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Tag: Veterans

Daines Honors Montanan of the Week: Jim Weber of Helena

June 5, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today recognized Jim Weber, a welding and machining teacher at Capital High School in Helena, Montana. Under Mr. Weber’s leadership his class recently made 15 machined fly rods to donate to the Big Hearts Under the Big Sky program. Big Hearts Under the Big Sky allows service members, children with life-threatening illnesses and women battling breast cancer, opportunities to enjoy the outdoors at no cost. Through his “Montanan of the Week” initiative, Daines each week will highlight a Montanan by submitting a statement of recognition in the official Congressional Record, the document that reflects

Helena Independent Record: Capital High seniors build custom fly rods for charity

May 27, 2015

Glancing back over his shoulder at 15 gleaming fly rods, Capital High senior Kreston Stevens told the crowd assembled in the machining shop Tuesday evening that he and the five other rod builders had learned more than just job skills. “We’ve been part of some really great, amazing projects, but by far this project has outdone anything we’ve ever done both in complexity and meaning,” he said. The fly rods built by the Capital High machining program will go to Big Hearts Under the Big Sky, a charity dedicated to taking veterans, children with life threatening illnesses and women recovering

Missoulian: Missoula remembers fallen servicemembers at 11 Memorial Day events

May 25, 2015

“We’re very proud, very blessed to have such a strong legacy of service in our state,” Senator Steve Daines told the crowd in front of him. Small flags had been planted into the ground in front of each headstone at the Western Montana State Veterans Cemetery, where Daines spoke at one of 11 different Memorial Day events held in Missoula on Monday. Along the pathway through the cemetery was an avenue of more flags, part of a senior project by Aleesha Aasved while she was a student at Hellgate High School. Starting in 2013, Aasved raised more than $5,000 to

Daines Fights for Montana Veterans’ Priorities in Senate Appropriations Bill

May 21, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today helped secure important reforms that increase Montana veterans’ access to health care services and ensure that all Montana veterans are treated with the utmost care and respect in both life and death. Daines successfully worked to include language addressing several of Montana veterans’ long-standing concerns in the FY 2016 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, which was marked up and approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee this afternoon. “Our nation’s heroes should have easy access to the resources, services and medical care they need and deserve,” Daines stated. “I’m glad

Daines Announces Hiring of Six Montana Veterans

May 1, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today announced that he has hired six Montana veterans to work in Daines’ state offices and serve Montana’s veterans and military communities. “The best way to serve Montana’s veterans is to hire those who have been in their shoes,” Daines stated. “I’m excited to have a strong group of Montana veterans working in our offices, ready and prepared to help Montana’s veterans and military families receive the services they deserve and ensure that their voices are heard in Washington.” Denny Lenoir serves as Director of Veterans Affairs and will oversee all veterans’ outreach and services work conducted by Daines’ office. Before

Daines: VA Reforms are Welcome First Step in Ensuring Veterans Receive Needed Care

March 24, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today commended the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for addressing Montana veterans’ long standing concerns and taking steps to ensure veterans are able to receive health care services close to home.  The VA announced today that it is reforming its calculation used to determine distance between a veteran’s residence and the nearest VA health facility when allowing veterans who live more than 40-miles from a VA facility to receive care closer to home.  Daines called the reform “an important step forward,” while also reiterating his call to address a loophole that prevents some veterans from receiving

Daines Fights for Tribal Needs at Three Senate Hearings

March 11, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today fought for Montana’s tribes, pressing Obama administration witnesses on the responsible stewardship of federal funds to benefit tribal housing, health services and public safety. During three different Senate Committee hearings today, Daines called on witnesses to ensure that federal dollars intended for Montana’s tribes are being properly allocated to help tribal members on Montana’s reservations, rather than being misused or creating bureaucratic waste. Daines sought to rein in exorbitant administrative costs at Indian Health Service (IHS), ensure efficient allocation of tribal housing resources and address the communications challenges facing first responders on reservations and

Daines, Tester honor Montana Medal of Honor recipients

March 11, 2015

Montana’s Senators introduce a bill to rename Armed Forces Reserve Center in Great Falls after Montana heroes (U.S. SENATE) – To honor the service of two Montana Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester have introduced legislation to rename the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Great Falls the “Captain John E. Moran and Captain William Wylie Galt Armed Forces Reserve Center.” Captain John E. Moran served in the Philippine-American War and was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1910.  He was later elected County Clerk and Recorder of Cascade County.  Captain William Wylie Galt was born

Daines, Gillibrand to Help Thousands of “Blue Water” Vietnam Vets Harmed by Agent Orange, but Ignored by Feds Due to Technicality in the Law

March 9, 2015

Current Law Requires VA To Provide Benefits For Service Members Exposed To Agent Orange On Dry Ground, But Ignores Vets Off Shore WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-MT) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced legislation to ensure thousands of Navy veterans known as “Blue Water” vets from the Vietnam War exposed to the powerful toxin Agent Orange will be eligible to receive disability and health care benefits they have earned for diseases linked to Agent Orange exposure. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military sprayed approximately 20 million gallons of Agent Orange in Vietnam to remove jungle foliage. This

Daines: Naming of Permanent VA Montana Director Is Welcome News

February 26, 2015

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement in response to John Ginnity being named as the new permanent director of VA Montana: “This is welcome news for Montana veterans. I’m glad to finally see a permanent director put in place at VA Montana, and I wish John the best as he assumes this role. Now that a permanent director has been named, we need to quickly take steps to address the shortages of health care providers and services facing VA Montana and implement much needed reforms to ensure Montana’s veterans receive the best care possible.” ###