In the last year of the Biden administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs inaugurated an effort to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion principles that would outlast their time in power.
In January 2024, the VA&#8217;s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Council met to discuss the results of a survey, wherein employees were asked to identify &#8220;pain points&#8221; connected to their individual identities — based on race, gender identity, and a number of other factors — in order to further embed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the agency.
The discussion centered on &#8220;identity insights&#8221; and was designed to &#8220;improve employee experience,&#8221; records obtained by the Center to Advance Security in America reveal.
Just under 300 participants identified some 5,710 &#8220;pain points&#8221; that ranged from complaints about a colleague making an &#8220;inappropriate comment&#8221; to concerns that office holiday decorations excluded certain religious preferences. Other &#8220;pain points&#8221; were centered on general workplace environment and feeling that other employees did not understand certain sensitivities connected to those identity characteristics.
The 2024 meeting, which was planned three years earlier, began as a partnership between the Veterans Experience Office&#8217;s Employee Experience Organizational Management Directorate and the Office of Resolution Management, Diversity and Inclusion to improve employee experience by addressing the &#8220;pain points&#8221; they experienced in the workplace based on their identities.
Those identities — in addition to race, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity — divided participants along religious lines and listed separate categories for Baby Boomers, Generation X-ers, Millennials, and Generation Z employees as well.
Of the 281 who were interviewed, only 3% answered based on only one identifier. Nearly one-fourth (24%) selected two identities, and 39% selected three. Of the remaining participants, 21% chose four identities, 11% chose five, and 2% chose six.
Following the late January meeting, the Council recommended a series of steps designed to make the VA a more receptive place for employees to express their &#8220;whole, authentic identity.&#8221;
&#8220;The three most pressing data fields that would benefit from a redesign as having emerged from the Identity Insights project include &#8216;gender,&#8217; &#8216;sexual orientation,&#8217; and &#8216;race,&#8217; as these categories either do not exist or do not exhaustively provide inclusive options for employees to holistically and accurately self-identify,&#8221; the study advised.
Another recommendation was for a &#8220;streamlined escalation pathway&#8221; for employees to resolve identity-based complaints — particularly &#8220;in the event of mistreatment, including reporting I*DEA issues, harassment, and general concerns with conduct in the workplace.&#8221;
Those complaints, the study indicated, could stem from interactions between employees, between employees and supervisors, and even between employees and the veterans they serve — with emphasis placed on the potential for veterans to create &#8220;pain points&#8221; that impact employees.
The study also suggested there should be an avenue for dealing with &#8220;the impacts of negative customer experiences on employees such as health practitioners providing additional coverage when LGBTQ+ Veterans are denied care by a colleague&#8221; — but did not provide evidence that such denial of care was happening within the VA system.
Almost one year to the day after that meeting — on January 27, 2025 — the VA under President Donald Trump had already begun to <a href="https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-ends-dei-stops-millions-in-spending-on-dei/">root out the DEI initiatives</a> within the department.
&#8220;Under President Trump, VA is laser-focused on providing the best possible care and benefits to Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors,&#8221; VA Director of Media Affairs Morgan Ackley explained. &#8220;We are proud to have abandoned the divisive DEI policies of the past and pivot back to VA’s core mission.&#8221;
In the year since, under Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, the agency has <a href="https://department.va.gov/2025accomplishments/">cut $14 million</a> in spending that went solely to DEI-focused initiatives and training. It is unclear whether the recommendations made during that meeting were ever implemented, and if so, what the new administration may have in place to put a stop to the process.

Department of Veterans Affairs

How The Biden Admin Tried To Keep The VA Woke After It Left Town

How The Biden Admin Tried To Embed DEI In Dept Of Veterans Affairs On The way Out The Door

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Donald Trump

Doug Collins

Joe Biden

Veterans

Hollywood rarely gets veterans right, portraying returning soldiers as caricatures or perfect heroes.
“Sheepdog,” which opened nationwide on January 16, doesn’t have that problem. The film is intent on showing the reality of the veteran experience from all sides — something the film’s writer, director, producer, and star, Steven Grayhm, says came at a cost.
“It was hard. It was really hard,” Grayhm told The Daily Wire in an interview reflecting on the film’s 14-year journey to the screen. “We could have cut corners early on that would have made our lives easier. And we would never have been able to live with ourselves. We never bent the knee, and we never kissed the ring.”
“Sheepdog” is about Army combat veteran Calvin Cole, who is court-ordered into treatment and into the care of a VA trauma therapist in training. 
“Things become even more complicated when Calvin&#8217;s father-in-law, a retired Vietnam Veteran, shows up on his doorstep having just been released from prison,” a description of the film reads. “As Calvin’s plan to run from his past becomes even more challenging, he learns through the support of his community, tough love and compassion, that he must put himself back together again for his family and for himself.”
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Sheepdog - Official Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IunslTliq2w?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The film is personal for Grayhm, whose grandfather was a Polish farmer captured by the Nazis during World War II and held as a prisoner of war for five years. After being widowed, he moved in with Grayhm’s family.
“I had bunk beds in my room,” Grayhm recalled. “So I slept on the top, but I would fall asleep to his stories at night. Some of them were hard … but he did share his being liberated by the American and Allied troops. As a young boy, that’s ingrained in you. That goes into the DNA of who you are.”
His grandfather’s influence laid the foundation until a chance encounter planted the seed that would lead to “Sheepdog’s” creation. In 2011, Grayhm’s car broke down three hours north of Los Angeles. He said his conversation with a tow truck driver is a major source of inspiration for the film. 
“He opened up about his life, the challenges in his marriage, being a father of three, financial hardship,” Grayhm said. “Then he began to share all the different medications that he was on … tethered to his post-traumatic stress from multiple military deployments.”
Grayhm recalls listening without speaking.
“He kept saying, ‘I can’t believe I’m telling you this. I’ve never told my wife. I’ve never told a therapist,’” Grayhm said. “And that lit the spark. The teachable moment was to sit and listen without prejudice.”
The idea that it was easier for a veteran to speak to a stranger than to his own family stuck with the filmmaker.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about him weeks after,” he said. “I thought there had to be more men and women like him suffering in silence.”
That summer, Grayhm and co-star Matt Dallas, who plays Calvin’s best friend in the film, embarked on a nationwide road trip to interview veterans and families. Along the journey, they found many similarities in the stories.
The result is not a traditional war movie, Grayhm said. “‘Sheepdog’ is not a post-traumatic stress movie,” he said. “It is a movie about post-traumatic growth.” He went on to say that too many films in this genre portray veterans as broken beyond repair.
“My character has been to hell and back, but he’s not broken,” Grayhm said of Calvin. “He doesn’t feel sorry for himself.”
He said Hollywood wasn’t biting, at least not without totally changing the vision.
“I cannot tell you how many rooms we were laughed out of,” Grayhm told The Daily Wire. “They said, ‘These movies don’t make money. Nobody cares about these stories.’”
When someone did show interest, it always had stipulations. “We started getting script notes to sanitize the story,” he said. “They wanted to turn my character into some paranoid guy having visions … almost a thriller. That’s not the truth.”
Instead, Grayhm made the project independent, raising private equity out of Texas and filming on a tight budget. After making the rounds on the festival circuit, the film just opened in 500 theaters nationwide.
The authenticity extends to the cast. Academy Award nominee Virginia Madsen (“Sideways”), who plays trauma therapist Dr. Elecia Knox, is a Gold Star family member. “She knew the stakes were very high,” Grayhm said. “She bared her heart and soul.”
“She has this speech where she says, ‘You were willing to give your life for your country. Now maybe you should try living for it,’” Grayhm recalled. “You could hear a pin drop. She did it in one take.”
Grayhm says he has just one goal for “Sheepdog.” 
“If we can save a single life with this film, it will be the greatest Hollywood success story,” he said. “There are currently five million veterans not accessing their VA care,” Grayhm added. “Sometimes walking through that front door can be the longest we’ve traveled.”
For civilians, the film serves two purposes. First, it’s a glimpse into what a veteran is going through. And second, it’s a chance to appreciate the freedom they’ve been given.
“The one percent is defending and protecting the other ninety-nine percent,” Grayhm said. “Just being aware of that matters.”
“Sheepdog” is currently showing in theaters.

Sheepdog

Hollywood Told This Filmmaker ‘Nobody Cares’ About Veterans’ Stories. He Told Them Anyway.

Hollywood Told Him ‘Nobody Cares’ About Veteran Movies, But This Filmmaker Made One Anyway

Entertainment

Hollywood

Military

Movies

PTSD

A 104-year-old WWII Veteran absolutely crushed the National Anthem Saturday on a saxophone before the New York Islanders faced the New York Rangers in the rivalry hockey game, and the crowd went wild!
Staff Sergeant Dominick Critelli was helped onto the ice, where he performed a wonderful rendition of the anthem in a custom Islanders jersey, complete with the number 104.
His century-old lungs carried the anthem as if he were just 20 years old. Islanders and Rangers fans with hands over their hearts and pride in their eyes sang along with Critelli. It was a moving scene—a scene that, unfortunately, has become rare since the Colin Kaepernicks of the world tried to diminish the anthem.
It was nearly 10 years ago in 2016 when Kaepernick first sat out the anthem. Since then, the Star Spangled Banner has sadly often been a point of contention. But thanks to Critelli&#8217;s pipes, it seems as though America is back.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
104 year old World War 2 Veteran Dominick Critelli performed the National Anthem on the saxophone at tonight’s game! <a href="https://t.co/m0v0WT6L2Y">pic.twitter.com/m0v0WT6L2Y</a>
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYIslanders/status/2005107346662436870?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
“USA!” chants rang out following his pre-game performance. The Army Veteran gave a strong salute to the crowd following his last note.
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Critelli served as an aircraft mechanic with the 95th Infantry Division Headquarters Battery after immigrating to the United States from Italy. According to the <a href="https://www.nhl.com/news/wwii-veteran-us-national-anthem-new-york-islanders">National Hockey League</a>, Critelli spent 151 days in combat during WWII. He fought at Normandy and in the Battle of the Bulge. Critelli went behind enemy lines during the war to help isolated American troops who needed supplies. His service to our country earned Critelli the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three Bronze Stars. As well as the American Theatre Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal.
Critelli was honored last summer on the 80th Anniversary of D-Day by French President Emmanuel Macron, who <a href="https://x.com/NLintheUSA/status/1798794940891136143?s=20">awarded</a> Critelli the Legion of Honor, France&#8217;s highest military award.
The highly decorated serviceman&#8217;s performance Saturday in front of 17,000 hockey fans wasn&#8217;t his biggest audience he&#8217;s ever played for.
In an interview with The New York Post prior to Saturday&#8217;s game, Critelli said he’d once performed on the top of a rolling army tank for thousands after helping free the Netherlands from Nazi rule.
“I guess, it must have been 50,000, 60,000 people,” Critelli told The Post.
All these years later, the proud New Yorker can still put on a show.

Credit: Steven Ryan/NHLI via Getty Images

104-Year-Old WWII Veteran Brings House Down With National Anthem

New York

New York Islanders

News

WWII

&#8220;Extreme gratitude” has sustained retired Marine and Purple Heart recipient Gabe Martinez after he lost both of his legs to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan 15 years ago.
Martinez spoke to Morning Wire about his injury, recovery, life after the military, and the Semper Fi &amp; America’s Fund that helps wounded veterans with severe injuries and disabilities.
Martinez was in seventh grade on September 11, 2001, when al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked commercial planes and flew them into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, while a fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. The tragedy spurred Martinez to enlist in the Marines in 2006, immediately after graduating high school.
In 2008, Martinez found himself on his first deployment with a Marine Expeditionary Unit assigned to Navy ships across the Middle East. Two years later, in 2010, he was on his second deployment, this time in Afghanistan.
“Thanksgiving 2010 is obviously a day I&#8217;ll never forget. I remember everything about it,” said Martinez. “I was in for about three years at that point. We were going to the Helmand province of Afghanistan. … We knew it was going to be a tougher deployment. That was a real brutal year for some of the Marine Corps units out there.”
<iframe style="width: 100%; max-width: 660px; overflow: hidden; border-radius: 10px;" src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fifteen-thanksgivings-later-a-double-amputees-story/id1576594336?i=1000738496974" height="175" frameborder="0" sandbox="allow-forms allow-popups allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation"></iframe>
About an hour into the convoy near a Taliban stronghold, an IED exploded underneath one of the vehicles in Martinez’s line. Martinez’s immediate job was to hunt for secondary explosives hidden in the surrounding dirt. The wreckage of the destroyed vehicle made his metal detector worthless. He was forced to dig in the dirt with his hands, carefully sweeping for more potentially buried explosives. 
Martinez had just finished investigating one spot and was moving to another area where the dirt appeared to have been recently disturbed when another IED — a 25-pound bomb in a glass jar — exploded beneath him.
“I remember getting tossed up into the air, and then I landed in this crater that the IED had created,” he recalled. “I remember everything was red — like all my vision was red — and I remember thinking, like, something really got rattled loose up, you know, up in my head. And what I realized is that it was blood going down from my skull into my eyes. The piece of shrapnel had gone through my helmet and into my forehead.”
“I remember wiping that free and looking down and seeing that my legs were, they were still there. One was hanging off to the side, one was on my chest,” Martinez said.
A whirlwind 48 hours followed. Martinez and two more Marines, one concussed from the first IED and the other with his legs also blown off from a bomb just after Martinez, were loaded together on a helicopter and rushed to the nearest medical facility capable of performing surgery. Within an hour of his injury, Martinez, still conscious, was able to call his wife using a satellite phone on the base.
Doctors at the facility finished amputating what was left of Martinez’s legs. From there, he was flown back to the United States and arrived in Bethesda, Maryland, less than two days after stepping on an IED in Afghanistan.
After finding out that he would survive, Martinez’s thoughts shifted to how he would live with his injury. But despite the difficulties, he was mostly grateful to be alive.
“I didn&#8217;t really know what life looked like for me, especially now having no legs — lost both my legs at 22 years old, I was recently married — and so life was very uncertain at that point. In my mind, I figured that was pretty much it. I didn&#8217;t have legs, so I was figuratively and literally half the man I once was,” said Martinez.
“The day I woke up in the hospital in the United States was when I met the Semper Fi &amp; America&#8217;s Fund, and they were able to answer a lot of that for me, you know, because fortunately-slash-unfortunately, they had a lot of experience with my situation,” he continued. “My mentality then is similar to how it is now — and it&#8217;s gratitude despite ups and downs. It&#8217;s extreme gratitude.”
The Semper Fi &amp; America’s Fund <a href="https://thefund.org/hero-stories/marine-sergeant-gabe-martinez-why-i-became-a-marine/">provided</a> Martinez opportunities to push himself and conquer new challenges despite his disability.
“My wife still to this day says I was like a ‘yes man.’ Like, I said yes to anything and everything, whether it was rock climbing, skiing–things I&#8217;ve never even done before, I found myself doing it. And it was great for my recovery because it showed me what I could do. And really, there weren&#8217;t any limits to what I could or couldn&#8217;t do,” he said.
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The toughest challenge for Martinez was leaving the military and losing the community that had sustained him throughout the early days of his injury. Martinez again found himself relying on the Semper Fi &amp; America’s Fund. The fund assigned Martinez a case manager who checked in on his progress and connected him with other veterans in similar situations.
In the military, the anniversary of wounds like Martinez’s is called “Alive Days,” and so Martinez’s Alive Day comes around Thanksgiving every year. (He suffered his injury the day after Thanksgiving in Afghanistan, which happened to be the day of Thanksgiving in the United States). 
Having his Alive Day fall on Thanksgiving has reinforced the gratitude he felt early on at just surviving and being able to return home.
“For me and my Alive Day being either on or around Thanksgiving was one of those blessings in disguise because it brings me back to that day 15 years ago … and like I said, gives me that reset perspective,” he said. “I&#8217;m able to, you know, look around and see my family, my kids, you know, my wife and family — kind of how my future has evolved from 15 years ago.&#8221;
“It gives me that perspective of even though every day is not perfect, even though many days I wish, you know, I had my legs or this didn&#8217;t happen to me, it gives me so much to be thankful for. And then being on Thanksgiving just kind of amplifies that while I&#8217;m surrounded by family and friends and all the chaos that ensues with that,” he continued. “I mean, it&#8217;s a huge blessing, and it&#8217;s a great reset for me to kind of have that perspective.”

Purple heart

Gabe Martinez Lost His Legs In Afghanistan 15 Years Ago. Here’s What Thanksgiving Means To Him.

Afghanistan

Marines

Thanksgiving

A church on Nashville&#8217;s west side has sat for years with no purpose. CreatiVets, an organization for wounded veterans, saw the church&#8217;s potential, but it came with a hefty Nashville real estate price tag of $3.35 million.
Thankfully, Gary Sinise saw the potential too. The actor best known for his role as Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump, donated $1 million to CreatiVets this spring to help buy the church for veterans to have a place to go to immerse themselves in songwriting, music, and other artistic avenues.
&#8220;Quite often our veterans don&#8217;t want any help. But through art and theatre as well, acting out what they are going through can be very, very beneficial,&#8221; Sinise told the Associated Press.
The Gary Sinise Foundation has given to CreatiVets the last two years but nothing compared to the million-dollar gift, according to CreatiVets Co-Founder and Executive Director Richard Casper. Casper, who started CreatiVets in 2013, called Sinise&#8217;s donation a catalyst for the non-profit&#8217;s mission.
&#8220;It will accelerate the opening of our Nashville art and music center, expand access to life-saving songwriting and visual arts programs, and help us drive down the waitlist of veterans seeking creative healing,&#8221; he said.
Two other donors who remained anonymous each gave $1 million toward the purchase of the church, which was finalized in July. Other influential people, including Grammy Award-winning artist Amy Grant, also donated toward the effort. Grant and Sinise toured the property in person in the spring and wanted to make CreatiVets&#8217; vision a reality.
Part of the CreatiVets&#8217; new home will be a performance center dedicated to Sinise&#8217;s late son, Mac, who died in 2024 after a battle with cancer. Casper said Mac loved music and was very involved with helping veterans through his father&#8217;s foundation.
The Academy Award-nominated actor started his foundation in 2011 to help military veterans, first responders, and their families. The foundation supports programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, and build. Programs like CreatiVets.
Casper said the funding so far for the new location has been a blessing. To restore the church that&#8217;s been left untouched since at least 2017, the non-profit needs at least $1.9 million for basic renovations. After that is completed, they&#8217;ll need additional support for office supplies.
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-998757 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/IMG_7874-768x576.jpeg" alt="" width="768" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/IMG_7874-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/IMG_7874-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/IMG_7874-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/11/IMG_7874-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px" /></div>
At CreatiVets&#8217; current location in the 12 South area of Nashville, veterans can only use the space to its full potential after working hours because it shares space with another business. Casper has fought for the empty church as a new space for more than a year. His goal of providing a 24-hour oasis for veterans keeps him moving through any setback he faces. A new space is needed to play music and have access to other machinery, sometimes noisy, round-the-clock.
The plan is to have the new CreatiVets music center open by next fall.
If you want to donate to CreatiVets, you can visit their website <a href="https://creativets.org/">here</a>.
The organization is hosting a fundraiser on Wednesday at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. You can buy tickets to &#8220;Stars and Scars to Scripts&#8221; featuring performances by Vince Gill, Charles Esten, Kalsey Kulyk, and Jay Demarcus <a href="https://www.tpac.org/events/detail/creativets-15043">here</a>.

CreatiVets/Gary Sinise

Gary Sinise Donates $1 Million To Turn Abandoned Church Into Creative Space For Wounded Veterans

Gary Sinise

Nashville

Veterans Day

MixCollage-10-Nov-2025-03-23-PM-5263

American Elections Are Now Being Decided Based On Tribal Blood Feuds In Africa

Democrats

Elections

Leftists

Matt Walsh

Minneapolis

Minnesota

Opinion

Somalia

World War II

Three people were killed and eight were injured when an alleged U.S. veteran who claimed he was suffering from PTSD fired into a dockside North Carolina restaurant, killing three people and leaving at least one other person fighting for their life.
The suspect was named by the Southport Police Department as Nigel Max Edge, arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder, and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, with additional charges pending.
“We believe that this was a targeted location,” Southport Police Chief Todd Coring stated at a press conference. “He acted in what we call a ‘lone wolf.’ He acted alone. This is highly premeditated from what we are seeing at this time and we feel that there are no other threats to our community, that we do have someone in custody.&#8221;
He added that an active investigation is underway.
Coring continued that the suspect was identified as a combat veteran injured in the line of duty and said he suffered from PTSD.
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“On Saturday, September 27, 2025 at approximately 9:30 PM, members of the Southport Police Department were dispatched to calls of shots fired with multiple injuries at the American Fish Company, located at 150 Yacht Basin Dr, Southport, NC 28461,” the Southport, North Carolina, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cityofsouthportnc/posts/pfbid0BwvyoikCymScwnc1jgKrx5nqjgqWFd73pBFBvitAH13F9bEijmzKmkDppDmonDfel">Facebook page</a> stated. “Just prior, a boat with a single occupant traveling on the Cape Fear River, paused briefly at the American Fish Company and opened fire, fatally wounding three patrons, and injuring at least eight others. The boat then fled the area, towards the Intracoastal Waterway in the direction of Oak Island. Shortly after 10:00 PM, the U.S. Coast Guard observed a single individual matching the description of the shooter, loading their boat at the public boat ramp at NE 55th Street in Oak Island. The Coast Guard crew detained this suspect.”
The suspect reportedly was formerly known as Sean William DeBevoise, who authored a book titled, “Headshot: Betrayal of a Nation.” In the author’s comments about the book, he stated, “The attacks on 9/11 would decide my future for me. I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and deployed 3 times; first to Haiti&#8217;s political turmoil, then to Iraq twice. Returning from the warzone severely wounded, my life would never be the same as it once was.”

MixCollage-28-Sep-2025-12-03-PM-8684

Suspect Charged In North Carolina Dockside Shooting That Killed 3, Injured 8

Crime

Mass Shooting

North Carolina

Shooting

U.S.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will sign legislation Wednesday aimed at helping veterans receive federal assistance with their mortgages, The Daily Wire has learned.
Trump will sign the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act on Wednesday, a White House official shared with The Daily Wire. The signing will take place in the Roosevelt Room of the White House at 1:3o pm ET.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) originally introduced the bill in March, and the legislation passed the Senate earlier this month.
&#8220;This is going down!&#8221; Van Orden said in a <a href="https://x.com/derrickvanorden/status/1950562940580467071">post</a> celebrating the news on Wednesday. &#8220;We are making sure that the VA Home Loan Guarantee will remain a viable program into the future so our vets can achieve the American Dream of homeownership.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_954321" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-to-sign-bill-to-help-veterans-buy-and-keep-their-homes/topshot-france-history-wwii-dday-anniversary-2" rel="attachment wp-att-954321"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-954321" class="wp-image-954321 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/GettyImages-1148305892-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1148305892-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1148305892-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1148305892-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/GettyImages-1148305892.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>TOPSHOT &#8211; A WWII veteran points to US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump during a French-US ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery on June 6, 2019. (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
The legislation is intended to help veterans who have fallen behind on their mortgages receive federal aid: it establishes a permanent partial claims program within the VA Home Loan Program, &#8220;bringing VA in line with other federal agencies that lend money for homes and replacing the fiscally irresponsible Biden administration-era VASP program,&#8221; according to a release from Van Orden&#8217;s office.
“Under the Biden administration, the VA created the VASP program without consulting Congress, costing the American taxpayers $5.8 billion and endangering the entire VA home loan guarantee program,” Van Orden said in a statement earlier this month.
“The time for faceless bureaucrats to run roughshod over elected officials is over,&#8221; added Van Orden, who serves as  Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee. &#8220;My bill offers a real solution to help every servicemember and veteran maintain the American Dream of homeownership. I am grateful to my Senate colleagues for passing this important bill, and I look forward to President Trump signing it into law.”
The president will also deliver remarks on &#8220;Making Health Technology Great Again&#8221; on Wednesday afternoon at the White House following the bill signing.

President Trump Departs The White House For Pittsburgh

Trump To Sign Bill To Help Veterans Buy And Keep Their Homes

Congress

Executive

Politics

White House

The Supreme Court on Thursday <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24-320_m648.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unanimously ruled</a> that disabled veterans were entitled to retroactive compensation.
The case, Soto v. United States, began as a class action lawsuit led by Simon Soto, who served in the Marines for six years until he was medically retired. Soto served for part of this time in Mortuary Affairs, where he was “assigned to ‘search for, recover, and process the remains’ of war casualties.’” He struggled to return to civil life and was later diagnosed with a 100% disability rating for post-traumatic stress disorder by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), signifying “[t]otal occupational and social impairment.”
Soto applied for combat-related special compensation (CRSC), which is intended to offset the portion of retirement pay veterans are required to waive in order to receive disability benefits from the VA. Originally available only to veterans with 20 or more years of service, Congress extended special compensation to all veterans in 2008.
Soto applied for CRSC in 2016, and was found eligible. The government gave him retroactive compensation for his waived retirement pay, but capped it at six years, citing the Barring Act, which “subjects most claims to a six-year limitations period.” But the Barring Act also said that if “another law” allows the government to adjudicate settlements with the government, the six-year ceiling is not applicable.
Soto filed a class action lawsuit with other veterans whose compensation was limited under the Barring Act. They argued that the combat-related special compensation falls under the Barring Act’s loophole for superseding laws. The government argued that the statute establishing combat-related special compensation lacked the “specific language” needed to establish this.
A district court ruled in favor of Soto, and a federal circuit ruled in favor of the government, sending the case to the Supreme Court.
Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the court, which emphasized that Congress isn’t limited by specific language arguments.
“As this Court has repeatedly explained, Congress &#8216;need not state its intent in any particular way,” and &#8216;[w]e have never required that Congress use magic words.&#8217;”
The Court ruled that there is sufficient basis for “another law” in the combat-related special compensation statute, ultimately deciding that Soto and his fellow veterans, whom they described as a “group of exceptionally deserving claimants”, can receive full disability compensation for their service.

Clarence Thomas

Supreme Court Rules Unanimously In Favor Of Back Pay For Disabled Vets

Supreme Court

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said that after a weekend of violent riots — during which property was vandalized and police officers and federal agents were targeted by protesters in the streets of Los Angeles — a local VA clinic was forced to close its doors.
Collins issued the statement on Monday afternoon, one day after President Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops to the California city in an effort to get the riots under control and protect the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who were attempting to enforce federal immigration laws.
The VA secretary shared a photo showing the side of the Los Angeles VA building spray-painted with threats and profanities aimed at federal officials, adding, &#8220;To the violent mobs in Los Angeles rioting in support of illegal immigrants and against the rule of law – Your actions are interfering with Veterans’ health care.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
To ensure the safety of Veterans and employees, <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptVetAffairs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptVetAffairs</a> had to make the difficult decision to temporarily close its LA Ambulatory Care Center. The clinic will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, and in the meantime, in-person appointments at the facility are being…
— VA Secretary Doug Collins (@SecVetAffairs) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecVetAffairs/status/1932141182404186216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 9, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;To ensure the safety of Veterans and employees, @DeptVetAffairs had to make the difficult decision to temporarily close its LA Ambulatory Care Center. The clinic will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, and in the meantime, in-person appointments at the facility are being rescheduled or shifted to telehealth,&#8221; he added.
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In an effort to contain the riots, the Trump administration also deployed a number of U.S. Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton, some of whom were expected to relieve the National Guard troops who had already been in the city for nearly two days. Of the 2,000 National Guard troops who were initially deployed to Los Angeles, only approximately 300 have been actively engaged on the streets.

Senate Nomination Hearing Held For Doug Collins To Be Veterans Affairs Secretary

Veterans Affairs Sec Says ‘Violent Mobs In Los Angeles’ Forced Veterans Clinic To Close

Health Care

Veterans Affairs (VA)

As a medic, my grandfather sat by countless hospital beds during the Korean War.
He would write letters home for men who knew they might never see their families again. Those moments became powerful memories for him. They were a weight he carried for decades. He bore the burden of memory — a burden we are now in danger of forgetting.
Memorial Day isn’t just a holiday. It’s a defiant stand against our own human tendency to let the sacrifices of the fallen fade into the noise of our fast-paced lives. We must remember, because the stories of those who gave everything for our freedom are the part of our story that makes everything possible for us in our current time.
My grandfather carried with him that weight of remembering until his final days. My wife’s grandfather, a bomber pilot in Vietnam, carried a similar burden. Like my grandfather, he rarely spoke of his service. But when those of us in the family who served sit with him, he begins to share.
His stories are vivid, etched with the clarity of a man who could never forget the skies he flew or the comrades who didn’t return. He holds on to the memories, because they matter. Listening to him, I have come to realize how vital it is to hold those stories close. They aren’t just his — they’re ours. They are American stories. Stories of our country&#8217;s finest, who died so that my children and I can be free.
Our culture, driven by a relentless news cycle and a forward-looking obsession, often forgets. It’s our own human nature to let the past slip away, to assume our freedoms and comforts are a given. But this forgetting comes at a cost. As my grandfather’s stories taught me, memory is not passive. It is an active choice, a discipline.
Scripture repeatedly underscores this truth. Deuteronomy 5:15 tells us to “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.&#8221;
God commands His people to remember. Why? Because without memory, we lose our sense of who we are. We begin to think history began with us, ignoring the countless souls who have paved our way. Memorial Day is our national reminder of this truth, a day to recall the men and women who laid down their lives so we might live free.
The weight of memory is not meant to crush us but to ground us. It reminds us that our freedom is not free—it was purchased at a great price. The families of the fallen walk among us, carrying their own quiet burdens. We honor them by listening to their stories, by reading about the sacrifices made, by teaching our children the names and deeds of those who served. My grandfather never forgot. My wife’s grandfather never forgot. Their memories shaped them, and now they shape us.
There is something else about remembering those who died so that we might live. It reminds us that their sacrifice demands our action. They gave their lives so that we can live. We have an obligation to take that seriously and live with meaning. We have a duty to march forward and seek victory. To do what is good. To live our lives, and pass our heritage down to our children. If we do not, we belittle the sacrifices made on our behalf.
It is time for us all to discipline ourselves and remember. We must be thankful for the sacrifice and embrace our great heritage. We must live our lives like they have been protected at great cost — because they have been. We must remember.
* * *
Daniel Hayworth is the Lead Pastor of Vintage Church Harker Heights near Fort Hood, Texas, where he lives with his wife and four children. 
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

BULGARIA-NATO-DEFENCE-MILITARY-EXERCISE

The Weight Of Memory: Why Memorial Day Matters

Memorial Day

Soldiers

With Memorial Day so near, I’m thinking of active-duty military, their families, and our veterans.
It’s impossible to let this national day of commemoration pass without addressing the tragic statistics of military and veteran suicide. Twenty-two veterans commit suicide each day. That’s one veteran every 65 minutes.
A 2024 Pentagon study revealed another devastating statistic: American soldiers are now <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2024/06/11/military-suicide-defense-department-pentagon-study/73983842007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more likely</a> to die from suicide than from any other cause. In an attempt to provide help and resources for our struggling veterans, the <a href="https://988lifeline.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Suicide Crisis Hotline</a>, and organizations such as the Military Suicide Awareness have been created. But is it enough?
Our soldiers may no longer be fighting in traditional ground wars. But those engaged in remote operations can nonetheless suffer invisible wounds just as crippling as an IED blast.
Almost 7% of veterans will <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_veterans.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suffer from PTSD</a> in their lifetime. These struggles not only affect veterans, but can have a cascading impact on their families, too. It is vital to recognize the great impact active duty and veteran life has on our military families. In 2022, for example, 146 military family members died by suicide, including 83 spouses and 53 dependents, the majority of whom were under 18.
Often, military spouses are expected to be the glue that holds the family together. We are expected to be resilient and strong despite the deployments, raising children alone while repeatedly losing community because of frequent relocations.
But military spouses often suffer in silence. Depression, under the best of circumstances, is isolating. But when you experience frequent moves and loss of community and support, it only adds to that sense of loneliness and having to “deal with it” on your own.
I struggled with the shame and embarrassment for not being able to “tough it out” and handle everything while my spouse was away serving. I struggled with the guilt of not feeling strong enough. It is an isolating battle, and it’s almost easier to sink into yourself rather than risk judgment or become a poor reflection on your spouse when you finally do ask for help.
These struggles are often overlooked by both the military and civilian communities. But they shouldn’t be.
We as a society need to end the stigma surrounding mental health for our soldiers and our military families. Supporting our veterans and military families starts with compassion, education, and collective action.
It’s time to share stories of veterans and spouses who have sought help and found healing to inspire hope and reassurance. We need to launch mentorship programs that pair a healed service member or spouse with one facing struggles to foster encouragement and fellowship. We can establish essential services, including support groups, counseling, and mental health-informed medical care, to support their journey to healing.
This is a time for our leaders — both military and civilian — to step up and speak openly about the mental health situation affecting our veterans and military families. Their actions and policies set the tone for whether mental health is seen as a weakness or a priority. We need to make it a priority.
Together, let’s strive to serve our veterans and their families through initiatives like #988, volunteering, and raising awareness. Together, 22-a-day may become a thing of the past, and our soldiers and their families can find hope for the future.
Dani Pettrey is the bestselling author and military spouse. Her latest novel, “Two Seconds Too Late,” features a veteran battling PTSD and depression.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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