn’t count.” This is how important one vote is: One vote was the margin in the House of Representatives when Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas was impeached.

House Republicans impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas… 

As United States citizens, we are used to many things that our American freedoms allow us to do. Among the things we take for granted are access to the internet and the ability to search for information on any topic without restrictions. We probably take for granted the right to assemble peacefully, to honor anyone we want to celebrate, to place flowers at memorials, and to protest those with whom we are not in agreement--in short to express our opinions on any subject at any time. With our unlimited access to the internet, we are able to know what is happening all over the world. We can select where we want to live and where we want to travel, although this is, of course, limited by our financial resources. By far, the most important American freedom is the freedom to vote for the candidate of our choice and the right for anyone to be a candidate without fear of government reprisal.

Our freedoms actually start with our attention to ethics and as March is National Ethics Awareness Month, it is a time to examine ethics in the workplace, whether that be a paid position or a volunteer position, which is often forgotten. “Workplace ethics —not to be confused with work ethic, which refers to someone’s dedication to hard work —refers to the application of moral values to every aspect of a business. Work ethics applies to not only how a business interacts with customers but also its interactions between employees.” Employees need to be respected and appreciated. There is no room for people with personal agendas to continually impose their agendas on others and refuse to be part of a team effort for the greater good.

The DPCA is committed “to ensuring that all individuals contracted or employed by the DPCA, volunteers and those attending DPCA events, are treated with dignity and respect and that they in turn treat others in the same way at meetings, events and in the course of volunteering for the DPCA. The DPCA is committed to ensuring that  volunteers and attendees are able to meet and work in an environment which is free from any form of harassment and bullying. The DPCA recognizes the right of all DA members to volunteer in an environment free of harassment and to attend events free of harassment. The DPCA will consider behavior to be harassment when such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive  environment for DA members or volunteers, or interfering with a volunteer’s  performance. Harassment can include behavior or communications (verbal or non-verbal) and can include statements or actions that are offensive or objectionable  to the recipient, cause the recipient humiliation, or interfere with the recipient’s ability to participate in an event or activity.”

The question now is: How do we guarantee our American freedoms now that unreasonable people are trying to totally change our democratic government and impose restrictions that are un-American?  WE VOTE and WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE WE KNOW TO VOTE. As DEMOCRATS ABROAD, we have a responsibility to make sure that all American citizens abroad know that they have the power to vote and that they need to use that power before someone attempts to take it away.  Contact us at [email protected] to join our VMF Voter Registration/Absentee Ballot Team! Sign up for the Voter Assistance Training.

We all need to Get Out The Vote and join forces to make this an overwhelming demonstration of voting rights. Start with participating in the GPP from March 5-12. Do not forget that our way of life, our Democracy, is on the line. 

Terese Sarno

Editor-in-Chief

Please join our caucus to show your support for the U.S. military!

ADVOCACY

Tax Season Reminders for Veterans
Are you preparing to file taxes? VA is here to help with some helpful reminders for Veterans and beneficiaries. 

• VA benefits are tax-free.
• There is no federal income tax on VA insurance proceeds
• Veterans with a service-connected disability rating may benefit from local property tax exemptions.
• You may qualify for free assistance with filing from MilTax or IRS Free File.

Hire a Veteran

Challenges During Re-adjustment to Civilian Life - Veterans Employment Toolkit

Military Transition To Civilian Life: A Guide for Veterans

Federal Benefits for Veterans, Dependents and Survivors 2023

U.S. Army Retired Soldier Handbook 2024  

U.S. Army Retirement Planning Guide 2024

Military OneSource International Calling Options

Free Online Workshop for Caregivers- Building Better Caregivers ®(BBC) workshop

The 6-week BBC online workshop is available to caregivers enrolled in the VA Caregiver Support Program. To participate, you must be enrolled in either the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) or the Program of General Caregiver Support Services(PGCSS). Please visit the Caregiver Support Program website for more information on eligibility and resources available to caregivers at www.caregiver.va.gov. Join today!

www.votefromabroad.org 

Why use VFA? Submit the FPCA as ballot transmission deadlines and other return rules can be different for in-state absentee voters. Living abroad, the voter is protected by the UOCAVA law and is entitled to a different process. It is important to file the FPCA to let the LEO know you are an overseas voter.

—

US Elections  What is voter suppression? What happened in 2000? Can American elections be fixed?

The Best Documentaries on US Voting Fraud & Rigged Elections

CALENDAR & EVENTS

MARCH is National Ethics Awareness Month

Workplace ethics —not to be confused with work ethic, referring to someone’s dedication to hard work —refers to the application of moral values to every aspect of a business. Work ethics applies to not only how a business interacts with customers but also its interactions between employees.

March 1 – Mindfulness Meditation 11:00 a.m. to 12 noon ET
March 2 – Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) 101st Birthday Celebration.
March 3 – Navy Reserve Birthday
March 4 – National Hug a G.I. Day
March 5 – Seabee Birthday
March 5-12 – 2024 Global Presidential Primary Voting Center Locations
March 7 – National Slam The Scam Day Protect Yourself Against Social Security Scams
March 8 – International Women’s Day    Inspire Inclusion.
March 9 – VMF Caucus Steering Committee, 7:00 a.m. ET WebEx link
March 10 – U.S. Daylight Saving Time Begins
March 13 – National K9 Veterans Day
March 15-17 – The American Legion 105th Birthday
March 18 – National Supreme Sacrifice Day
March 20 – Transitioning Successfully into Retirement  12 p.m. and 3 p.m. ET
March 21 - Gold Medal Ceremony in Congress for the Ghost Army, 11 a.m.
March 21 – Rosie The Riveter Day
March 25 – National Medal of Honor Day
March 29 – National Vietnam War Veterans Day
Upcoming DA Activities    

Courtesy of Jones Claytoonz.com

Join our VMF Voter Registration Team– Let’s help the military increase their voter registration and voting numbers. With your help, we can do it!                                 Contact us at [email protected]

MORE VOTER ASSISTANCE TRAININGS AVAILABLE
PHONEBANKING TRAINING    ONE-TO ONE VOTER HELP

The Military Voter in 2020: 35 Years of UOCAVA

 FVAP's 2022 Report to Congress

Since 1986, military members on active duty stationed away from their voting residence have been covered by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA), which requires that states allow these military members, their eligible family, and overseas citizens to vote absentee in federal elections. In 2009, UOCAVA was amended, requiring states to:

• Transmit ballots at least 45 days before federal elections
• Offer at least one method of electronic transmission (email, fax, online portal, etc.) of voting information and blank ballots
• Transmit ballots automatically within the calendar year of the ballot request

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

US personnel ‘routinely denied’ emergency care in Japan, military probe finds

CDC plans to drop 5-day COVID isolation guidelines

Criticism of plan by VA to offer low-interest rates to vets facing foreclosure 

Alabama's largest hospital says it is halting IVF treatments in wake of court ruling

Powering the future of American jobs

From U.S. Department of Labor, January 25, 2024

American job growth is electric
Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su met with apprentices in Wisconsin last week, where she highlighted the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to build American-made electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the country. This project will create good-paying jobs, lower costs for working families, and help make electric vehicles more accessible for all Americans.

Latest jobs report shows strong economic growth
The U.S. economy added 353,000 jobs in January, making 14.8 million jobs since President Biden took office. With the unemployment rate at 3.7%, this continues the longest stretch of the jobless rate staying below 4% in more than 50 years. 

Watch: Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su on the economy
In a Newsweek op-ed, Acting Secretary Su challenged companies to ramp up efforts to protect children from dangerous jobs. “When we go shopping – whether for groceries, gifts, or supplies – we should not have to question if the products were made with illegal child labor,” she wrote.

• 2023 Union Membership Data
  Acting Secretary Su issued a statement on the Bureau of Labor Statistics annual union membership data report, highlighting the country’s addition of more than 400,000 union workers since 2021, saying: “Our message to America’s workers is simple: we hear you, and we have your back.
• Expanding job opportunities for young people
  We've expanded our Youth Systems Building Academy initiative to help 10 more communities and their partners enhance workforce pathways for young workers. Learn how we’re ensuring the workforce system can help young people successfully navigate today's labor market.
• Responsible AI
  A recent executive order on artificial intelligence outlined a strategy to manage its risks and harness its benefits. 5 Ways OCIO supports responsible AI.

National Archives clears pandemic-era backlog for vet records… 

How the union fever in 2023 fared for women of color

WHAT’S CONGRESS UP TO?

Democrat Suozzi wins special election to replace Santos in New York

House lawmakers seek study of overseas barracks in effort to improve military housing

Ghost Army veterans set to receive Congressional Gold Medal in March ceremony

The special ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 21 at the Capitol Building. It will culminate a nearly 20-year effort by the Ghost Army Legacy Project to raise awareness and win recognition for the little-known Army units that played a unique but unheralded part in the Allied victory of WWII.

On Veterans Day, VMF laid a wreath at the Luxembourg American Cemetery on the grave of SSgt Peddle of the Ghost Army

S. 815 Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2023      118th Congress
“On November 23, 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed the legislation described in paragraph (27) into law as the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977 (Public Law 95–202; 91 Stat. 1433). The Signal Corps telephone operators applied for, and were granted, status as veterans in 1979.”
The Gold Medal quest for the Hello Girls has been steadily picking up steam!
The bill now has 45 cosponsors (31 Democrats, 12 Republicans, 2 Independents).
Ask your U.S. Senators to support S. 815! Contact Members of Congress. 

VETERANS’ ISSUES

3rd Annual Retiree Survivor Workshop  in-person in Germany
18 Apr 24 from 1300-1500 at the LRMC Heaton Auditorium  (Landstuhl)

This is your chance to personally sit down with Legal, VA, Tricare, Casualty Manager & Post-Retirement Services Officer, members of the US Army Regional Mortuary Europe/Africa, KMC Retiree Council and many more!

Health:

Support for Veterans - Resources - VA Caregiver Support Program
Tips: Medications - Providers - Organization - Mobility - Transfers

VA Caregiver Support Program(PCAFC) stopped issuing paper checks October 1, 2023.
VA’s Primary Family Caregiver User Guide for Direct Deposit Enrollment
VA Caregiver Support Program Teams
TRICARE 2024–Overview detailed costs and fees
TRICARE Prime Overseas    TRICARE compare costs    Find a Tricare Plan  

VA Information For Veterans Living Overseas

VETERANS LIVING OVERSEAS-Benefits

If you’re a Veteran who lives overseas, you remain entitled to the benefits and services you earned through your military service. Most VA benefits are payable regardless of your place of residence or nationality. VA benefits include disability compensation, pension, education and training, health care, home loans, insurance, vocational rehabilitation, employment, and burial.

Retired Service Members and Families
If you are entitled to Medicare Part A, you must have Medicare Part B to keep your TRICARE coverage, even if you live overseas. 

How To Apply For A Veteran ID Card      https://youtu.be/MHCkZPt0ZyQ

Get A Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)

VA Foreign Medical Program (FMP) - How It Works
If you’re a Veteran who gets medical care outside the U.S. for a service-connected condition, the cost of your care may be covered. As a Veteran living or traveling abroad, you can receive medical care for VA service-connected disabilities through the VA FMP.

Education:

Veteran WWII Navy Seabee from Flint celebrates 100th birthday

Ghost Army veterans set to receive Congressional Gold Medal in March ceremony

Army veteran who led AP’s photo operations into the digital age dies at 92

Click here for our Spotlight What the 2020 Election Can Teach Us About Influencing Voters
Click here for our Podcast & Social Media Recommendations
Click here for our Poetry Corner
Click here for our Film and Book Recommendations
Click here for our Educational Resources
Click here for our Brain-Zone Quiz
Click here for our Virtual Museum

GLOBAL VMF CAUCUS MEETINGS

The Global VMF Caucus Steering Committee meeting 

WebEx link for 09 March at 07:00 ET. 

All Democrats Abroad members are welcome to attend the monthly meeting.

SUGGESTION BOX

Want to help overseas Americans request their absentee ballots? Vote in 2024?   Do you have a suggestion for an event, a special program, or an idea to share?     Contact [email protected]

Connect with us on      

Please join our caucus to show your support for the U.S. military!

READ WHITE and BLUE

“Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”      –Abraham Lincoln