Vietnam Veterans of America Condemns Frivolous Use of the Purple Heart
Washington, D.C.) – Vietnam Veterans of America national President Thomas H. Corey today harshly condemned the producers of the Hollywood Film Wedding Crashers for their crass use of the Purple Heart in the film and for placing a printable medal on a web site to encourage men to use it to impress women.

"Millions of American fighting men and women have been awarded the Purple Heart since it was introduced by Gen. George Washington in 1782," Corey, a Purple Heart recipient who was severely disabled by his wounds in the Vietnam War, said. "That award honors the service and sacrifice of those who put their lives on the line for our country and were wounded in action. It is unconscionable to me—and is an insult to everyone who has served the nation in the military—to trivialize the Purple Heart in this way."

Congress Ready to Approve $1.5 Billion More for Veterans Health Benefits
WASHINGTON (AP) - Weeks after the Veterans Affairs Department acknowledged a major shortfall in its health care budget, members of the House and Senate agreed Tuesday to provide $1.5 billion to close the gap.

Negotiators for the two chambers settled on the amount already approved by the Senate - which comes on top of $28 billion already approved for the budget year ending Sept. 30 - after key House lawmakers said they had lost faith in the VA's estimates. A final vote is expected this week.

The House originally passed a separate $975 million bill to close the veterans health care shortfall. That step was based on administration estimates. Only days later, the administration boosted those cost estimates by $300 million. That was the latest of a string of ever-increasing VA estimates of the size of the problem.

Air Force Officers MIA From Vietnam War are Identified
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today the remains of two servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

They are Col. James W. Lewis of Marshall, Texas, and Maj. Arthur D. Baker of San Antonio, Texas, both Air Force. Lewis is to be buried in Marshall on August 13, and Baker is to be buried in Longview, Texas on July 29.

On April 7, 1965, Lewis and Baker led a flight of four B-57B Canberra aircraft on an interdiction mission over Xiangkhoang Province, Laos. After their B-57 initiated an attack run into heavy clouds, Lewis radioed his plane was outbound away from the target. There was no further radio or visual contact with the crew, and search and rescue missions failed to yield any evidence of the two men or their aircraft. Although the cause of the crash is unknown, enemy fire and bad weather are believed to be contributing factors.

CHAIRMAN BUYER SEEKS TO RESOLVE OUTPATIENT SCHEDULING CONCERNS
Washington, D.C.- Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Steve Buyer today expressed concern over findings in a recent report on outpatient scheduling procedures, issued by the Department of Veterans Affairs inspector general. The findings reinforced evidence of rising waiting times for health care appointments that was discussed at a Committee hearing on VA health care funding shortfalls Thursday.

The July 8 report, "Audit of the Veterans Health Administration's Outpatient Scheduling Procedures," used survey data gathered by VA's IG in eight VA medical facilities for the week of June 21-27, 2004. Initiated by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson, it found that VA health care schedulers often failed to correctly schedule appointments. It also found that facility directors did not have accurate data on patient waiting lists.

DOD Releases Study on Link Between Agent Orange and Diabetes
The Department of Defense released today the latest report of the Air Force Health Study on the health effects of exposure to herbicides in Vietnam, which includes the strongest evidence to date that Agent Orange is associated with adult-onset diabetes. This supports the findings from earlier reports in 1992 and 1997.

The Air Force Health Study summarizes the results of the 2002 physical examination of 1,951 veterans, which is the final examination of the 20-year epidemiological study.

General William Westmoreland Dies at 91
Vietnam Veterans of America mourns the death on July 18 of Gen. William C. Westmoreland, who, as commander of the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, commanded American troops in South Vietnam from 1964 to 1968. Westmoreland, West Point class of 1936, served with distinction in World War II, commanding an artillery battalion and serving as chief of staff of the Army's 9th Division in the final assault against Germany. He served as U.S. Army chief of staff from 1968-72. In Vietnam, Gen. Westmoreland was instrumental in developing the search-and-destroy strategy and waging a war of attrition against the Vietnamese communists.

FROM SHABOOM’S KITCHEN
This recipe is as close as I’ve come to the one at Pinnacle Peak Restaurant in Tucson, Arizona, around 1975. They had their huge grill right inside the front door----littered with huge steaks cooking! Their menu consists of only 3 items:
- 2-pound Cowboy Steak (Porterhouse)
- 1-pound Cowgirl Steak (Porterhouse)
- 1/2-pound Chopped Sirloin
Everything was served family style on large picnic tables covered with red-and-white-checkered oilcloth. The steaks were served with huge bowls of these Ranch Beans, a large plate of tossed salad, and warm rolls and butter (that is, if you can eat it all!).

No ties are allowed----if a man wears a tie, he must take it off (or the waiter cut it off), attach your business card, and hang it up with the hundreds of ties already hanging all over the place. What fun! And, the steaks are absolute mah-velous!!

Serves approximately 8
1 pound dried Pinto beans-- soaked overnight
1 large Onion -- chopped
3 large cloves garlic -- minced
2 cans (4 oz.ea.) chopped green chiles
1 tablespoon chili powder or other blended seasoning
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
6-7 cups water
1 meaty ham bone
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Drain beans and place into a Dutch oven or large kettle. Add onion garlic, chiles, chili powder or other seasoning, cumin and black pepper. Mix well and add water. Nestle the ham bone into the mixture and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add salt and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, adding additional water if needed, another 1/2 to 1 hour or until beans are tender.

To serve, remove ham bone and discard. Ladle beans into large serving bowl and serve family style.

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