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At Ease!

A blog about veterans affairs

Rich Liebson

Rich LiebsonRich Liebson grew up on military bases in the U.S. and Germany as the son of an Air Force master sergeant. After serving four years in the U.S. Army he was hired as a part-time reporter in 1983 and promoted to full-time in 1985. He's had a number of beats over the years including education, municipal government and public safety. He's also been a columnist and city editor for central Westchester. Rich lives in White Plains.

E-mail Rich Liebson at rliebson@lohud.com

Entries written by Rich Liebson

WVOX to host callers from "over there"

July
1

New York National Guard troops deployed to different bases in Aghanistan will be featured on the "Veterans Segment" of New Rochelle-based WVOX radio's "Good Morning Westchester" program on July 4.

The special expanded edition, hosted by Bob Marrone, will air from approximately 8 to 9 a.m. with studio participation from U.S. Army veteran John Dunleavy, chairman [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on July 1st, 2008 | Post a Comment »

Federal Judge backs VA in PTSD case

June
26

A federal judge in San Francisco ruled Wednesday that although the Department of Veterans Affairs might have provided inadequate care or benefits to some veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, the department had not done so systematically, according to this report in the Los Angeles Times.

The report notes that "Veterans had sought a court order to [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on June 26th, 2008 | Post a Comment »

Berlin Airlift Anniversary

June
24

This week marks the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, when American and British flyers began hauling countless tons of food and supplies into the divided German city in defiance of a Soviet blockade.

In what could be considered the first major battle of the Cold War, allied planes flew almost 300,000 missions into Berlin, delivering nearly 2.3 million [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on June 24th, 2008 | Post a Comment »

Root, root, root for the home team

June
23

That's what Major League Baseball is doing, with the announcement today that it is partnering with Welcome Back Veterans to honor and support service members returning from Afghanistan and Iraq with a major publicity and fund raising effort.

On July 4th weekend and Sept. 11, all major league teams will wear special "Stars & Stripe" caps and [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on June 23rd, 2008 | Post a Comment »

Dog Day Afternoon

June
20

It's one of the cool things that happens in Westchester every summer.

The Hartsdale Pet Cemetery hosts its annual War Dog Memorial Celebration on Sunday, remembering the service and sacrifices made by thousands of four-legged veterans.

Ceremonies start at 1 p.m., when a wreath will be laid at the 1923 War Dog Memorial, which pays tribute to [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on June 20th, 2008 | Post a Comment »

GI Bill compromise in works?

June
19

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America website is reporting that Congress and the White House have reached a compromise that will result in a World War II-style GI education bill for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

In a press release today, the IAVA, which has lobbied for the bill originally introduced by Senators Jim Webb (D- [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on June 19th, 2008 | Post a Comment »

It's the VA. Trust me, they're on our side. Wanna buy a nice bridge in Brooklyn?

June
18

First, there was the Walter Reed debacle. Then came the memo from a Veterans Administration hospital administrator advising that as a cost saving measure, doctors should try to avoid diagnosing post-traumatic stress syndrome for service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now comes word that our "friends" at the VA have been recruiting returning war [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on June 18th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Women Veterans work more, earn more than non-Vets

June
17

A study by the U.S. Census Bureau found that women veterans earned higher salaries in 2005 than those who never served in the military, but worked more hours in a week and more weeks in the year.

The study, announced in a press release today, also found that male veterans also earned more than their non-veteran [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on June 17th, 2008 | Post a Comment »

GI Bill petition

June
16

The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America are sponsoring a petition on their website asking President Bush to sign the updated GI Bill that would give our newest generation of veterans the best education benefits available since World War II.

Bush has said he will veto the bill, fearing that it will make it difficult to [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on June 16th, 2008 | Post a Comment »

White Plains Flag Day celebration

June
11

White Plains will celebrate Flag Day a little early this year with a program for school kids at the city's Performing Arts Theater Thursday morning, followed by public festivities at Renaissance Plaza.

City Councilman Glen Hockley, a founder and organizer of the annual celebration, said the date was moved up from June 14 to allow [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on June 11th, 2008 | Post a Comment »

Somers honors veterans tonight

June
10

Larry Kaufman, commander of Post 46 of the Jewish War Veterans, let us know that the Town of Somers will host a ceremony tonight to dedicate a plaque honoring all of the towns veterans at Bailey Park.

Members of all three of the town's veterans organizations are cordially invited to attend the 7 p.m. event, and [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on June 10th, 2008 | Post a Comment »

A life well lived

June
9

I think the first time I met Bob Cypher was during the 1980s at a commemoration of the Revolutionary War's Battle of White Plains held at the Jacob Purdy House. I was writing about it for what was then still the Reporter Dispatch and Mr. Cypher was there because he was always there when it [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on June 9th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Vets Court

June
2

The Buffalo City Court, which established a drug treatment court in 1995 and a mental health treatment court in 2003, is now the first in the nation to have a veterans treatment court, according to this story in USA Today.

The defendants – military veterans or family members – have a chance to have criminal charges [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on June 2nd, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Vietnam Vets get apology

May
28

Four decades later, veterans who fought in the jungles of Vietnam received a formal apology from the government for the poor treatment and neglect they received when they came home. The government of New Zealand, that is.

I never realized that troops from other countries who soldiered in Vietnam were treated as badly as ours were [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on May 28th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

VA PTSD e-mail under scrutiny

May
19

 Last week I mentioned a Military Times story about an e-mail written by the coordinator of a Veterans Administration post-traumatic stress disorder suggesting that VA doctors not diagnose PTSD as a way of saving money.

Now comes an Associated Press report noting that the galling e-mail has raised the ire of a couple of U.S. Representatives, [...]

Posted by Rich Liebson on May 19th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

About this blog

"At Ease!" is a place for Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine and Coast Guard veterans to share their experiences and voice their opinions. It doesn't matter if you served during war or peacetime, overseas or stateside, active duty or reserves, as a draftee or volunteer - if you served in uniform, this is the place for you.

We'll let you know about interesting military and veterans stories we find, issues that might affect you, and local veterans events you might want to attend.

If you're a member of a veterans organization in the Lower Hudson Valley, let us know about your events, charity efforts and other news. We may also ask for your help in finding sources to interview for veterans stories in The Journal News and LoHud.com.

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About the authors
KatieRich Liebson is a "military brat" who grew up on bases in the U.S. and Germany during his father's 23-year career as an Air Force enlisted man. Rich enlisted in the Army in 1976 and until his discharge in 1980 was assigned to the 78th Engineer Battalion in Ettlingen, Germany, as a public information specialist and translator. He's been a reporter at The Journal News and its forerunner, the Reporter Dispatch, for more than 20 years. During that time he's covered a variety of beats and has written frequently about veterans and veterans issues.
HemaHema Easley was born and raised in India, where she worked as a reporter for The Associated Press and United Press International. While in India she wrote about the insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir and covered the 1999 India-Pakistan conflict in the mountains of Kashmir. She joined The Journal News in 2002. She has covered municipal government in Westchester and now covers on social services in Rockland as well as military issues.

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