West Virginia
West Virginia became a state in 1863 after breaking away from the state of Virginia during the American Civil War. West Virginia is part of the Mid-Atlantic Region. The U.S. Census Bureau 2009 estimate shows West Virginia with a population of 1,819,777 residents in the 24,230 square miles of hilly countryside. The state of West Virginia is entirely located within the Appalachian Mountain range; all of WV is rugged and mountainous, giving it the nickname of "The Mountain State."
West Virginia is bordered by Virginia to the south and east, Maryland to the north and east, Pennsylvania to the north, Kentucky to the west, and Ohio to the north and west. The Ohio River, to the west, and the Potomac River, to the east, form portions of these boundaries. WV's diverse and rugged topography is illustrated by the extremes of Spruce Knob, elevation of 4,863 feet, to the 1,000-foot-deep New River Gorge canyon.
West Virginia is endowed with an abundance of natural resources. The state is the number one producer of coal in the country with over 4 percent of the world's coal reserves; coal is WV's major economic resource, currently providing for approximately 33,000 direct industry jobs. Most of the electricity being generated in West Virginia is from coal fired generating plants, which produce an electrical surplus each year. West Virginia leads the nation in electricity exports. Oil and gas production have grown to a substantial proportion in the last few decades, and economically contribute to jobs in the reclamation support industries.
West Virginia has always been in the forefront of providing sons and daughters for the defense of our country. The patriotism of West Virginians is a matter of historical and statistical fact. As a state, WV sends the largest percentage of its residents per capita into the military services than any other state. Of the 174,000 residents, 12.5 percent are civilian veterans in West Virginia. Many are taking advantage of the numerous Veterans Affairs programs such as VA backed home loans, GI Bill education benefits, and VA vocational rehabilitation. The largest segment of veterans' benefits is in VA health care.
In 2008, West Virginia's four VA Hospitals in Clarksburg, Martinsburg, Beckley and Huntington treated 12,573 patients. In an improvement to health care for veterans, the VA has changed from a hospital-based system to a primarily outpatient-focused system. West Virginia has eight of these VA Outpatient Clinics located in Charleston, Franklin, Logan, Parkersburg, Parsons, Petersburg, Sutton and Williamson. Approximately 1,000,000 office visits by West Virginia veterans occurred in 2008 at the Outpatient Clinics. The VA is rigorously providing a "seamless transition" for service personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan after participation in "Operation Enduring Freedom" and "Operation Iraqi Freedom" (OEF/OIF). Every VA hospital, Outpatient Clinics and benefits regional office has a point of contact to coordinate activities locally to help meet the needs of returning combat service members and veterans.
There is one full-time military base in operation in West Virginia: the Navy Information Operations Command -Sugar Grove. The base is located 29 miles northwest of Harrisonburg, Virginia in a remote area of West Virginia, approximately five miles south of Brandywine in Sugar Grove, WV. The mission of Sugar Grove Research Station is to conduct communications research and development for the Department of the Navy, the Department of Defense, and the National Security Agency, for which it intercepts all international communications entering the Eastern United States in its Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) role (part of the Echelon Network).
West Virginia Army National Guard has a large presence, with 36 armories in 34 communities throughout WV. The West Virginia Army National Guard demonstrates a high degree of readiness judged by the U.S. Army readiness criteria. In one recent year, 91.6 percent of West Virginia Army National Guard units met or exceeded the readiness goals established by the National Guard Bureau, in comparison to the national average of 71.6 percent.
The West Virginia Air National Guard currently operates two Airlift units: the 130th Airlift Wing and the 167th Airlift Wing. Currently, the 167th Airlift Wing, based in Martinsburg, is flying the C-5 Galaxy, while the 130th Airlift Wing, based in Charleston, is flying the C-130 Hercules, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 167th Wing was a major player in Operation Desert Shield. Each unit is presently reporting to Air Mobility Command.
Not all military service-related issues end with discharge from active duty. About 25,000 West Virginia veterans receive monthly VA disability compensation for medical conditions related to their service in uniform. VA pensions go to about 4,000 wartime veterans in West Virginia. Family members of about 5,000 veterans qualify for monthly VA payments as survivors of disabled veterans or pension recipients.
