Happy Holidays!

I know I haven't posted in forever....

Be back after the holidays.

Hope everyone has a great holiday season!!!

VA Golf Course

You have probably seen the VA Golf Course at American Lake in the news lately. They are trying to raise money to build the back 9. Jack Nicklaus has donated his design team to the cause and now it is just a matter of raising the 3m or so required to build it. It is amazing what this golf course does for our veterans. It is designed for the disabled but is utilized by many veterans and active duty personnel. We have disabled in wheelchairs golfing in specially designed golf carts, the blind rehabilitation clinic brings patients over for some fun, and many more of our military, in all phases of rehab and recovery, come to relax and have some fun and exercise. It is a very heartwarming and humbling experience to see these brave, strong, determined men and women. If you want more information or would like to donate to this worthwhile cause, feel free to contact the Friends of the American Lake Golf Course or me at cindy@betterproperties.com.

Thanks

American Lake Veteran's Hospital

American Lake Veteran’s Hospital

History:

In 1923, the Secretary of the Army authorized, under a revocable license, the Veteran Bureau’s use of 377 acres of the 87,000 acre Fort Lewis property. The site chosen on the western shores of American Lake soon became home for the buildings of Spanish American architecture. Many of the stucco and terra cotta buildings are listed on the National Register of Historical Buildings, and are still enjoyed today.

The medical center was dedicated in 1924 to care for WWI veterans. The single mission was neuropsychiatric treatment. On Mar 15, 1924, the first 50 patients were admitted to the hospital, by transfer, from Western Washington State Hospital at Fort Steilacoom.
The medical center grew over the years from its original mission to become a multi-care facility. In the 1960’s and 1970’s Ambulatory Surgical Services, a 76-bed nursing home, Blind Rehabilitation Services, a Substance Abuse Treatment Program, and a 60-bed homeless Domiciliary were added to expand the scope of care to veterans.

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, special programs such as Vocational Rehab, Residential Care, and Post Traumatic Stress Treatment Program were added. Then, in 1998, Primary Care and Women’s Health Clinic were added.

On June 25, 2010 a ribbon cutting ceremony took place for the opening of the new Community Living Center. The design and operation of the facility is based on a new concept called “cultural transformation”. This concept is an environment which treats residents as a whole based on their individual medical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs.

The Center is not the traditional institutional design. From having a “main street” and “neighborhoods” to the open spaces and a wander garden, it is designed to offer a sense of home.

The Center will have 83 beds divided into four units to include Hospice, Rehab, and Alzheimer/Dementia.

The new dining facility is fabulous and meets the needs of the whole hospital.

Not only is the Center built around a new concept, it is GREEN built. The facility has applied for LEED certification and is likely to receive Silver or Gold status as an environmentally friendly building. This will make it one of the first VA buildings to achieve this high of a LEED certification.

Congratulations and Kudos!!!

Thanks to the American Lake Veteran’s Hospital website for all the info.

Korean War - the forgotten war

War broke out on June 25, 1950 and President Truman ordered U.S. troops to Korea on June 27, 1950. Actual hostilities ceased on July 27, 1953 but the official end date is January 31, 1955. Congress designated the extension to define a period of eligibility to include a period of uneasy peace negotiations.

Battle dead: 33,665
Killed in action: 23,898
Died from battle wounds: 2,536
Missing in action: 4,793 (presumed dead)
POW deaths: 2,701 (total POW's returned: 4,418)
Wounded total: 103,200

Still listed as MIA: 8,176

There are approximately 2.5 million Korean War veterans. About 848,000 of these vets also served in other wartime periods. The median age of Korean War vets is 69.

All so interesting, isn't it?

Thanks to the VA for providing all this information.

I am going to interrupt my series to talk about the American Lake Veteran's Hospital in my next post - check back!!

Thanks

Update on 11th St Bridge

A loan for 20 million was just granted the city (great terms). Now they can finish all phases by their 2012 deadline.

WWII

WWII

Approximately 850 American WWII veterans die every day. As of May, 2010, there were about 2,079,000 American WWII vets still living. I guess in about 7 years or so, they will be all gone!! Wow!

American Military Casualties (WWII)

Killed in battle: 291,557
Wounded in battle: 671,846

Veterans

My first installment of the series on Veterans - Finally!


World War I

There are but 3 survivors of WWI left in the world.........

- The oldest verified survivor of WWI is 109 year-old Frank Buckles. He was an ambulance driver near the Western Front and served in the US Army. He lives in West Virginia.

- Claude Stanley Choules served in both world wars and is the second oldest veteran(109 also). He served in the British Royal Navy and now resides in Australia.

- Florence Beatrice Green (109) is the last female veteran and last veteran residing in the UK (Norfolk). She served in the Women's Royal Air Force.

*The oldest verified veteran, from any conflict, ever to have lived, was Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico, who died at age 115 in January 2007.

AMAZING!!


American Military Casualties (WWI)

Killed in battle: 116,708
Wounded in battle: 205,690

Dear to my heart

I am all about volunteering my time to worthy causes. One such cause is very dear to my heart - our veterans. I spent time in the Army during the 80's and, at that time, there weren't any wars or major conflicts so I didn't get to see any action (I did try to go to Panama during that minor conflict but they would not let women go to combat - totally unfair!). Anyway, the men and women who have fought for our country deserve our support and help. I will be posting some info on how we can help our veterans and other charities on the blog periodically. I will also have links to a new website. Please look at the site soon.

Still MIA!!

Sorry I haven't yet had the time to post anything new. Soon!!!

MIA

Sorry I have been negligent keeping up the blog. I have been very busy lately. Things have calmed down now and I will be back at it soon. Please look for a new posting within a couple days.

Thanks

What's up with the Nalley Valley I-5/SR16 Interchange Project?

The construction on I-5/SR16 Westbound will be completed in 2011. After completion of this phase, the next phase - Eastbound - will begin and is proposed to be completed in 2013. The HOV project is planned to begin in 2020 and be completed in 2022.

There are a couple more images I will be posting soon.

Thanks to Claudia Cornish of WADOT for the information!

Murray Morgan Bridge

Unfortunately I don't have any recipes to publish yet but I have found the latest information on the rehab of the 11th St. bridge.

The bridge ownership was turned back to the City of Tacoma in a - you guessed it- turnback agreement early this year. The agreement also provides some funding for the rehab but not enough to completely restore it. Tacoma received $37.1 million from Federal funding and $10.8 million in State funds. Also included was the replacement of the lifting cables which was completed the first quarter of this year. The bridge is supposed to be open to pedestrian traffic now. Total estimate of a complete restoration is $61.4 million.

With the funding already in place, the initial phase (phase 1) is scheduled to begin October, 2010 and be completed November, 2012. This phase includes rehabilitation of the 3 truss spans including structural repairs, superstructure seismic retrofits, repairs to the mechanical systems, replacement of the electrical system, deck replacement, painting, repair the bridge piers. Also will include replacement of the deck on the City approach.

After phase 1 is completed, the bridge will be open to vehicle traffic with no load restrictions.

Phase 2 and 3 will be completed when funding is obtained.

Did you know that opening this bridge saves the City approx. $1 million per year in emergency response costs, allows the City to compete for funding to finish the rehab, and increases the opportunity for development on the east side?

Thank you Tom Rutherford, City of Tacoma, for all the information.

Welcome

Welcome to "What's up Western Washington". We will be asking and, hopefully, getting answers to some of your "What's up with that?" questions around our area. I was recently asked "What's up with the 11th Street bridge?". Good question and I am going to research and try and find out the answer. We will also be doing some recipes - I think "365 days of dinner" would be fun. And, well, who knows what else will end up on our blog - you will just have to wait and see.

We are still working on this blog but it will be up and running full-time soon. Keep checking on us!!