Tuesday, December 8th, 2009

As yesterday was Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, please make sure you take a moment this week to honor those who served and gave their lives on the “day of infamy” 68 years ago, which brought the U.S. into WWII.

This week’s HeroVet feature is the WWII Navajo Code Talkers. They transmitted messages on behalf of the Allies that saved countless American lives. Thankfully, their code was never broken. On Veterans Day, a dozen of these Veterans were proudly welcomed by NYC Mayor Bloomberg at the Mayor’s breakfast and in the parade that followed. Thanks to HBO CEO Bill Nelson, their trip to the Big Apple from Arizona was fully underwritten; they rode on the Pacifica float to the cheers of appreciative New Yorkers. Pacifica is the HBO series on the War in the Pacific, opening in March.

Speaking of history, I was pleased to see that the History Channel has joined our group of Veterans Advantage partners who are combining their discounts. In addition to the current 10% discount off the list price on its Web site for a special WWI 7-Disc DVD selection, Veterans Advantage members get another 20% off on top of that and save a whopping $42! That alone pays for the first eight months of your annual Veterans Advantage membership!

Other places you may see your Veterans Advantage discount being combined is via our special online links to Dell and Target. There are special savings there for holiday shoppers.

Tags: pearl harbor, world war II
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Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

I stopped by the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) executive offices a couple of weeks ago with Board member Peter Eldredge, and we huddled on expanding our relationship. Currently WWP Alumni, those severely disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 are eligible to join and receive a host of specialized medical services, in addition to a complimentary Veterans Advantage membership to acknowledge and thank them for their sacrifice. If you know someone who qualifies for WWP membership, tell them to click on over to www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

While visiting, I also saw an award hanging on the wall, recognizing this week’s HeroVet, Bob Kingsley. He’s a great example of someone who never forgot his roots, and is also a supporter of the WWP. Read more about Bob Kingsley and his service to the country.

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Monday, August 3rd, 2009

Welcome to our new redesigned Veterans Advantage Web site! I hope you like it. It was literally years in the making — borne of the years our Veterans Advantage team has been listening to members tell us what benefits they want and how they prefer to access them. Each day, we respond to their needs through our ever expanding benefits package, and today we are proud to deliver a Web site upgrade, too.

Here’s a couple of tips I think will help you get started:

If you are exploring our program for the first time: Click any of the blue links across the top for background on our program. We’ve worked to enhance this area to underscore the importance of our mission — ranging from unique money-saving benefits across a range of key everyday categories with your Veterans Advantage Card, to the latest news and resources to keep you informed about your ongoing benefits from the government and the private sector. And finally, through our charitable activities, we want you to know that you are truly part of something special.

If you are not a member yet, I encourage you to sign up today and get started.

If you are already a member: Click on “Members Only” in the upper right hand corner of each page to access your benefits to enter with your Veterans Advantage Member ID and password. You’ll find direct benefit access just one or two clicks away from anywhere on our Web site.

Our valuable member services support continues to be online: visit the personalized “Your Account” area and “Contact Us” for online support or see our Help section. And finally, your Veterans Advantage Membership qualifies you for our free weekly member e-newsletter that updates you on the latest inclusions in your benefits package and is posted on our new site under “Resources.”

All of us here at Veterans Advantage hope you like this upgrade to our Web site. Tell us what you think!

Enjoy VeteransAdvantage.com today.

Posted in Events, Financial Services, HeroVet, New Benefits, News, PTSD, veterans articles | No Comments »

Thursday, July 16th, 2009

Hope you enjoy this week’s Veterans Advantage news package. So many of our members remember July 1969 as a magical time for our nation as The Apollo 11 astronauts – and military Veterans – set camp at the moon’s Sea of Tranquility for two and a half hours. Hat’s off to Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. We thank them for their service to our country.

And a special salute to John Rowan, our HeroVet and the President of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), as he and his first-rate staff work tirelessly to improve the quality of life and health of our Veterans.

Tags: apollo 11, john rowan
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Thursday, June 4th, 2009

In the spirit of reminder and remembrance — Father’s Day is about two weeks away – we’ve loaded lots of discounts into this week’s members-only newsletter especially for Dads and Grads. If you are not yet a member, we e-mail our members each week with their latest benefits added to our program, as well as news relevant to their military service.

For instance, this week we feature Charles Bolden as our new HeroVet. The son of a teacher, and a proud grandfather himself, this Marine has been nominated to be the next NASA administrator. He will lead an organization that by virtue of its ambitious challenges has been inspiring young people for 50 years. Bolden has made speaking out for military kids a priority, reminding educators and the public of the unique challenges they face.

Speaking of special days and special dads, Saturday is D-Day, an important day for many fathers of Veterans Advantage members…and VA members themselves. Be sure to pause to remember those who served and sacrificed in WWII, so that we could enjoy the freedoms we have today.

And most importantly, we must do our part to keep this message alive. Recent reports suggest the National D-Day Memorial, unveiled just eight years ago, is experiencing a severe drop-off in donations that threatens its existence. Please consider making a donation to keep it alive, by clicking here.

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Friday, March 13th, 2009

There’s no better way to recognize and acknowledge Women’s History Month than to honor the women who have worn the uniform of our country. This March, we honor an extraordinary woman, Brig. Gen. Wilma Vaught. We honor her for her work in creating the Women In Military Service For America Memorial, and in raising awareness of the contributions of America’s female service members.

Thankfully, servicewomen and their spouses are getting the attention of the White House, as First Lady Michelle Obama has made the needs of military families her chief priority. Multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan have created special needs and challenges for our military families that we cannot ignore. We are hopeful this new administration can work with the private sector to begin to address them.

With one eye on your finances, this week’s newsletter highlights some major monthly expenses and how you can cut them with Veterans Advantage. We offer deep discounts on your prescription drugs, your health club membership, your contact lens supply, and your cell phone bill. Be sure to take advantage of these benefits of membership!

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Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

Its always great to get feedback from happy members and partners, but this particular note in my mailbox was heartwarming. Bonnie Carroll, founder of Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), passed along her thanks for another donation from us, part of our ongoing charitable activities with leading organizations supporting those who serve. Bonnie’s also an honorary lifetime Veterans Advantage member. She has devoted herself to this important work and all of us think she is terrific.

We honored Bonnie as a HeroVet in 2003 when TAPS was just starting out. We are proud and grateful for her extraordinary commitment and accomplishments in providing critical assistance and support to family members who have lost a loved one.

Do what you can to help Bonnie and TAPS today. You Can learn more at taps.org.

Tags: bonnie carroll, taps
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