Vietnam vets once referred to the end of their tours of duty and return to civilian lives as "going back to the world," one of the many things I have learned while covering veterans affairs and breaking news for The Journal News/LoHud.com.

Now it's time for me to go back to the world – in my [...]

A long-awaited Veterans Museum is being dedicated at 6 p.m. tonight at Putnam County's Veterans Memorial Park.

The restored building, formerly part of the Putnam County Poor Farm, will be run by the Putnam County Joint Veterans Council. As with the Memorial Day weekend watchfires event (photographed below), veterans representing a range of organizations from [...]

The Journal News has just created two databases that keep the Memorial Day spirit alive all year long, by enabling readers to find information about members of the American armed forces killed in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The "Remembering Our War Dead" database currently offers information about the 15 troops from our region killed [...]

Unfortunately, we can't cover all the Memorial Day ceremonies and celebrations in the region every year. Fortunately, we now have this veterans affairs blog, where watchful readers can share information and reactions about these kinds of events.

Here's one from Putnam County, submitted by Karl Rohde, chairman of the Putnam County Joint Veterans Council:
The Putnam County [...]

After a seven-year hiatus, New Rochelle will observe Memorial Day with a parade this year, stepping off at 10:30 a.m. Monday, from Memorial Plaza to Hudson Park.

The event, organized by the city's United Veterans Memorial & Patriotic Association and boasting the theme "We Remember," will include representatives from the Military Order of the Purple Heart, [...]

At yesterday's opening of the Smithers Alcoholism Treatment and Training Center at St. John's Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, former Mets and Yankees baseball slugger Darryl Strawberry mingled with other recovering alcoholics, hospital officials and several uniformed Army officers who were there to support the center's plans to reach out to veterans.

While covering the story, I [...]

Local veterans and service members are invited to bring their families to "Appreciation Day" at Playland this Sunday, for a day of fun and military tributes.

The events include a 1:30 p.m. honor guard, firing squad and bugler at the Music Tower Theater, then a Fleet Week military helicopter demonstration from 2 to 4 p.m. by [...]

Just in time for Memorial Day, the national Recording for Blind & Dyslexic is trying to expand its outreach efforts for all the young veterans coming home with combat injuries that affect their abilities to read standard print.

The 60-year-old nonprofit organization has distributed a public service announcement about the campaign, starring retired Marine Cpl. Michael [...]

Thousands of sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen will disembark in New York City tomorrow, participating in three Memorial Day parades in Westchester during Fleet Week New York.

The annual event, the city's celebration of the sea services, features military demonstrations and tours of participating ships, many open to visitors from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. between [...]

Last week, the Associated Press reported that Lt. Gen. Franklin "Buster" Hagenbeck, head of the U.S. Military Academy, wants to make two traditional West Point songs more gender-neutral.

During a presentation to the academy's Board of Visitors, Hagenbeck proposed finding alternatives for "sons" and "men" in the lyrics of the school's "Alma Mater" and "The Corps," [...]

Can stressed-out veterans go from "hooah!" to "om?" Apparently so, according to a new partnership between New York Sports Clubs and the Queens Vet Center, which provides free yoga classes for veterans at the Glendale gym in Queens.

Vet Center counselor Francisca Nazario said the classes will help veterans heal from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [...]

The City of Yonkers Annual Memorial Day Parade, the start of a slate of municipal activities aimed at honoring veterans over the next six weeks, will step off this Sunday at 2 p.m. at South Broadway and Radford Streets, following an 11 a.m. ceremony at the Veterans Memorial at 40 S. Broadway.

It's only fitting that [...]

New York Regional Interconnect Inc., the proposed 190-mile transmission line to bring electrical energy from upstate to our region, has made an agreement with the National Disabled Veterans Business Council to set aside at least 10 construction-related subcontracts for the nonprofit agency's members.

According to the press release, NYRI president Chris Thompson said the partnership is [...]

Have you heard about this frightening recording accidentally left on an Oregon family's voice mail by their son, a soldier fighting in Afghanistan?

Stephen Phillips, 22, was battling insurgents when his phone pressed against his Humvee and redialed his parents a few weeks ago. Most of the sounds were gunfire, but shouts can be heard – [...]

Updated 5/11: The military Mother's Day story is now online, along with video interviews with four moms. Check it out here.

This week's podcast is an interview with Patti-Jean Wollman of Mahopac, whose son James is serving with the Marines in Iraq.

Over the past few weeks, I've spent a lot of time talking to Wollman and [...]