VA GUY

http://www.columbuswelcomehome.com/ Veterans and their immediate family members get in free to the zoo this Friday (July 3rd). You'll also be fed for free. No pre-registration is necessary, and it's open to ALL veterans, not just OEF/OIF. Anybody has any questions hit me up. I'll be there with the big VA mobile medical unit, we have the ability to sign veterans up on the spot and do an exam on site. To facilitate getting in just bring your VA id card, DD-214 or active duty/guard/reserve ID card! They're not going to be picky at the front gates that's for sure.

Anybody have an expired set they want to get rid of? Looking for some to eventually put in my Jeep (non competition obviously..)

Tomorrow is our big Welcome Home event for you all tomorrow in Whitehall, anybody has any free time please come out, gonna have lots of information for you and your families! PTSD counsellors will be on hand, and we have a LOT of agencies coming in to give you all info on benefits available, not just with the VA either. Several colleges are coming in, Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS) will be there, you name it we'll probably have it. Free food and entertainment for you AND your families as well. There's a kids room set up so you and your spouses can walk around and talk about benefits in peace too.. http://www.columbuswelcomehome.com/

I have a TJ myself, if she wants to take it out, I know of an awesome place on Brice Road just north of 23, I'd be happy to take her to it and let her play around, as long as I'm around (it's got full coverage, I've already ripped the drivers side mirror off out playing).

My apologies if this isn't the right forum for this post. If you can't tell by my user name, I work for the VA here in Columbus. I tried multiple times to get in touch with the folks at the Good Guys show to see if they'd let me set up space to talk to veterans about their VA benefits, especially the men and women that have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. I heard NOTHING from those people. I went to the Good Guys website and used the link they provided about vendor space, and never once heard from anybody. To me, that shows a lack of support for the brave men and women that have served our country so bravely. I tried multiple times asking about paying for a space to set up my 10x10 tent, and never heard a word. Like I said, my apologies if this isn't the right forum for this post, but it just burns my ass when people don't support our veterans, and their lack of response to multiple requests just shows the Good Guys's coordinators don't give a shit about veterans, they're about cars and money.

http://www.adrian.edu/news/6_08op_ed2.php One of our employees is an alum of Adrian (it's up in Michigan) and sent this to me.

http://www.columbuswelcomehome.com/ Our website is finally up and running! Our 2nd Annual OEF/OIF Welcome Home event is planned for Sunday, August 17, 2008, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at Whitehall Community Park on Hamilton Road, just south of the airport. Check out the site and you'll see what all will be going on. There are events for the kids so mom and dad can walk around in peace. ODNR will be there with alot of their stuff, including fishing classes for the tots (as well as a free fishing rod/reel for them!). I haven't been able to track down any race cars to show up, called up Team Jegs and they're out of town, sent Rahal/Letterman Racing a message and never heard back, but we'll have displays of SOMETHING, just don't know what. My Civil War re-enacting unit will be there with a period camp, hey, just check out the site and you'll get the idea. Those that pre-register get a t-shirt designed just for this event. The site, while up and running, is still under construction so I do apologize. Any questions feel free!

My bad, coil springs, not coil packs! They're free to whoever wants 'em. Located on Lancaster Road between Broad and Main in Reynoldsburg.

anybody want 'em come get 'em. Less than 12,000 miles.

Hippa laws are very strict. Unless she's assigned you as a POA (power of attorney) or signed a release form they probably won't be able to tell you much. Hope she's doing ok though!!

BRAC is how I got my job at the VA, I worked for Newark Air Force Base when it was still NAFB, due to the BRAC announcement I had the unpleasant job of handing out RIF notices (Reduction In Force) to a couple hundred employees. I wanted to stay with the government, ended up with the VA. Ft. Mead?? Never heard of that happening within our clinic, and I'm one of those types that hear everything. I don't see Chris very often, but I'll make a special effort to get up and talk to her next week! I'm off tomorrow and Monday.. I LIVE to help veterans. A few years ago I was doing some outreach and was fortunate enough to tell a WWII veteran just how much money we could save him on his prescriptions, he started to cry he was so thankful, that's what it's all about!!

You want to get into a field that's going to do nothing but grow by leaps and bounds within the VA? Anything to do with GWOT veterans!! (Global War On Terrorism). We're hiring 5 new positions for that program alone right now, and it's the hot button issue within the VA. Case managers, social workers, program managers.....and we're supposed to look very hard for GWOT veterans to fill these positions, but being a veteran does help around here, having my CIB has made some patients "open up" to me when they might not have otherwise, because they know I've been there done that.

We'll be moving into our new building this October/November, and adding 150 new positions. Here's a link to look at http://jobsearch.usajobs.gov/jobsearch.asp?q=department+of+veterans+affairs&jbf574=&lid=18207&jbf522=&salmin=&salmax=&paygrademin=&paygrademax=&FedEmp=N&tm=&sort=rv&vw=d&ss=0&brd=3876&FedPub=Y&caller=%2Fagency_search.asp&SUBMIT1.x=87&SUBMIT1.y=19 For most of our jobs you do have to have some prior federal government time (being a veteran DOES count!). Bene's are great, I get 8 hours of vacation and 4 hours of sick leave every two weeks, pay raises every January, no weekends or holiday's at our clinic....Certain moderator around here interviewed for a job here too...

So THAT'S why traffic everywhere was f'd up. I don't take the freeways, either to or from work, and man even side streets were packed.

Hood on my 95 Mustang flew open, on the way home from buying it no less. Had been in a wreck at one point and whoever fixed it half-assed the latch. On the Maaco side, I actually let them paint the half doors on my heep, actually did a kick ass job, was impressed. But that's a small part to paint too.

The pic of the guy with the telephone pole firmly planted up his backside is an old pic, and the story I've always seen attached was he was in a boat... wonder how many more are "questionable".. respect is a two way street, guys that ride bikes like they have an S on their chest are the same guys that hop in a car and do hotlaps around 270.

Several years ago I was hit by an uninsured driver, my insurance paid, then yes they went after him with a vengance!

Hey Mike, if the funeral director didn't request a flag, you can get one from the Franklin County Veterans Service Office, they have them down there (if your grandfather was a Franklin County resident), 614-462-2500.

Chances are I've been out to talk to you, one of my jobs is going out to units that have recently returned and talk about your 5 years of free VA healthcare. Website for this will be up soon, http://www.columbuswelcomehome.com . Or you can pre-register at (614)257-5682, leave your info and Mark will be in touch!

They're partly correct, mostly not. VA does NOT provide any type of color guard for burial's, nor do we coordinate them, except when the veteran is being buried in a national cemetary. Either yourself or the funeral home will have to do that. The military or VFW or Amvets is an option as well. Here is a link to the 2008 Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents, go to Chapter 7, Burial and Memorial Benefits... http://www1.va.gov/opa/vadocs/fedben.pdf Have to copy and paste that in your browser Or go to http://www.cem.va.gov for more. Hope that helps! Feel free to give me a buzz if you need anything else, I may not be the right person, but I can sure find out who is. 614-257-5579. My consolences for your loss by the way.. I keep reading the book on this, here are some more cliff notes: DoD has a toll free number for funeral directors only to request honors, 1-877-MIL-HONR, and there's another website to check out, http://www.militaryfuneralhonors.osd.mil Hope this helps.

Wirthman's on East Main is close to Gahanna, they let you wander around the yard, but they're pricier than all hell too. Pete Miller's out by Zanesville is da BOMB, been going there since I was in mom's belly.

Been good chatting with you Anthony, I see Chris I'll put in a word for you..

Afternoon dudes and dudettes, name is Matt, never actually been on the site but heard enough about it from the gang over on Buckeyestangs. Had an 04 Mustang GT with bolt-ons till earlier this year, loved that car, but traded it in on a Wrangler cuz I travel a lot during warmer months and wanted to put the top down. Anywho, I'm here asking for some assistance from you all. I work for the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic here in Columbus. Ever year we have a big welcome home celebration for the brave men and women that have returned home from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (OEF/OIF it's called). One way for the VA to say thank you for what they've done. We invite federal, state and local government entities, as well as public companies, to come in and set up booth's to talk to these veterans about what all is available for them in the world. There'll be free food and entertainment all day, as well as a gazillion door prizes we'll be giving away to them. There will be supervised activities for the kids so mom and dad can walk around in peace. One thing we want to add this year are static display's, including race cars. If anybody out there would be interested in bringing your car to Whitehall Community Park on Sunday, August 17, we'd love to have you. Don't really care what class of car it is or what kind of shape, let's face it, hot rods attract attention and would be an added draw to our event. Not looking to make this a real car "show" or cruise-in, at least not this year. Being the Federal Government, regulations won't allow us to pay you, but you will be fed and entertained for as long as you stay. The event will run from 11:00 to 5:00, but if you can't stay all day that won't matter either. There's plenty of parking for trailers and such. Anybody interested in bringing their car, or perhaps have a contact with a big name outfit that I might get in touch with, don't hesitate to either shoot me a PM or give me a call at 614-257-5579. TIA for whatever assistance you all provide, it's definitely a worthwhile event!