Abe Plotkin, of Scranton, PA, will be one of 100 World War II veterans who will receive France’s prestigious Legion of Honor award in ceremonies in that country marking the 60th anniversary of the massive D-Day invasion of Normandy’s beaches.  Mr. Plotkin enlisted in the Army in 1942 and served with the 284th Field Artillery, 3rd Army, in France and Germany.

You can read the full story here.

It may not be a Jewish camp, but it is FREE!

The National Military Family Association and Sears, Roebuck and Co. are partnering to send military kids to camp this summer.

The program is called Operation Purple and gives military children in 11 states and the U.S. territory of Guam a chance to attend summer camp for free.  It is open to all active duty, reserve, and national guard families, but preference is given to those children with a deployed or recently redeployed parent.  Some of the camps offer travel reimbursement and other incentives as well.

The specifics vary from location to location, so look up the camp in your area for details.  For more information, visit the Operation Purple website.

Yesterday, more than 140,000 people attended the dedication of the National World War II Memorial in Washington D.C..  President Bush was one of many distinguished guests who spoke at the dedication ceremony.  For full coverage of the event, check out CNN.com’s story.  You can also learn more about the memorial itself at the National WWII Memorial official website.

As the number of living veterans of the war dwindles, I was tremendously happy to see so many of them out there to finally see a memorial worthy of their sacrifice.  It is unfortunate that so many others (like my grandfather) never got to see it.

Some interesting facts about Jews in World War II:

At a time when Jews made up only 3.33% of the population of the U.S., the approximately 550,000 Jews who served in the military made up 4.23% of the military.

About 60% of all Jewish physicians in the United States under 45 years of age were in the Service.

*source: Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America

photo by Rick Latoff

Continuing with a nod to our veterans this Memorial Day:  A Dallas news station recently covered a story on a program that offers full military burial for homeless veterans.  You can read the story or view the news report here.

The program is called the Homeless Veterans Burial Program.  Dignity Memorial® funeral and cemetery providers administer the program in selected cities across the nation.  The funding and support comes from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Veterans Administration, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, local veterans organizations, medical examiners, coroners, and veterans advocates.

When I decided to marry my Marine, I thought I was giving up on my career goal of getting a Masters degree in Jewish Education.  This is a fairly new degree, and it is only offered at a few schools-none of which are near a Marine base. 

It wasn’t until after the wedding, with some helpful advice from my friends at JESNA (Jewish Education Service of North America) and the resources on their website, that I found the best solution: the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies’ distance learning program.  In this program I found the flexibility that I needed in a school whose reputation I could trust.

Since I began my degree program at Spertus, I have noticed that many schools are jumping on the distance learning bandwagon.  They are beginning to cater to a new kind of student who cannot relocate to their campus.  Whether it is their family or their full time job that they cannot leave, many individuals are seeking unconventional means to get their education.  I think numerous colleges are starting to get the hint.  This is of course great news for military spouses who thought they had to give up their education for their service member.  This is one sacrifice we no longer have to make.

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This month Edward Alan Brudno, a Jewish, Air Force 1stLt, became the first Vietnam veteran who committed suicide after returning home to have his name engraved on the Wall.

While some may find this case controversial, this Washington Post article explains the circumstances of Brudno’s case in detail.  His story is a sad and touching one, and something I thought would be appropriate to share on Memorial Day.

The Army has begun a suggestion program where people can make suggestions online and even win some cash if the Army uses your suggestion.

Now before all you Jewish mamas go running out to suggest more sleep hours at boot camp, the program is only open to soldiers and Army civilian employees.  :) In fact, you need an Army Knowledge Online login as password to access the website.  If you are interested, you can obtain your login and password here.

The Lubavitch News Service has a brief story about Cpl Dustin Schrage, a marine with 2/4 who was killed this month in Al-Anbar Province, Iraq.

While the death of a service member is always tragic news, it is reassuring to know that proper kosher burial preparations were able to be arranged with the help of a Jewish chaplain.

Jews in Green has a brand new section called The Green Pages.  The idea is to compile and keep an up to date list of Jewish resources at duty stations around the globe.

This will be mostly powered by readers like you.  So send us what information you have and we’ll post it!  There is a very easy to use form in the Green Pages section so you can submit the information directly from the website. 

Right now it’s a very short list, but I think it will grow rather quickly.  We would always be interested in volunteers to do a little research beyond the gates of their own base too.

Two great resources for service members:

Homes for Our Troops is a new nonprofit group is raising money to build houses adapted to their needs.  John Gonsalves, a construction supervisor from Wareham, Massachusetts was concerned about the welfare of troops returning home with disabilities from the war on terror.  Only seven weeks after Homes for Our Troops began raising money, more than $100,000 in donations have rolled in, as well as $50,000 in labor and building materials.  For more information you can email the organization at .

Troops to Teachers is a U.S. Dept. of Education and DOD program that helps eligible military personnel begin a new career as teachers in public schools.  Most service members may not realize this, but much of your military service can count towards eligibility for a teacher certification.  There are 33 TTT offices nationwide that can assist military members with state certification requirements and provide significant financial assistance. Service members can take advantage of the TTT Web site, www.ProudToServeAgain.com, to correspond with representatives and receive alternative certification information.  There is an in-depth article on About.com about the history and details of the program.