"The general applauded our unit adoption program and our other assistance programs," said Tradewell, a Vietnam veteran from Sussex, Wis. "He also encouraged the VFW at every level to get to know their local Guard units, as well as The Adjutant General in every state, in order to help military families wherever they reside."
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDtl&did=5213I pushed to get our post to adopt a Guard unit. Otherwise it would not have happened. My (and Tommy's) department agreed to work with the Guard. I wonder if that is happening elsewhere or if it is just public relations.
"These citizen-soldiers are our neighbors and our defenders, and I pledged that the VFW will not let them down."
If that were the case, the VFW would be demanding that the Army not misuse our state Guard as another Reserve brigade. The state Guard was intended to protect the state in case of emergency, not to occupy foreign countries. Don't we still pledge to support our Constitution and laws? Deployments are hard on our state, the families, jobs, education, marriages, not to mention soldiers.
BTW, I took Friday afternoon off and talked to the people at our local Red Cross, YMCA, United Way, and Boys & Girls Club about an information fair for the families of deployed Guard members next month. I hope other posts in Wisconsin are doing the same.
Author
