The StarTribune front page on July 21/22 issue, above the fold, covered the Gold Star Wives Memorial Service.  The in-depth article is also available online. 

GSW Members attend the Memorial Service held at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, in the Historic Fort Snelling Memorial Chapel in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The service, which took place the morning of July 20, 2018, honored the spouses of all the members of Gold Star Wives.  Those in attendance were addressed by Major General (Ret) Norris L. Einertson, 17th Chief of Chaplains, United States Army. 

Colonel Karen Lloyd addresses the attendees of the 2018 Gold Star Wives National Convention. She reviewed the work of the Veterans History Project and encouraged all to participate and share any materials they would like.  More information can be found at loc.gov/vets.

Highlights:

Effective August 1, 2018 entitlement under the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (DEA) program will be reduced from 45 months to 36 months.

In October, 2018, the monthly allowance for eligible recipients will increase.

The DEA program offers education and training opportunities to eligible dependents of Veterans who are permanently and totally disabled due to a service-related condition, or of Veterans who died while on active duty or from a service-related condition.

Visit https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/50119/50119/ to see the amount of monthly allowance increases that take effect October 1st.

A Gold Star Memorial Monument was dedicated Saturday morning on Harmar Hill in Gold Star Park, formerly known as Lookout Park, in Marietta, Ohio.  The monument's goal is to honor the families of those that paid the ultimate price for our country. View the beautiful monument here.  

Star and Stripes has published an article covering the Survivor Benefit Plan, recent changes that affect the program, and the goals of several military, veterans, and survivors organizations.  Gold Star Wives member Edith Smith is quoted in the article.  Here is a link to the full article.

Excerpt taken from the VA web site: 

If you are a family member caring for a service-disabled Veteran, you may be eligible for counseling to determine your career goals and training to increase your skills.

Veterans’ dependents who are eligible for the VA Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance program may also receive the following assistance from the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program:

• Career choice – Understand the best career options based on your interests and capabilities.
• Benefits coaching – Make effective use of your VA benefits and/or other resources to achieve education and career goals.
• Personalized support – Receive academic or adjustment counseling and personalized support to remove barriers to your success.

For more information please visit https://explore.va.gov/employment-services/spouses-dependents-survivors

Several new GSW Resources have been posted from the VA DoD Survivors Forum.  These pertain to CHAMPVA eligibility and benefits, Forever GI Bill, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, NCA Legacy Campaign, and Helping Bereaved Men.

These can be found at the top of the large table at GSW resources, or you can click this link. 

The tour following this year's Gold Star Wives National Convention has been announced and registration is available. 

Click here for the Post Convention Tour information and registration.

Click here for National Convention information and registration.

The after convention trip will be a 2 hour cruise on the Mississippi River with Brunch and Dessert served during the cruise.  There will be an open bar for those who wish.  The cruise is on the Magnolia Blossom on the scenic Mississippi River.  There will be a variety of things to see and the boat can accommodate groups up to 100 people.

The brunch will include eggs, sausage, ham, baked chicken, apple rolled pancakes, potatoes, fresh fruit, pasta salad, muffins, and Danish rolls.  There also will be an assortment of desserts.

After the 2 hour cruise the bus will pick us up and go to the U/M Landscape Arboretum which is rated the best botanical garden in the USA.  There are 120 acres of trees, flowers, prairie and plants.  They are arranged in different gardens and there are numerous trails for those who are adventurous.  For those that do not get around very well there are many gardens close to the main building.  The main building usually has some type of exhibit going on and there are elevators to the second floor which has a small café for those in need of refreshments.

The total cost of the trip is $95.00 and includes the bus, 2 hr cruise, brunch, and the landscape arboretum. 

The trip starts at 11 am when the bus will pick  us up at the Crowne Plaza Aire and we anticipate returning around 5 pm to the hotel.

Mail this form with payment to: CAROL DEVORE, 56 – 33^RD AVE S, #313; ST CLOUD, MN 56301-3722 Postmarked by June 30, 2018.  Registration is not complete until payment is received.  We cannot accept registrations after June 30, 2018 because the bus company must have a full itinerary by July 2.

Please call Convention Chair, Crystal Wenum at 715-386-8615 with any questions or email her at: crystalw @pressenter.com.

The Union County 4th of July Veterans Parade committee (Pennsylvania) is looking for Gold Star family members, including spouses, to honor and recognize during their upcoming 4th of July parade. For more information see the link below.

http://www.standard-journal.com/news/local/article_56cf5fc0-2843-11e8-9f3a-3f478614d629.html