WBFO Veterans News Desk

A Buffalo native who now serves as Commandant of the Naval District in Washington, D.C. is in Western New York, where he will help welcome 20 new sailors into the Navy during his stay.

Dozens of local veterans have expressed their stories - and the private battles they are still fighting - by creating images and words now available for public viewing in Buffalo's Market Arcade.

College students have settled in for the fall semester and among them are many who first served in the U.S. military. When veterans enter college, they bring a unique perspective while also facing unique challenges. Most Western New York colleges and universities either have some form of veterans office, student veteran organization or provide links to services. WBFO visited one local college to learn more about veterans on campus.

This weekend, the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station will welcome back many to the installation who, 50 years prior, were welcomed back after serving in Vietnam.

Today is the annual observance of Purple Heart Day in the United States. First created by George Washington on August 7, 1782, it's the world's oldest military decoration currently being used. Many veterans and families of deceased veterans who are owed this medal, however, must often undergo a painstaking process to acquire the deserved medal.

He earned a Purple Heart medal three times during his military service. They were delivered to him by mail. Monday morning, at the Buffalo & Erie County Naval & Military Park, Army Sgt. 1st Class William "Roland" Hayes was presented with all his due decorations in a more dignified ceremony. He was also recognized for the battles he fought on two fronts, including one within the ranks.

David Bellavia, who last month became the first living Iraq War veteran to be presented with the Medal of Honor, was honored Tuesday in Batavia. He spoke of the importance of the nation's military and of the America he has observed while on an outreach tour for the U.S. Army.

A local Vietnam War veteran was presented Monday with several decorations for his service, honors owed to him for roughly five decades.

A new website launched Tuesday morning is encouraging local Medal of Honor recipient David Bellavia to run for Congress. Bellavia previously ran for New York’s 27th congressional seat in 2012, but does this mean another run in 2020 is on the horizon?

One of the three decommissioned vessels which rest in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park is in need of hull repairs. Earlier this year, a $2 million fundraising campaign was announced to fix the USS The Sullivans. The granddaughter of one of the men for whom the ship was named recently chatted with WBFO to provide an update on that effort.

The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 has been signed into law by President Trump. It extends benefts to veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange while serving on ships off the coast of Vietnam. The co-sponsor of the bill, Rep. Brian Higgins (D-Buffalo), talked with WBFO's Howard Riedel about the measure, Wednesday's Democratic Presidential debate and other issues top of mind this week.

Orleans County native David Bellavia was presented with the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony Tuesday.

A reunion of Vietnam War veterans who served in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade continues in Buffalo this week. They'll take in the sights, sounds, and even some tastes of Western New York. But to many of these veterans, the annual reunion brings a renewed opportunity to bond - and heal from old wounds, some of which are unseen.

An estimated 90,000 veterans who served in the Vietnam War are closer to receiving medical benefits for presumed exposure to Agent Orange. The U.S. Senate has passed legislation which would open VA medical care for Agent Orange-related illnesses to Blue Water Navy veterans.

Officials at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park marked their Flag Day by hosting dozens of Vietnam War veterans for a special ceremony.

Following his first public statement about his forthcoming Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House, Iraq War veteran David Bellavia spoke one-on-one with WBFO Radio about his pending decoration, putting his memoirs into writing and the qualities he believes makes an ideal citizen.

He will become the first living Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran to receive the Medal of Honor later this month. Former Army Staff Sergeant David Bellavia, a Lyndonville native, will receive the honor from President Donald Trump during a White House ceremony June 25. On Tuesday, he met with local media to discuss an honor he considers a tribute not to him exclusively, but to his many comrades.

He was a member of the famed 82nd Airborne, which participated in the invasion of Normandy that began on June 6, 1944. Commencement of Operation Overlord became better known as D-Day. Grand Island native Charles DeGlopper would lose his life three days later, willingly putting himself in the line of fire to help his platoon, pinned down in a ditch, escape that position.

Congress is closer to passing legislation which would give tens of thousands of Vietnam Veterans medical benefits - decades after they were exposed to the chemical Agent Orange.