Links
"General Web Sites"
Department of Veterans Affairs - www.va.gov
Michigan Legislature - www.michiganlegislature.org
Social Security Administration - www.ssa.gov
VFW Washington Website - www.vfw.org
Internal Revenue Service - www.irs.gov
U.S. Department of Commerce - www.doc.gov
The Viet Nam Women Veterans Site - www.spencergroup.net/vwv
Every Thing Military on the Internet - www.military.com
Only for Veterans - www.veterans.com
The VietNam Veterans Memorial Wall - www.thewall-usa.com
Selective Service System - File On-Line for the Selective Service - www.sss.gov
101st Airborne Division Lost Eagles - www.losteagles.org
SPECIAL FORCES Search Engine - www.sfahq.com
Coast Guard Sea Veterans of America - www.nwlink.com/~kenlong/cgsua.htm
National Coalition for Homeless Veterans - www.nchv.org
"Thank-You America Certificates 1944-1945 WWII Veterans"- www.ambafrance-us.org
The site lists the military service of members of the federal government : http://www.whoserved.com
Gulf War Veterans Medical Research Website: www.GulfLINK.osd.mil/medsearch
Fort Custer National Cemetery : http://www.interment.net/data/us/mi/kalamazoo/ftcusnat/index.htm
This site shows those state and federal elected officials who served in the military and those that didn't : http://www.whoserved.com
Veterans Helpful Websites
Here are some federal web links to assist you in keeping track of federal issues specifically related to veterans in the coming year.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Congressional Affairs has a direct link at http://www.va.gov/oca/
The White House has a Veterans in Focus section with a direct link at http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/veterans/
The US Senate Veterans Affairs Committee has a direct link at http://veterans.senate.gov/
The US House of Representatives Veterans Affairs Committee has a direct link at http://veterans.house.gov/
And if any branch of the US government has printed a public document you can probably find it http://www.gpoaccess.gov
www.cem.va.gov - displays the same information that visitors to national cemeteries find on kiosks or in written ledgers to locate gravesites: names, dates of birth and death, period of military service, branch of service and rank if known, the cemetery's location and phone number, plus the grave's precise location in the cemetery.
Obtaining DD Form 214 and other records for Veterans - http://www.archives.gov/research_room/vetrecs/index.html
WHERE TO WRITE FOR VITAL RECORDS
Need a copy of your child's birth certificate, or maybe just your own? The National Center for Health Statistics
(NCHS) provides a listing of state and U.S. territory vital statistics offices to contact for copies of birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates. The NCHS also offers tips on how what information to provide when making a request and gives the approximate cost of obtaining each type of vital record in each state.
Find out where to write for vital records at:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm
~Grand of Michigan Military Order of the Cootie~
Support to American Military Personnel
Thousands of Americans are asking what they can do to show their support for service members, especially those serving overseas. In addition to the efforts of your own veterans service organizations here are several other from several organizations that are sponsoring programs for members of the Armed Forces overseas.
You may donate to the Michigan National Guard Family Fund. One hundred percent of this not-for-profit fund goes to financially struggling families of deployed Michigan National Guard members. Send your check or money order to Michigan National Guard Family Fund, 2500 S. Washington Ave., Lansing MI 48913.
Please do not flood the military mail system with letters, cards, and gifts. Due to security concerns and transportation constraints, the Armed Forces will no longer accept items mailed to "Any Service Member." Some people have tried to avoid this prohibition by sending large numbers of packages to an individual service member's address, which however well intentioned, clogs the mail and causes unnecessary delays.
Log on to the following Web sites to show support:
Make a donation to one of the military relief societies:
Army Emergency Relief at http://www.aerhq.org/
Navy/Marine Relief Society at http://www.nmcrs.org/
Air Force Aid Society at http://www.afas.org/
Coast Guard Mutual Assistance at http://www.cgmahq.org/
Support the American Red Cross Armed Forces Emergency Services at http://www.redcross.org/services/afes/
You can donate gift certificates for military personnel to use at commissaries by visiting http://www.commissaries.com/certificheck/index.htm
There are other ideas at
www.defendamerica.mil/support_troops.html
http://www.army.mil/operations/iraq/faq.html