VA Loan / Veteran Mortgage News

Great New Year!

The GI Bill Can Change Your Future.

Top 10 List of Active Duty Military and Veteran Freebies

1. Free New Born Congratulatory Announcement fromt the White House
   
   The White House Greetings office, with our President's signature, will send you a written congratulatory announcement on the newest addition to your family. Requests can be made by sending a copy of the birth announcement or a written note with the baby's name and date of birth to:
   
   White House, Greetings Office, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20500
   
   
2. Free Congratulatory Announcement for Graduations, Weddings or Retirements
   
   So, you're not having a baby and you still want to hear from President Bush about some wonderful occasion such as a graduation, wedding or retirement. Impress your friends and family by showing them an official response from the President (because you know he will be a no-show). These requests need to be sent way in advance in order to make sure the card arrives in time. Requests can be made by sending a notice of the announcement to:
   
   White House, Greetings Office, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20500.
   
   
3. Free Tips on Choosing a Health Plan, a Doctor, a Course of Treatment or a Long-term Care Facility
   
   Department of Health and Human Service's Healthfinder service provides information on the latest health research, different illnesses and many medical resources.
   
   
4. Free Information on Small Business Administration Loans for Veterans
   
   Start your own business with help from the Small Business Administration. Receive email counseling and mentoring as well as a database of federal, state and private contracts available to small firms. The program is directed towards low and moderate-income urban and rural areas, which specifically target small businesses owned by Veterans, women and minorities. Veterans are encouraged to apply at a local bank they know first, and then with the SBA. For more information, call 1-800-827-5722 or visit the SBA web site.
5. Free Information on Military Funding for College
   
   Learn about the continuing education opportunities available to you and your family through the GI Bill for veterans and dependents, the Army National Guard, the US Navy, Air Force Reserve, US Army, US Army National Guard, US Air Force, US Marines, US Coast Guard and other sources. This includes college benefits, tuition assistance, scholarships, and a variety of other programs. All of this can be found at at the Students.gov web site.
   
   
6. The Real Story on Free Computers for Spouses or Parents of Deployed Soldiers in Ranks E1 - E5
   
   While free computers are offered to families of deployed soldiers, these computers are only given to families of service members that are set to deploy overseas within 30 - 120 days. These computers are shipped in bulk, rather than individually because doing so significantly reduces our shipping cost and thus enables the organization to help more military families. Giving computers at the beginning of the deployment maximizes the time period that they are used to link families with their deployed loved one.
   
   
We need to point out that while they do provide free computers to military families, they do NOT accept request from individual military families. Instead, the corporation donating the computers specifies the geographic location or unit to which the bulk amount of computers (usually 100) are to be sent. It is important that this specific information be conveyed to avoid families unnecessarily contacting the organization to request a computer only to learn this cannot meet their request. Those interested in having bulk computers sent to their soon-to-deploy unit are encouraged to contact large corporations in their area to request that they contact us regarding donating their old computers. Those computers will be sent specifically to the unit of families that initiated the donation.


7. Sending Free Air Conditioners and Heaters to the Troops
   
   US Service Members can sign up at Operation AC and put the items they would like to have from the Virtual CareBox in a wish list. When a sponsor signs up, they can choose their Service Member by Branch of Service, Home State, Sex, or Area of deployment. You are then immediately taken to the Virtual CareBox where you can see the wish list and choose the items for your service member. Once you finish the process in Virtual CareBox both you and your service member will receive an email which will trade EMAIL address and an itemized list of was purchased for them by the sponsor. The sponsor will get a full receipt of what was purchased for the service member. You will then have immediate contact with each other via email.
   
   Operation AC protects the addresses of our US Service Members and we will pack and ship all Virtual CareBox items, provide the US Customs forms and proper shipping documents. All will be sent US Priority Mail and in stock items can be received in 7 to 10 days to your Service Member to Iraq and 14 days to Afghanistan. The service member can choose to give you their mailing address as well. Adapting to the ever-changing needs of our troops is what makes us different from all other adoption and care package programs. This service offers soldiers want and can get it cheaper than anyone and delivered fast.
   
   
8. Free Air Travel for Emergency Leave and for the Families of Injured Soldiers to Travel to Medical Facilities
   
   Operation Hero Miles was created by Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger in cooperation with close to a dozen United States Airlines in October, 2003. The program allows troops stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan to fly home on leave for free. It also gives family members of wounded servicemen and women free plane tickets to visit their loved ones recovering at military hospitals across the country. Operation Hero Miles gives ordinary citizens an opportunity to help our troops in a very direct way that makes a real difference in their lives. The program is brilliant in its simplicity. Travelers donate their unused frequent flyer miles to the Pentagon.
   
   
9. Free Shipping Materials For Military Families
   
   With so many military families scrambling to ship care packages to their loved ones deployed around the world, the U.S. Postal Service is stepping in to make things a bit easier. It's offering a package of free packing materials, including 10 boxes, 10 customs forms with envelopes, 10 "Mili-Pac" shipping envelopes, which are specially printed to reflect the complexities of military mailing addresses, and a roll of Priority Mail tape. USPS started the service as an extension of an offer the Postal Service provides all mailers. By calling a toll-free number, anyone can request free shipping materials.
   
   To order the special kit, call (800) 610-8734 and request Care Kit 4 and it ship by Priority Mail, with delivery generally within a couple of days. Although the packing materials are free, shippers must still pay normal postage costs. The U.S. Postal Service and Military Postal Service work hand in hand to support troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
   
   
10. Free Admission for Active Duty Military to First Class Theme Parks in the United States in 2008
    
    Find out which ones and where! Anheuser-Busch is honored to salute the men and women of our armed forces and their families. Members of the military and as many as three direct dependents may enter any one of Anheuser-Busch's SeaWorld, Busch Gardens or Sesame Place parks with a single-day complimentary admission.