Minnesota Veteran

What's New

Mar 18, 2008 - Economic Stimulus Payments for veterans and their families information

Aug 1, 2007 - LinkVet goes live: your link to experts!

Jan 3, 2007 - $59 per month credit for Military Service in a Combat Zone

Minnesota Veteran - U.S. Coast Guard

This is a listing of U.S. Coast Guard related sites.

U.S. Coast Guard - www.uscg.mil

Coast Guard Learning Portal - http://learning.uscg.mil/

Recruiting - www.gocoastguard.com/


Armed Forces Service Center

The Armed Forces Service Center is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization located at the MSP Airport, since November 22, 1970. The Center serves as an oasis for "active duty" military personnel and dependents. As well as, Reservists, National Guard, DoD and PHS (on any orders), as they travel through the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. The Center is open 24/7, three hundred and sixty-five days a year ... to make sure our doors are never closed to a serviceperson in need of food, shelter or assistance.

The Armed Forces Service Center is not a "USO." Our one-of a-kind facility is unique to Minnesota, we rely on our funding from various veterans organizations, their auxiliaries, as well as, private organization and individuals. The AFSC was founded by Maggie Purdum, as a tribute to those who serve -- after her son died in Vietnam. In November 2005, we celebrated our 35th Anniversary and, 700,000th military guest.

On September 11, 2001, we were able to provide this valuable service to "sixteen" Marines stranded at the MSP Airport for five days -- when all flights were grounded. The Center offers a variety of complimentary food, beverages, TV (w/CNN), a fax machine/printer/copier, two computers with high speed Internet access, phones cards, a bathroom, toiletries, magazines and separate sleeping bunks for servicemen and servicewomen.

www.mnafsc.org

Coast Guard Reserve - www.uscg.mil/hq/reserve/reshmpg.html

Defense Commissary Agency - www.commissaries.com

Deployment Health and Family Readiness Library

This library provides Service members, families, leaders, Health Care providers, and veterans an easy way to find deployment health and family readiness information. Within this library you'll find access to fact sheets, guides, and other products on a wide variety of topics published by the services and organizations that serve you. You'll also find additional web links to other organizations and resources devoted to the health and well-being of the Service member and their family.

deploymenthealthlibrary.fhp.osd.mil/home.jsp

Deployment Tips

Information from the Force Health Protection & Readiness (FHP&R) office. The office is responsible for deployment related health policy, doctrine, theater information systems, system rightsizing, and international agreements.

fhp.osd.mil/preDeployment.jsp - Pre-Deployment Tips
fhp.osd.mil/deploymentTips.jsp - Family Support during Deployment
fhp.osd.mil/postDeployment.jsp - Post Deployment and Reunion Resources

Evening Colors

A newsletter for Coast Guard and NOAA Retirees

www.uscg.mil/hq/psc/eveningcolors/

Female Combat Veterans

What does it mean to be a female with combat experience? How have my military experiences affected me? How can I better deal with negative emotions? Come and join an opportunity for support and growth at the St. Paul Vet Center, Monday nights from 6 pm to 8 pm.

More information

Housing

Minnesota Housing has information on housing as it relates to veterans and their families. It includes homeownership opportunities, short-term mortgage assistance, financial counseling and mortgage foreclosure prevention assistance, mortgage or rental housing assistance, and supportive housing.

More information

Military Exchange

AAFES (Army & Air Force Exchange Service) - www.aafes.com
NEX (Navy Exchange) - www.navy-nex.com

Military Money

An authoritative financial resource for military families and help ensure the fighting readiness of America’s armed forces by enhancing their financial readiness to make informed decisions in their everyday lives.

www.militarymoney.com

Military Sentinel

A project of the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Defense to identify and target consumer protection issues that affect members of the United States Armed Forces and their families.

Military Sentinel  allows members of the United States Armed Forces to enter consumer complaints directly into a database that is immediately accessible by over 500 law enforcement organizations throughout the United States, Canada, and Australia. These law enforcement agencies use this complaint data to target cases for prosecution and other enforcement measures. The information from Military Sentinel  can also be used by members of the JAG staff and others in the Department of Defense to help protect armed services members and their families from consumer protection-related problems.

www.consumer.gov/military/

Minnesota Military & Military Dependents Absentee Voting

Information from the Minnesota Secretary of State on how to vote while stationed away from Minnesota. Note: Your absentee ballot must be received in your precinct by Election Day when the polls close, or it will not be counted. So, apply and send in your ballot early.

www.sos.state.mn.us/home/index.asp?page=212

Navy Mutual Aid Association

The basic purpose of the Association is to aid its members and their dependents or beneficiaries, by providing with certainty and promptness a substantial sum for their relief through the medium of insurance plans at as near the actual net cost as possible. And also, to assist in securing for the dependents or beneficiaries without charge the federal benefits to which they may be legally entitled. Once composed only of Navy and Marine Corps officers, the Association now serves all uniformed personnel of the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Public Health Service including all enlisted and officer grades, regular, reserve, and retired.

www.navymutual.org

Reunions - www.uscg.mil/hq/psc/eveningcolors/Reunions.htm

SchoolQuest™

Designed for military families, SchoolQuest is a safe, secure online resource. SchoolQuest is organized so that you can access information that the MCEC™ has gathered to help you make decisions on future schools for your children. You'll be asked to answer basic questions about your family and each of your school-aged children. Based on the answers you provide, SchoolQuest will then present, at no cost, meaningful facts, resources, and transition advice to help you find out about the area schools that serve the military community you select -- we call this process a "Quest." SchoolQuest also offers an Online Library that provides resources for families in transition.

www.schoolquest.org

Transcripts

The U.S. Coast Guard Institute is your contact to get a military transcript.

www.uscg.mil/hq/cgi/Institute_Forms/index.html

Transitional Assistance

Resources for both active duty members returning to civilian life & reserve / guard members coming off an extended tour of duty.

More information

Uniformed Services Almanac

For active duty personnel of all services, has been providing accurate, timely information on pay, allowances, taxes, health care and TRICARE benefits, SBP, retirement, travel, and transportation, Space-A, Veterans and Social Security Benefits and many more subjects of vital concern and interest to active duty personnel and their families for over forty-five years. The Almanac also contains detailed installation listings and important statistical data.

Also see the website for the National Guard Almanac and Reserve Forces Almanac.

www.militaryalmanac.com