Featured Stories

In the southwest quadrant of Winchester National Cemetery, located in the town of the same name in Virginia, sits an impressive monument to the 3rd Massachusetts Cavalry that pays tribute to both man and beast. The monument is adorned with a bas-relief of a horse’s head, wild-eyed and straining at its bridle. As February 2026 marked the start of the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Horse, this is an opportune time to explore the history of the regiment and its monument. According to Chinese astrology, the horse is hard-working, agreeable, and courageous, although it also chafes at being controlled by others, something the men of the 3rd Massachusetts Cavalry experienced firsthand. Stated one soldier, “The taming of wild animals was something I did not dream of when I enlisted in '62.”

The Declaration of Independence and the first Revolutionary War benefits act were both approved 250 years ago during the tumultuous summer of 1776. These events were linked. Delegates to the Second Continental Congress waited until they had settled the question of independence before deciding how to treat the citizen-soldiers wounded in service to the Nation.

As America commemorates its 250th anniversary, stories of patriotism and heroism long forgotten will be revived and retold. Colonel Thomas Hunt, a Veteran of the Revolutionary and Indian Wars interred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery was one of those heroes.  Hunt’s plain marble headstone may suggest a lack of noteworthiness, but at one point in the early history of our Nation, soldiers sang the praises of “the good, the brave and generous Hunt.”

During a brief moment of respite during the Army of the Potomac’s march through Virginia, Chaplain William Earnshaw composed a letter to Richard Gallagher, a distraught soldier’s father. Earnshaw detailed the last moments of Gallagher’s son, William, who had suddenly fallen ill on the march and died shortly thereafter. Earnshaw wrote of William’s calmness as he sensed death was near, and how he was a “heroic, generous, and brave” defender of the Union. Earnshaw urged Gallagher’s family to take solace in the belief that their son was now in a better place, and to “try by the blessing of God to meet him in heaven.”

In January 1976, Joan S. Kershner arrived in Columbia, South Carolina, for the groundbreaking ceremony of a new Veterans Administration hospital. She approached a table to pick up her identification badge, only for the table attendant to tell her, “Sorry, but this table is only for important guests.” When Kershner responded that she was to be the new hospital’s Director, the attendant surprisedly exclaimed, “You?”

Anna B. Raines was frustrated. As the lone psychiatric social worker between 1924 and 1944 at the Veterans Hospital in Tuskegee, Alabama, Raines operated without a proper office, resources, or staff while serving a population of some 600 patients. Raines was also responsible for Veterans in the 22 counties surrounding Tuskegee. Raines took her profession seriously and was often disheartened by what she perceived as administration’s indifference to her position. Raines’ personal papers convey a tale of struggle and document the numerous limits she faced as an early VA social worker. [1]   She nevertheless persevered and developed a prototype of a home-based foster care system for Veterans long before similar programs were implemented nationally.

In the post-Civil War era, ensuring that former members of our Nation’s military had the opportunity to vote was not always a straightforward task. During the Civil War, many states had loosened voting restrictions and allowed soldiers to vote while away fighting. Commanders allowed sufficient time during marches for their troops to cast a ballot, which many mailed home in cracker or cigar boxes.[1] Yet when the Civil War ended and Veterans began entering the newly established branches of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (NHDVS), many found that their voting rights were called into question.

The Arlington Building, known today as the VA Central Office (VACO) Building, has been the central location for management of services to Veterans for over 100 years. While VA and its immediate predecessors have been the sole occupants of 810 Vermont Avenue since the building opened in the fall of 1918, the intended purpose of the completed building would change several times. The story of today’s VACO includes the origins of a new Nation and its capital, the demolition of a well-known landmark, bankruptcy, war, and a backstory of land ownership tied to one of the capital’s most prominent families.

Throughout the history of Veterans health care, sports have always served as a means of rehabilitation and healing. While many sports and recreational activities have been incorporated into the fabric of Veterans hospitals, one sport stands out for its popularity and impact on Veterans - baseball.

On October 26, 1870, the first chapel building in VA’s history was dedicated at the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Dayton, Ohio. It was similarly the first church building constructed at any branch of the National Home.

In the early hours of September 15, 1776, Gen. Sir William Howe, Commander of British forces in the American Revolution, launched an amphibious assault landing thousands of troops on the island of Manhattan in an [...]

Dr. Valerija Raulinaitis was a trailblazing figure at VA. In October 1962, she made history by becoming the first female Chief of Staff at a VA hospital. Just nine years later, she again broke barriers by becoming the first woman to be named Director of a VA hospital. These appointments were representative of a career in medicine that spanned over three decades and exemplified perseverance, patience, and a complete commitment to her profession.