Military Veterans Struck Down by Lou Gehrig's Disease Honored on Mother's Day by The ALS Association with Wreath Laying Ceremony at Arlington Nationa...( Three milita...),Health

Three military veterans with ALS and the widow of a military veteran who passed away from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) have placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns during a ceremony sponsored by The ALS Association.

Calabasas Hills, CA (Vocus) May 11, 2009 -- Three military veterans with ALS and the widow of a military veteran who passed away from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) have placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns during a ceremony sponsored by The ALS Association. (see photo right and photo caption below)

Jeff Faull, Ken Patterson, Jim Thew and Sharon Harrison were joined by people with ALS, families and caregivers of people fighting the disease, including mothers and fathers and military veterans from across the country.

Studies, including those conducted by the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs and Harvard University, continue to demonstrate that military veterans are approximately twice as likely as the general population to develop ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

The ceremony was part of The Association's 2009 National ALS Advocacy and Public Policy Conference, which took place May 10-12 in Washington, D.C.

In September 2008, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published groundbreaking new regulations that establish a presumption of service connection for ALS regardless of where or when veterans served in the military or when they were diagnosed with the disease following discharge. As a result,
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