May 25, 2026
Memorial Day 2026: The Names We Carry
By Shawn Cosner
By Shawn Paul Cosner, Founder & President Today is not a holiday. It is a debt. Memorial Day belongs to the ones...
The 850 Dispatch
Intelligence for those who served and those who serve them.
Primary source veteran news, original commentary, and a platform for veteran voices. No middlemen. No spin. From a veteran, for veterans.
Commentary
Veteran News
Correspondents
Request Coverage
Mar 31, 2026
Why Supporting Veteran-Owned Businesses Is More Than a Bumper Sticker
By Shawn Cosner
There are roughly 1.6 million veteran-owned businesses in the United States. Together they generate approximately $1 trillion in annual revenue and employ...
Mar 30, 2026
The 2025 VA Suicide Report and What It Means Where We Live
By Shawn Cosner
The 2025 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report landed in February with the same weight it carries every year. And like every...
Mar 27, 2026
Answering the Call: Finding Purpose After Service
By Shawn Cosner
There are few things in life that embody the holistic sacrifice and pride that come with military service. Duty, honor, and purpose...
The Numbers Are In: VA’s Community Suicide Prevention Grants Are Working
New results from the VA’s Staff Sergeant Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program show the community-based model is doing exactly what it was built to do. In 2025, Fox grant recipients…
West Virginia’s Governor’s Challenge Team Wants More Hands. We Should Give Them Ours.
Since 2020, West Virginia has fielded a team in the Governor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide Among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families, a nationwide initiative run by the VA and…
VA Outreach Push Brings Tens of Thousands of Unenrolled Veterans Into Care
A national VA outreach campaign launched in January has led more than 33,000 previously unenrolled veterans to sign up for VA health care, and the agency reports it completed more…
The Window Is Open: VA Begins Accepting Suicide Prevention Grant Applications
The application window for the VA’s Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program opened yesterday, April 13, and community organizations across the country now have until 4:59 p.m.…
VA Opens $112 Million Suicide Prevention Funding Opportunity for FY2027
The Department of Veterans Affairs has published its Fiscal Year 2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, making up to $112…
Become an 850 Correspondent
The 850 Dispatch is built on veteran voices. If you are a veteran, military family member, or advocate in our community and have something to say, we want to hear it. Our Correspondents program gives you a platform to share your perspective, tell your story, or cover issues that matter to the veterans in our region. No journalism experience required. Just honesty and something worth saying.
A Dispatch Correspondent title carries weight. "I'm a Correspondent for The 850 Dispatch" is something you put on a resume, a LinkedIn profile, a bio.
Apply to Write
Current Correspondents
Our first correspondents are being selected. Check back soon.
Request Coverage
Know a veteran story that needs telling? A local issue affecting veterans that nobody is covering? An event, a business, a person who deserves recognition? Tell us. The 850 Dispatch covers what matters to veterans in Preston, Monongalia, Marion, Harrison, Taylor, and Wood counties and surrounding areas.
What We Cover
Veteran business profiles
Community events and programs
VA policy impacts on local veterans
Veteran achievement spotlights
Issues affecting veteran families
