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Don’t Miss MOAA’s Career Fair
If you’re nearing retirement or are thinking about changing
jobs—or if your company is looking for outstanding new employees—you
won’t want to miss MOAA’s fourth annual career fair, which will be
held April 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Washington, D.C.,
Convention Center, Hall D.
More than 125 employers from the corporate sector, federal and state
government, and the nonprofit arena will be on hand. Last year the
fair attracted more than 1,900 job seekers and 120 employers. On
average, employers reported meeting more than 60 candidates with
whom they wanted to conduct follow-up interviews.
To reap the most from the career fair, get there early. tops, MOAA’s
career center, will offer three on-site classes aimed at job
seekers. “How to Work a Career Fair” and “How to Find a Job in the
Federal Government” both will be held twice, at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.,
and “Evaluating Employer Benefit Packages” is slated for noon. The
military-friendly fair is free, and servicemembers of all grades
(active duty, former, and retired), as well as their spouses, are
invited to attend.
To get an updated listing of the participating companies and for
tips on how to get the most out of a career fair, visit MOAA’s Web
Base at www.moaa.org/tops and click on “MOAA
Career Fair Washington, D.C., 2004” in the upper right-hand
corner of that page. If you are an employer interested in
participating in MOAA’s career fair, send an e-mail to
judyb@moaa.org.
A Ticket to Nashville
Make plans to attend MOAA’s 2004
Convention, which will be held Oct. 13–17 in Nashville, Tenn.
Join fellow members for what promises to be MOAA’s finest
convention ever—a mix of fun, food, music, camaraderie, and a
host of informational sessions. Home to the Country Music Hall
of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, Nashville is a city rich in
history, commerce, and entertainment.
MOAA has reserved a block of rooms for its members at the
downtown Renaissance Nashville Hotel. MOAA members can make room
reservations online
or call the hotel directly at (800) 327-6618. Indulge yourself
this fall with an exceptional trip that will provide you with a
wonderful time and lasting memories. See you in Nashville!
Rocky Mountain High
Disabled vets will head to the Rocky Mountains this April to
learn how to ski. The 18th National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports
Clinic, held in Aspen, Colo., April 4–9, will give about 350
disabled veterans a chance to test their downhill daring.
The program, which is sponsored by the VA and the Disabled American
Veterans, is open to all U.S. military veterans with spinal cord
injury or disease, orthopedic amputation, certain neurological
conditions, visual impairments, or other disabilities who receive
care at VA facilities. For the first time, the clinic will include
veterans from the current combat operation in Iraq.
Organizers of the clinic, which has been called “miracles on a
mountainside,” hope that disabled veterans can change their lives
when they discover the extraordinary challenges they can overcome.
The clinic offers skiing as well as rock climbing, scuba diving,
handcycling, horseback riding, snowmobiling, and sled hockey. And
the U.S. Secret Service will teach self-defense.
“VA’s national rehabilitation special events help veterans to reach
their full potential and achieve independence,” said VA Secretary
Anthony Principi.
Bat Treatment for Strokes
Bats can give you a good scare, but they also could help in the
treatment of stroke victims.
German researchers with PAION GmbH have discovered that a protein
from bat saliva can triple the treatment window and can be
administered up to nine hours after stroke symptoms begin. Current
treatment for strokes caused by a blood clot located in the brain is
most effective when it is given within three hours of the first
stroke symptom.
Researchers tested patients with Desmoteplase, a genetically
engineered version of a blood clot-dissolving protein found in the
saliva of vampire bats. According to the National Stroke Association
(NSA), the results show that scientists are one step closer to
finding an alternative treatment for stroke, which is the
third-leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in
the United States.
“If we can find a stroke treatment that’s effective, safe, and
allows more time for patients to receive it, we improve the chances
of people surviving and having better recoveries,” said Dr. Mark
Gorman, NSA spokesperson.
Tours Remember D-Day
On June 6, 1944, 135,000 troops and 20,000 vehicles landed on
five beaches in Normandy, and the Allied invasion of France began.
Now, 60 years later, HistoryTravel.
com, a Web site offering trips merchandised around the programming
of The History Channel, gives historically minded travelers a chance
to commemorate the turning point in World War II. A 12-day journey
that crisscrosses England and parts of Europe will take travelers to
the sites and locations most significant to D-Day and the subsequent
conflicts.
Travelers will visit England, Normandy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and
Germany. Those interested in booking a seat on the tour can visit
the History Travel Web site at
www.historytravel.com.
The trip starts at $1,799 a person, based on double occupancy, and
there are five departure dates running from April to November.
Finding the Words
Write an Essay for the U.S. Army War College’s seventh annual
Strategic Landpower Essay Contest, and you could take home the top
prize of $1,000. The topic is the “advancement of professional
knowledge of the strategic role of landpower in joint and
multinational operations.” Contact retired Col. Michael Matheny,
U.S. Army War College, Department of Military Strategy, Planning and
Operations, 122 Forbes Ave., Carlisle, PA 17013-5242, (717)
245-3459,
michael.matheny@carlisle.army.mil.
SPOTLIGHT
Samuel Metters, chairman and CEO of Metters Industries Inc.,
started the company in his basement in 1981 and now employs more
than 185 people, with six offices nationwide. The retired Army
lieutenant colonel serves on the U.S. Small Business
Administration’s Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Business
Affairs.
Why did you start your own business? “In my last job [working
for a U.S. Navy-sponsored building project in Saudi Arabia], I
got to interact with a lot of high-level people. I put two and
two together, and said, ‘Hey, this isn’t that hard, I can do
that.’”
What was your company’s first job? “My first contract was with
the Washington, D.C., housing authority. I came up in a bleak
environment, grew up in public housing, the grandson of a
sharecropper.”
What does it take to succeed in business? “You have to have some
talent, you have to be a risk taker, you have to be people
oriented.”
What advice do you give other black veterans starting their own
business? “Don’t complain. Do your job with twice the intensity
of the next guy. Run while others walk. That’s how you level the
playing field.”
Why get involved in the community? “I like to give back to the
community, through my church, alumni groups, or the Boy Scouts.
I get a big bang out of giving.”
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