Asian American & Pacific Islander Month
Going for Broke: The 442nd Regimental Combat Team
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Men from the 442nd practicing training maneuvers in Camp Shelby, Mississippi. Courtesy of the US National Archives.
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The National WWII Museum | New Orleans
Contributor: Connie Gentry
Soon after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, effectively placing over 100,000 West Coast residents of Japanese descent, the majority of them American citizens, into incarceration camps. Racism against Japanese Americans was rampant as much of the country grew more fearful and suspicious of collaboration with the Japanese government. But Japanese Americans were equally outraged at the attack on their country. Despite the growing racism against them, many Japanese Americans answered the call to war.
President Roosevelt activated the 442nd Regimental Combat Team on February 1, 1943, nearly one year after the signing of EO9066. Hawaiian-born Nisei (second-generation Japanese Americans) made up roughly two-thirds of the regiment, with the remaining third composed of Nisei from the mainland United States. The motto of the unit was “Go For Broke,” a phrase that meant putting everything on the line in an effort to win big. Just as other minority groups, Japanese Americans faced two wars during World War II—war against the Axis powers and war against racism back home—making “Go For Broke” an appropriate motto. [READ MORE...]
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Bob Woodruff Foundation | Our Veterans Calendar
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The Military and Veteran Family Fair
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Edge4Vets at NY Airports Workshop
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Prepare for jobs and get business mentors to help you succeed in NYC. Edge4Vets offers FREE in-person career workshops with proven results. Check out their website for more info and to register!
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📅 Wednesday, May 22nd
⏰ 9:30 AM to 3PM
📍 Vaughn College of Aeronautics
86-01 23rd Ave, Flushing, NY 11369
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Veteran Collected Benefits After Lying About Purple Heart, U.S. Says
Sharon Toney-Finch, who served in Iraq, was charged with fraudulently claiming to have a Purple Heart and with defrauding the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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If convicted, Sharon Toney-Finch, 43, faces more than 30 years in prison for wire fraud, theft of government funds, stolen valor and altering military paperwork.Credit...Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal, via Usa Today Network
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NYT | By Claire Fahy
May 1, 2024
A woman in upstate New York was arrested on Wednesday and charged with fraudulently claiming to be a Purple Heart recipient, federal prosecutors said.
The woman, Sharon Toney-Finch, 43, of Newburgh, N.Y., defrauded military charities and the Department of Veterans Affairs by lying about having received the Purple Heart, a military award given to those wounded or killed in action, Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement.
In March 2016, Ms. Toney-Finch began collecting disability benefits from the department after lying about getting injured during her military service, federal prosecutors said. Between July 2019 and September 2023, she defrauded donors to a charity she founded by claiming any money donated would go to supporting homeless veterans, when she in fact spent the funds on personal expenses, the statement said.
In May 2023, Ms. Toney-Finch came under fire after she recruited a group of homeless men to pose as homeless veterans and claim that they had been kicked out of an upstate hotel shelter so that it could house migrants. Representative Mike Lawler, a Republican who represents the area in Congress, initially fell for Ms. Toney-Finch’s scheme before denouncing it and describing her actions as “appalling.” [READ MORE...]
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More Veteran-related Headlines
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A Message From Mayor Adams:
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Each week DVS shares a brief update about how our administration is getting stuff done for New Yorkers.
Making New York City more livable for families means securing a better future for our children. Under the Adams administration, Math and English language arts test scores in our public schools have gone up while racial disparities have shrunk. We’ve brought down the cost of subsidized child care for working-class families from $55 a week to under $5 a week, and we revolutionized reading in our public schools. The mayor’s executive budget strengthens these investments in our children and schools by protecting $514 million in public school programs that were only previously supported with temporary stimulus dollars. This includes $92 million to support the citywide expansion of 3-K, $74 million for nearly 500 social workers to bolster our students’ mental health, and $53 million to build career pathways in our high schools. Here at DVS, we are working closely with the Department of Education to ensure Veterans and Military Families have access to the resources they need through our Military Family Advocacy Initiative which aims to have a liaison across New York City Schools.
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Week in Review | April 21 - April 27
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We want to showcase Veteran work and help spread the word! This is a space for Veteran artists to express themselves in an authentic way.
Please email submissions to connect@veterans.nyc.gov with a brief bio, an artist statement, art medium, and your affiliation to the Veteran community.
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Perelman Performing Arts Center:
An American Soldier
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Beginning May 12 at Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC), An American Soldier tells the powerful true story of Army Pvt. Danny Chen. To help bring accuracy in the opera's storytelling, the production brought on military consultants including Army veteran Gordon Penn. After he was honorably discharged from active duty in 2012, Gordon Penn attended Fordham University to study painting and writing. Later, while studying to be a playwright at Columbia University he met An American Soldier writer David Henry Hwang. Penn has used his military experience to craft his own plays as well as to provide his expertise to theatrical productions. More information about An American Soldier at link.pacnyc.org/veterans
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Join Our Team! Be Part of the Mission!
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Site Reliability Engineer - This position will support and develop the agency’s core business applications while providing secured network connectivity, asset management, and technical support for a highly mobile team.
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VA Work Study Positions at DVS
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The NYC Department of Veterans' Services (DVS) supports VA Work-Study Positions! Here is a current list of available VA Work-Study openings:
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NYC Civil Service Job Openings and Exams
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To view all available job listings, visit the exam board here!
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If you received this newsletter by way of a friend or colleague and have yet to sign-up on your own, click here, and stay up-to-date with the latest news impacting the community, updates on city services, info on DVS programs, Veteran-specific resources & more.
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