Too often National Guard and Reserve forces are not recognized and acknowledged for their service. That is changing. As our friend from VetJobs, Ted Daywalt wrote recently in his publication Early Eagle:

“The total number currently on active duty from the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 109,188; Navy Reserve, 6,405; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 15,949; Marine Corps Reserve, 8,559; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 656. This brings the total National Guard and Reserve personnel who have been activated to 140,757, including both units and individual augmentees.” A cumulative roster of all National Guard and Reserve personnel who are currently activated may be found by clicking here.

With an eye on your benefits this week, here’s a timely offer – our special Dell discount program now includes some really cool designs. The baseball edition is definitely worth a look. Just pick your favorite team. Of course, I’m going with the Yanks.

At last count as I am writing this blog entry, I must say I am somewhat surprised to see the majority of you are planning on buying a car in the next year. For our economy’s sake, I hope so, too.

And if you are interested in our most recent polls, check these out:

• What’s your source for Do-It-Yourself home remodeling? Some were not surprised to see Lowe’s won, but wow, by such a wide margin!
• New benefits that you want to see in the Veterans Advantage program: We always take our feedback in this area and try to find the best of the best for you.

Going forward, you should visit our “Resources” section regularly for more updates.

Our editor’s special picks should make for interesting reading about all military families as well. For starters, our VetFamily profile this week reveals a very disciplined side to two-time Academy Award nominated actress Amy Adams, and how an ol’ fashioned Army brat upbringing has led her to her latest achievement, co-starring with Meryl Streep in this month’s hit “Julie and Julia.” Secondly, be sure to check out the report from our military disabilities expert, Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, about how war-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is affecting children returning to school this year.

Want to read our newsletter before joining Veterans Advantage? No problem: Here’s a sample.

You can even spring a surprise getaway for your special someone. Jump on a Continental Airline flight, or find yourself one of Club Med’s more exotic destinations!

Here’s something interesting that crossed the wires recently: According to Forbes.com, it identified ten things consumers should consider buying before the economy improves: From bargain vacations, to women’s apparel, computers, toys, TVs, furniture and jewelry. We are happy to say we have you covered through our partnerships with Target.com, Dell, Apple, Eastern Mountain Sports and leading sporting goods retailers, and all of our travel partnerships. If you’re ready to make any of these purchases, make Veterans Advantage your first stop for savings!

As you may already be aware, Veterans Advantage is proudly providing complimentary VA lifetime memberships to all WWP alumni, with a contribution of nearly $250,000 this year alone to the Project. We and WWP are grateful to our members who support Veterans Advantage and make such a gift possible. You are doing your part in giving back with your program participation.

If you check out this week’s TopVet feature story on Harry Kalas, you’ll learn that literally millions of Philadelphia Phillies baseball fans can thank the U.S. Army for one of the most legendary broadcasters of our time. Because the Army stationed him in Hawaii in 1959, Kalas started calling his first ballgames there and experienced his first successes in the profession. He later went on to 39 memorable years calling play-by-play for the Phillies. It’s only fitting that in his last season as a broadcaster in 2008, the Phillies won the World Baseball championship. So this Veteran went out on top.

Dell, one of our longest serving and loyal benefit partners has an even more special deal for you: Since 2002, the company has promised to combine generally advertised dell.com special offers with our 10% Everyday Savings. Now the company is going one better: If you find a system on the public dell.com listed at a lower price than what you see in our special Dell online store, our Dell representatives promise to not just match, but actually beat the public Dell price – just call Dell toll-free at 1-866-257-4711 and provide your Veterans Advantage identification.

The market feast was delicious. Rotisserie chicken is a healthy way to cook a bird, and we had cornbread, creamed spinach and a great brownie dessert. All of which made for a great leftover lunch the next day.

More importantly, beside my satisfied dinner plans for last Saturday night, this is a significant event for corporations honoring those who serve. At 20%, we are talking meaningful & exclusive savings on a quality meal. In this economy, this goes a long way, too! The company is headed by a former Marine, so we hope this sets a standard for more restaurants in the future. Stay tuned.

Boston Market Receipt

We offer sincere congratulations to Amtrak’s new CEO, Joe Boardman, the former administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration and a Veterans Advantage HeroVet. We wish Joe the very best as he takes over the reins from departing Chief Alexander Kummant. We will be featuring Joe and his plans for Amtrak in an upcoming Benefit Alert.

It’s also back to school season, and I’m struck by how much the Apple iPod has become an education tool. There are a wealth of audiobooks out there, but schools and universities across America are embracing the iPod. So check out our special Apple discounts today.

Speaking of school, we just awarded three wonderful children of Veterans Advantage members, $1,000 each as part of our third annual Veterans Advantage scholarship program. I just reviewed their applications, terrific kids. One has got a Dad currently serving in Iraq. More on this soon.

Lastly, be sure to read Dr. Romberg’s column this week. The Founder of Give-An-Hour writes about the “subtle but critical shift within the military community” to recognize the psychological consequences of combat. She makes reference to Admiral Mullen’s remarks in May of this year that “make clear that a strong military force requires a proactive response to these consequences. They provide encouragement for officers to lead by example by seeking appropriate mental health care when needed. And, most important, they make acknowledging the need for help and seeking appropriate care honorable and courageous acts.”

Its just another way we want to thank our members for their service, and their support. If you are a current member, you can act now by clicking here.

Lots of great news from our leading partners, too. This Saturday is the first-ever National Train Day, sponsored by Amtrak. There are lots of events nationwide, including some really neat special events at New York’s Penn Station. Special offers, too, check out http://www.nationaltrainday.com.

For those who like traveling on the high seas, we are proud to announce our first special partnership in the cruise industry, with NCL, Norwegian Cruise Line. It is a very patriotic organization, based in Florida, and has a terrific new cruise ship – The Pride of America – that’s the first U.S. flagged cruise ship in 50 years. Check out more details on special Veterans Advantage/NCL cruise offers by visiting the NCL Members Only page at VeteransAdvantage.com.

More on Veterans Advantage benefits here.