VETERANS

VETERANS

Valley standdown

YOUNGSTOWN — The first All-Veterans Mahoning Valley Standdown is Aug. 12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Youngstown Salvation Army, 1501 Glenwood Ave. At the event, veterans who have served at least one day of active duty in the armed forces will be offered information on, among other things, discharge upgrade/re-enlistment code changes; credit, legal and other types of counseling; benefits, including in the areas of education, employment, job training, income, medical care, mental health, dental care, personal hygiene, food stamps, substance abuse, utility bills, transportation, Social Security, vocational rehabilitation, HIV/AIDS, housing, short-term shelter, nutritional, prescription medication.

Participants must prove their service by providing a picture ID and appropriate accompanying identifications, such as a VA medical ID card; Form DD214, a driver’s license or other official picture ID; retired or active duty military ID; and military discharge certificate and picture ID.

Also, military clothing items and food will be distributed to veterans who participate that day.

For more information, call Bob Wissinger at Meridian Services, lead sponsoring agency of the event, at (330) 782-1066, or George Otto at the Department of Veterans Affairs Youngstown Outpatient Clinic at (330) 740-9200 Ext. 2132.

Marine Reunion

YOUNGSTOWN — The 29th annual Marine Reunion is Aug. 16 from 6 p.m. to midnight at ITAM Post 3, 115 S. Meridian Road. All current and former Marines and guests are welcome. The deadline for reservations is Aug. 8. The cost is $22 per person. Make checks payable to the Tri-State Detachment Marine Corps League, Det. 494, and mail to Tri-State Detachment Marine Corps League, P.O. Box 2980, Youngstown, OH 44511. For more information, call Richard Mitchells at (330) 533-3433 or Frank Griffiths at (330) 533-2314.

Army and Navy Union

Raymond Kaschak of Niles and Nancy Weimer of Youngstown are the 2007 Man of the Year and Woman of the Year, respectively, of the Army and Navy Union Department of Ohio.

Also, Doreen Kaschak of Niles and Carolyn Murphy of Youngstown, were elected Ohio president and senior vice president, respectively, at the 90th Encampment conducted in June in Hudson. Other area officers elected include Lynne Cowles of Niles, secretary, and Nannette McMahan of Niles, treasurer.

Scholarships

WASHINGTON — The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans said it will award $5,000 scholarships to 233 military veterans who have served honorably in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan beginning Sept. 11, 2001, or later.

Eligible applicants to the Horatio Alger Military Veterans Scholarship must demonstrate the following: Critical financial need; intention to pursue a bachelor’s degree at an accredited college or university in the United States (awardees may begin their studies at a two-year institution and then transfer to a four-year institution); no more than 60 cumulative semester/credit hours by the end of the 2008 spring term; minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0; integrity and perseverance in overcoming adversity; and U.S. citizenship.

RETIREMENT

Army major

Army Major Gen. Barbara G. Fast, wife of Army Lt. Col. (retired) Paul A. Fast, formerly of Boardman, has retired after 32 years in the military. Her last assignment was as commanding officer of the Army Intelligence Center and School at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. The Fasts were stationed at various intelligence branches during their careers and spent 14 years in Germany.

Col. Fast, a 1967 graduate of Boardman High School and 1971 graduate of Youngstown State University, and his twin brother, Peter A., also retired from the Army, served in Vietnam in 1970 in separate units.

ADVANCED TRAINING

NCO academy grad

Air Force Reserve Technical Sgt. David Gurnak, assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing at Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna, has graduated from the six-week Noncommissioned Officer Academy for leadership training at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.

Gurnak, of Youngstown, a member of the 910th’s Civil Engineering Squadron, is a son of Stella Gurnak of Youngstown. He is a 1975 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School and a member of Iron Workers Union Local 207 in Youngstown.

BASIC TRAINING

Army: Pvt. Dan T. Joy (David Anderson High School, Lisbon, ’07), son of Brian and Melissa Joy of Lisbon; Reserve Pvt. Johnny L. Jones (Rayen High School, ’02), son of Johnny Williams of Youngstown.

MISCELLANEOUS

New troop training site

PORT CLINTON, Ohio — The Ohio Air National Guard has opened a new $4.7 million troop training and quarters facility at Camp Perry Air National Guard Station.

The new facility, built to support members of the 200th Red Horse Squadron and the Air National Guard Regional Airman Leadership School, includes a classroom complex for 58 students and instructors.

The project is part of the Ohio National Guard’s 20-year program to support the organization’s transformation and

modernization, officials said.

XItems of note for the Armed Forces Digest can be sent to The Vindicator, Regional Desk, P.O. Box 780, Youngstown 44501-0780, or e-mailed to alcorn@vindy.com.