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JAVA JOINS NATIONAL MILITARY VETERANS ALLIANCE TO WIDEN

REPRESENTATION OF JA AND ASIAN AMERICAN VETERANS INTERESTS

Washington, D.C. The Japanese American Veterans Association (JAVA) has announced its association with the National Military Veterans Alliance (NMVA) effective June 16, 2005. The NMVA is a non-partisan organization consisting of 30 veterans groups, representing 4.5 million members, to influence Congress and the Administration to provide benefits to veterans, reserves and active duty personnel that they have been earned and are well deserved.

JAVA’s participation in NMVA activities is in part a result of JAVA President Bert Mizusawa’s desire for JAVA to work on veterans issues independently as well as in concert with other veterans organizations.

Established in 1996, NMVA meets monthly for approximately one hour to discuss progress on various issues handled by the committees. Other members include AMVETS, VFW, Naval Enlisted Reserve Association, Vietnam Veterans of America, Korean War Veterans Association, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and American Legion.

The objective of NMVA is to allow all military and veterans associations a collective voice in the legislative process. The NMVA encourages associations to work together toward common goals and to push individual goals as well. It was formed out of a need to have a stronger voice in the legislative process. They operate on the premise that in numbers there is strength.

Major NMVA committee issues include Uniformed Services Health Care, Pay and Compensation, Survivor Benefit Plan and Survivor Improvements, Veterans Health Care, VA Benefits, Claims and other VA issues, Commissary and Exchange Benefits, Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay, Force Policy, Education Benefit, and elimination of all waivers for burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

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