110th National Convention/New G.I. Bill

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-What goes on at the VFW National Convention? Host Jerry Newberry gives us some insight into the daily activities, this year's guest speakers and why the event is necessary.
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-Next up, we speak with April of Operation Baking Gals, a group dedicated to providing our troops over seas with delicious home-baked goods.
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-The new GI Bill went into effect on August 1, 2009. We'll speak with Marine, Student Veterans of America and VFW member Marshall Archer on the importance of the Bill and his involvement.
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Relocation of Guantanamo Bay Detainees

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-This week we focus on the transfer of detainees from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The administration is looking to relocate prisoners to the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., or a state maximum-security prison in Standish, Mich., that is scheduled to be closed. First, we speak with Leavenworth mayor Shay Baker about Leavenworth officials opposing the use of Fort Leavenworth to house the detainees. They argue the facility in Cuba should be kept open.
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-Next, we speak with national security and foreign policy expert, John Wohlstetter. According to him, President Obama is learning the hard way that campaign rhetoric may not be reality and may not make sense for national security. Wohlstetter says, "Closing Guantanamo will necessitate creating one or more Guantanamo prisons on American soil."
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-To finish up this week, we speak with the Stanish, Mich. city manager, Michael Moran. Standish Maximum Correctional Facility is scheduled to be closed, which would mean approximately 300 people would lose their jobs. We speak with Moran about why Standish officials, prison employees, and residents want to keep it open at all costs, even if it means becoming the new home of Guantanamo Bay detainees. We also discuss the two American journalists who are safe at home in the U.S. after Bill Clinton secured their release from North Korea.
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Richard Botkin, Author of Ride the Thunder/Outstanding Post 2780

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-First off, we talk to Jack Pickard, member of VFW Post 2780 in Traverse City, Michigan. His Post helped raise funds to pay for buses that transferred troops from Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin back home to Northern Michigan for three days before deploying to Iraq. Without the help from Post 2780 and other Posts and organizations, many of these troops would have had no way to travel home to see their family before they left.
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-Ride the Thunder is a new book by Richard Botkin that recounts the amazing exploits of U.S. Marine Captain John Ripley and South Vietnamese Major Le Ba Binh. It recasts Vietnam's tainted image, and tells the inspiring story of American heroism and the South Vietnamese relentless fight for freedom. We talk to Botkin about dispelling the notion that the military situation in Vietnam was lost.
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Best Warrior Competition, Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin

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-We continue the show this week from the Best Warrior Competition held at Ft. McCoy in Tomah, Wis., where the purpose is to find the best warrior in the Army Reserves. First this week, we speak with Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz. He talks to us about the benefits of hiring veterans, and the high retention rate of the Army Reserves.
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-Next, we speak with CSM Leon Caffie with the Army Reserves about winning last year's competition, and the camaraderie among the soldiers. He also talks about the radical change the Army Reserves has undergone, and why 2008 was a pivotal year for the Army Reserves.
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