Veteran Journal speaks with Nina Gilberti, the producer and director of the new documentary, “When Jane and Johnny Come Marching Homeless”.

On the third Friday of September each year those who were and perhaps still are prisoners of war or missing in action are honored. According to Prisoners of War-Missing in Action-Killed in Action almost all captured soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan were either rescued or accounted for.

Libyan warplanes continue to pound rebel positions. And, a Pentagon commission is recommending that ground combat units be open to female troops.

The National Veterans Art Museum offers a space for Veterans to share and express their experiences in a creative, healthy environment. It is the only museum of it’s kind.

The Philadelphia Veteran Mulit-Service Education Center (PVMSEC) is a non-profit organization established to help Veterans experiencing set backs get back into mainstream society. They offer education programs as well as employment services and counseling programs for Veterans. Marsha from PVMSEC took the time to explain their mission and offers suggestions for the rest of us looking to help.

On a moonlit Afghan ridge in 2007, Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta ran alone through a barrage of gunfire to rescue a friend being dragged off by insurgent fighters.

Now that the combat mission in Iraq has ended and the deadline for the Afghanistan drawdown is looming, we are again confronted by the anniversary of 9/11 and what this day has come to mean to us a Nation. Now is the time to look at your neighbor and, regardless of race, religion or creed, recall the day that in the wake of tragedy we came together as a nation in a way that only we can.

The first time I heard Ronny’s voice on the phone I began to picture a man in his fifties or sixties. I had imagined him hunched in a chair settling into old age, tired but still kicking. We began our conversation talking a little bit about Peggy from Operation First Response and all the things she had done for him and his family. Then he began to describe his war injuries.

In May of this year Secretary Shinseki sent a letter to Congress asking that his draft legislation be considered and enacted. We decided to break down this proposed legislation. Hopefully it may help some of our veterans out there better understand how to take advantage of their benefits should the bill pass.

On Sunday morning more than 91,000 pages of classified military documents were leaked to the whistle-blowing website www.wikileaks.org. Only time will tell what effect the leak will have on our troops and American civilians’ opinions of the nine year war.