March to Memorial Day, My Life My Story Program, Borne the Battle and other VA Top Stories - April 26, 2019

"This Week at VA" is a digital newsletter with top news and stories from across the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

TOP PHOTO: U.S. Navy Veteran Thomas Henderson walks with his new above-knee prosthetic leg during his final fitting at VA North Texas. Thomas received the Endolite Linx system, a microprocessor knee and ankle prosthesis with hydraulic technology. Thomas had to walk at various speeds, up and down an incline and stairs as calibrations were made to his leg. Thomas served with Marines as a hospital corpsman and suffered injuries while deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. (Photo by Jennifer Roy for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) TOP STORIES The march to Memorial Day: VA and Carry the Load team up to honor the fallen VA's National Cemetery Administration is partnering with Carry The Load this year. Together, the goal is to honor Veterans and restore the true meaning of Memorial Day. READ MORE Listening to the Voice of the Veteran through the My Life, My Story Program VA's My Life, My Story program provides Veterans the opportunity to share their experience and story with VA, in a short narrative that is uploaded to the VA records system.  READ MORE Are you a fan of podcasts? Borne the Battle is our weekly #podcast where we interview Veterans and share their stories with you. This week's guest is U.S. Postal Inspector and Marine Veteran Carroll Harris. We talked to Carroll about Operation Protect Veterans, an effort by the Postal Inspection Service to prevent crimes and scams within the mail system that target the Veteran population. LISTEN HERE Drivers Rehab: Steering Veterans to freedom Freedom, independence, and confidence—just a few things Veterans say the driver rehab program at VA Salt Lake City Health Care System provided them. READ MORE SHARE THIS Fierce Loyalty: Safety Plan This video can help veterans and their loved ones understand the importance of creating a safety plan tailored to individual or family needs that can support someone in the home who may be in crisis. The video tells the story of how working with VA counselors to create and implement a safety plan helped one Veteran and his family, and encourages others to talk with their health care providers about safety planning. CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO WATCH AND SHARE THE VIDEO VANTAGE POINT The extraordinary life of America's Flying Ace, Eddie Rickenbacker WWII Veteran to return to Normandy after 75 years Medal of Honor Recipient commemorated at the New Orleans VA Medical Center VA infertility services can help Veterans and their families Appeals Modernization simplifies complex process allowing Veterans to choose one of three lanes VA NEWS RELEASES VA's improvements to Veteran community care under MISSION Act on track for June 6 implementation New text feature available through VA's Women Veterans Call Center: Users may now text, call or chat to learn about resources  VA Secretary praises department's model path to ending opioid addiction: Statement follows President Trump's remarks at summit addressing drug crisis Are you a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one? Connect with the Veterans Crisis Line to reach caring, qualified responders with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Many of them are Veterans themselves.