I am pleased to report great news for all Veterans Advantage members. Our Continental Airlines Discount has been expanded to cover travel on all Continental and United Airlines-operated flights. And the directions for you remain the same – go to continental.com and apply your personal 10-digit Travel Discount Code.

As the two airlines continue to merge their operations, we will be providing more updates. And remember – You can start saving on your United Airlines travel today. Welcome aboard, and enjoy your Veterans Advantage discount, the only one in the airline industry, with the world’s largest airline!

More information on our public website: Click here for more on Continental and United Airlines discounts with Veterans Advantage.

For many Americans checking their mailboxes, year-end financial statements are arriving, and that’s your reminder to start preparing your 2011 tax filings. Fortunately for Veterans Advantage members, you can access additional help through our partnership with Jackson Hewitt.

We are once again announcing $30 Jackson Hewitt discount coupons for Veterans Advantage members, good on their next tax preparation visit to a Jackson Hewitt Tax office. Through a special link in Members Only, members can download these and be recognized at any of their offices across America.

Separately, as a proactive benefit to our members, our customized financial planning service comes to you at no extra charge, and puts you in touch with a live advisor who can also work with you on a financial plan for your future

Get your finances in order: Set goals, priorities, and prepare your 2011 taxes today!

As we venture into the new year, we’ve already been keeping in touch with our benefit partners on their continued salute to those who serve and their families with their everyday offers. Today, we wanted to highlight some of those who are honoring your service by supporting Veterans Advantage members in 2012. I also like their easy online access, and welcome you to check them out today:

Orvis: 10% online discount
Omaha Steaks: 5% online discounts, combinable with existing promotions
Coleman Camping and Outdoor: 15% online discount
Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty Car Rental – discounted bookings PLUS downloadable coupons
Eastern Mountain Sports: 10% off, online, on full-price items.
GNC.com: 15% online, plus free shipping
Jackson Hewitt: $30 off your tax visit with one of their tax advisors.

The holiday season and the New Year’s celebrations are a special time of year for all of us. This year, we are grateful that our troops have returned from Iraq to their families and friends. We owe an enormous debt to these young men and women and their families for their service and sacrifice. We welcome them home with open arms and thank them for their service. Yet, we recognize that as they re-integrate back into American society, they face special challenges. We all want to help, but how do we organize ourselves to provide the needed support?

I urge you to read Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen’s article this week for Veterans Advantage, “Anticipating 2012, Engaging Communities” that provides a blueprint for how communities can respond to the needs of returning troops. For more information about the Community Blueprint Network, visit http://www.handsonnetwork.org/community-blueprint.

Please share your views on how we can support the troops as they return home with your fellow members on Veterans Advantage’s Facebook page.

Please accept our warmest holiday wishes – from Lin and me, the Veterans Advantage Board of Advisors, our benefit partners, and staff. We thank you and your family members for your service to our country, and are honored to serve you.

We hope our members are enjoying this week’s e-newsletter — themed for the last-second holiday shopper or traveler. For instance, Greyhound Bus is a great exclusive 20% discount option for Veterans Advantage travelers who do not have the luxury of booking travel in advance. Just show your VetRewards Card and get on the road!

There are also lots of great discount shopping options, including some which are combinable with the current holiday discounts available to the general public – such as Dell, History Channel and Omaha Steaks. Finally, don’t forget our upgraded discount from 1800flowers, which is good for 20% off through the holidays.

I just got back from our company’s annual holiday party for staff, board members and VIPs, where we distributed these fabulous commemorative coin gift sets recognizing the 150th Anniversary of the Congressional Medal of Honor, courtesy of the US Mint and the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation. The CMOH Foundation is co-chaired by Bruce Whitman, the CEO of Flight Safety International, and a recent Veterans Advantage TopVet, who we also honored at our event.

Let me tell you – they make great gifts, and family heirlooms. For more information, about the Medal of Honor commemorative coins click here .

Coins may be purchased directly online from the U.S. Mint by clicking here. — But hurry, this offer is good only through Friday, December 16, 2011 before this limited edition gets discontinued from circulation.

Big news in the New York City area is also great news for Veterans Advantage members. The newest Apple Store, in the heart of the city’s famed Grand Central Station Terminal, accepts your VetRewards Card for discount on desktops, laptops and AppleCare protection plans.

The timing is perfect to help holiday shoppers caught in the rush hour, and tourists to the Big Apple. If you’ve never seen this historic landmark, I encourage you to check it out!

Apple, through these discounts for Veterans Advantage members, has been a benefits partner since 2004. And it already accepts Veterans Advantage members at all its stores nationwide, as well as gives discount through a  special online storefront and by phone.

For more information on the thousands of travel, retail and pharmacy locations across America that recognize the Veterans Advantage VetRewards Card, click here.