Department of Missouri

SURVEY

Posted at 02:00 PM on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 by Missouri

    To all members VFW, Ladies Auxiliary, and Men Auxiliary. If your VFW Foundation was to enter a Shopping on Line program that could return money back to you the member and also help the Foundation, WOULD YOU USE IT? There is chance that could happen, with some out of pocket expense. That is why the question is being posed to you the membership. If there is no interest or support than no reason to move forward with it.The program has some 800 stores nation wide participating.It is a shop on line by credit card program. You will be able to purchase appliance's furniture clothes sporting goods anything from A to Z. All I am asking is YES I would use this or NO not interested.
    Please send a short e-mail to me at mofoundationchrm@mo.vfwwebmail.com Thanks look forward to hearing from you.

VFW MO.FOUNDATION CHAIRMAN

Sr-Vice Wonnell Speaks at Farmington

Posted at 08:50 AM on Monday, November 16, 2009 by Missouri in VFW Mo Events

    Dept of Mo SR-Vice Commander speaks at the Veterans Day Ceremony at Farmington MO.  Go to Farmington VFW for the full story with photos.

Dept CDR, Jr-Vice CDR, ADJ/QM, Mem Dir and Dept Ladies Aux Sr-Vice President travel.

Posted at 10:10 AM on Sunday, November 15, 2009 by Missouri in VFW Mo Events

    Dept Commander Dave Morgan, Dept Jr-Vice Commander Olin Parks, Dept ADJ/QM Jessie Jones, Dept Membership Director Michael Orchard and Dept Ladies Auxiliary Sr-Vice President Charlotte Jones traveled to Isabella, Mo VFW Post 5366 to attend the quarterly meeting of the 18th District on November 7, 2009.  Photos and story can be found on the District 18 WebLog.

Sr-Vice Wonnell in Action

Posted at 08:08 PM on Friday, November 13, 2009 by Missouri

     State Senior Vice Commander Bob Wonnell and VFW Post 1894 Ladies Auxiliary Membership Chairman, Corlene Wilson teamed up on November 12th at the Clinton Senior Center with a VFW Membership and Veterans Service Information booth to have a Post Service Officer Event.  The Clinton Senior Center provided a free meal to all veterans.  Clinton Senior Center Director, Daphane Dyer joined us with WWII Navy Veteran Jim Plumlee.  Over 100 veterans were present.  New members and several Service Officer referral forms were accomplished.  Thank you to Clinton Senior Center for your
courtesy to the community veterans.
    Clinton Senior Center Director Dyer has also teamed up with the Department of Missouri Veterans of Foreign Wars to present a Veterans Benefit Fair on December 10th at the Clinton Senior Center from 10:30 am till 2:00 pm. Several representatives of the Veterans Administration, the Missouri Veterans Commission and the VFW will be on hand to help veterans with their earned benefits.

VFW WASHINGTON WEEKLY, November 13, 2009

Posted at 07:19 PM on Friday, November 13, 2009 by Missouri

This Issue:
1. VFW / VA Members Among Fort Hood Victims 
2. VFW Legislative Priority Goals for 2010
3. No Tricare For Life Changes
4. White House Employment Initiative Good for Veterans:

Full text can be found at: Mo Legislative Updates

Posted at 09:06 AM on Friday, November 13, 2009 by Missouri in VFW Mo Events

Suicide Epidemic Among Vets of All Ages

Posted at 08:20 AM on Friday, November 13, 2009 by Missouri

SUICIDE

We must talk about SUICIDE like we do breast cancer so that those who are having problems and who might be thinking about it can have alternative ways to deal with those thoughts and will not act on them.

Suicide is as complex as the person who is having those thoughts. It can be and generally is for veterans the results of dealing with PTSD, which a subject for another time.

The attitudes such as "play when your hurt" and "cowgirls don’t cry" and "get back on that horse if you get bucked off" and fear showing weakness for possible retribution from NCO or officers are some of the problems that combat soldiers have admitting they are having problems. It is expected of them to continue on with the mission. The new mission that should be given each soldier when getting home should be "get well", and "take care of yourself". They need to know that having night mares, night sweats, and spousal abuse, is not normal and they need to seek help.

NOW IS THE TIME WHEN I GIVE YOU THE FACTS TO BACK UP WHAT I’VE BEEN SAYING.

A letter I received from the National VFW June of ‘09 had some of those numbers and facts. At that time there had been more deaths from suicide since 9/11 among our active duty troops, National Guard, and Reserve units then all the deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Since 9/11 there have been 1,900 men and women complete suicide while on active duty. Fact: Suicide accounts for 15% of all casualties in OEF/OIF active forces. The Marines reported suicides in 2006 of 25, in 2007 – 33, and in 2008 – 41 according to DOD by September of 2008. American casualties were 4,700 + and there had been 821 confirmed suicides while in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We can help those who have come home. They are our brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters. They are the most recent Veterans to put it all on the line.

The Center for Disease Control estimates that 18 veterans from all wars complete suicide each day which is 6,570 a year.

In Oregon as a veteran you are twice as likely to complete suicide as a non veteran. Every two days somewhere in Oregon a Veteran performs suicide and I believe if you were to check your own state it would be about the same.



WHAT CAN WE DO?

As in all functions at the State and Post level, someone will have to step up and want to make a difference. We need to get the word out through State News Papers, Post News Letters, and word of mouth. We need to be talking about what to do for those who are having these problems. We need to give them alternative places to go to and talk about what is bothering them, such as "Vet Centers", VA Clinics with PTSD trained staff for one-on-one or group sessions, Churches, perhaps our VFW Posts where Vets can gather to talk out what is bothering them with other Vets, that may have similar experiences . Remember that the holidays are the worst time for suicides. The sooner we get the word out the better the chances of saving a life.

I’ve been working with the Director of our Veterans Affairs in Oregon who is quite aware of the stats on suicide and has been a very great help getting the word out through all the Veterans Organizations. We are working with local Law enforcement, EMS, and local Veterans who can be the first on the scene when a veteran or family members calls for help. We can make a difference. We are the VFW, we made a difference when we served, many of us had no one to reach out to when we came home, and it is time for us to make a difference in the lives of those Vets of all ages that need our help now.

Some State Departments of Veterans Affairs have set up SUICIDE HOT LINES, and there are Two "HOT LINES" Nationally. They are:

VA SUICIDE HOT LINE 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

NATIONAL SUICIDE HOT LINE 1-800-SUICIDE (784-2433)

FOLLOW UP

FOLLOW UP!

These phone numbers are no help if we do not get them out to those who could need them. I have made copies of these numbers with some of the signs and symptoms to look for on 8.5"X11" and have handed them out at the Post and at the National Guard Armory. I also have put these numbers on business card size and handed them out so Vets can have them in their Wallets to hand out or use.

We as Veterans need to bring the silent epidemic out of the DARK so we can deal with it as it is. If we only save one Veteran per Department that would 54 fewer dead Veterans and who knows how many family members who will not have to live with the suicide for the rest of their lives.

SOME OF THE WARNING SIGNS:

 

Talking about suicide or making plans, obsessing about death, giving away treasured belongings, taking unnecessary risks, increase in drug or alcohol use, withdrawing from friends and family activities. These are only a few possible signs that may help, but some Veterans are very good about masking their feelings.

I am asking each Department Adj. or Adj/QM. to get this article to the Department Newspaper Editor to publish it and then publish the hotline numbers and the warning signs so that each Veteran receiving your Department paper may cut or tear it out, make copies, and distribute them. I also ask that each Post Cmdr. make sure that this article is published in the Post News Letter or Newspaper and discussed and copies of the Hot Line numbers and Warning Signs are available at Post meetings and at Post homes. I am also asking each Cmdr to ask the Ladies Auxiliary President to discuss this article and also have handouts available. This is how we get the word out and this is how we save lives!

Yours in Comradeship,

Dennis Guthrie

Your National Surgeon General

Veterans of Foreign Wars

4495 NE 25th St.

Redmond, OR 97756

541-548-6990 (Home)

541-280-5161 (Cell)

Information was taken from the internet, VA, DOD, and my personal experience.

It is very important to have the person who was "talked down" to see a professional within 24 hrs. There have been many cases where the vet who is "talked down" turns around the next day and completes the suicide., A word no one wants to use or a subject no one wants to talk about. We are in the midst of a silent epidemic. Thirty years ago breast cancer was not talked about openly. We knew it was there, but very few people knew enough about it to talk about it. It took those who survived the ordeal to come out and make it a topic which most people can talk about comfortably today. First Lady Betty Ford was one of those who talked about it in 1974.

 

This is true upon our veterans in Missouri

Food for thought

 

Rebecca L. Strauss RN BSN

Department of Missouri Department Chaplain

Past Supreme President MOCA

Supreme Convention Director 2008-2010

LAVFW 280 Treasurer

Mary Kay Consultant

Cell phone 573-999-3666

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