VFW NC Post 4309 - Brevard

VFW Post 4309 Meetings and Events

Posted at 04:54 PM on Sunday, February 1, 2009 by Webmaster Post 4309

VFW Post 4309 Float in 2007 Christmas Parade

Meetings and Get Togethers

Our regular Post and Auxiliary meetings are held once a month on the second Monday. Complimentary dinner is served at 6:00 PM and the meeting begins promptly at 7:00 PM.  Please join us.

The Junior Girls' Unit meets the 1st Friday of every month at 6:30 PM (with some exceptions).

Every Friday, dinner is served at 6:00 PM and there is a dart tournament that starts at 7:30 PM.  We usually play 2 rounds of games with monetary awards to the 1st and 2nd place winners.

The Ladies Auxiliary will hold a "Sunday Tea" meeting at 1 PM on the 3rd Sunday of each month.  This meeting is for all members who would like to be more involved, but who do not go out at night or cannot make the Monday night meetings.

This is a photo of Lane and Judy Bagwell. Their son, Charlie Bagwell was KIA in Afghanistan this past summer (2007). She is a Gold Star Mother and received the Gold Star Flag plus a life membership in the Ladies Auxiliary. Lane is a Vietnam veteran. He received a bible from the Post encased in a beautifully handcrafted wooden box. It was dedicated in his son's name. 

 

2008 Dates

February 8 - 10th Council of Administration meeting in Greensboro
 
February 12 - regular monthly meeting. Dinner 6PM and meet 7PM. Will announce results/news of Council meeting
 
March 8 - Auxiliary bingo to raise money for Easter Wonderland. Early birds 6:30, regular games at 7PM, food will be sold.
 
March 15 - Easter Wonderland 12 to 3 PM. 10,000 plastic eggs filled with candy and prize slips will be hidden in 3 fields. Hunts will begin at 12 noon for age 1 to 3; 1PM for ages 4 - 6 and 2PM for ages 7 - 10. Police, Sheriff, Fire and Rescue exhibitors will be on hand with giveaways, safety materials and free Polaroid photos with the Easter Bunny. Moonwalk for kids to play in while they wait their turn. Food will be sold.
 
March 31st deadline for Patriotic Art entries to the Auxiliary. Judging to follow within one week to get 1st place winner to state by April 15.
 
Year End reports due April 1, 2008 to Department Chairman.
 
April 8 - monthly meeting. Dinner 6 PM and meet 7PM. Announce winners of Patriotic Art contest
 
April 12 - Bingo to raise funds for community projects
 
April 28 - 30 - National Auxiliary President Visits Western North Carolina.
 
April 29 - conducting a Bingo at the Charles George VA Medical Center Nursing Home in Asheville. Meet at 5:30 PM at Post. We're bringing sandwiches, snacks, beverages and of course, money for the winners.
 
May - District meeting to be determined
 
May 10 - Bingo to raise funds for community projects
 
May 13 - monthly meeting. Dinner 6PM and meet 7PM. Announce scholarship winners and elections of new officers.
 

May 24-we are planning to be in a parade that ends at 11AM.  Meeting place and time to be determined.

May 24 - place American Flags on graves of Veterans buried in Pisgah Gardens cemetery. Time to be determined.

May 25 - 9AM meet and participate in Memorial Day event conducted by American Legion/Auxiliary, VFW/Auxiliary and Daughters of American Revolution. Held at Evergreen-Gillespie Cemetery on Country Club Road in Brevard.
 
May 26 - hold Memorial Day service at Pisgah Gardens Cemetery on Hendersonville Highway (US 64) in Pisgah Forest - time to be determined. This is a new event. Be sure to fly your American Flag on this day.
 
June 7 - Ladies Auxiliary annual Membership Appreciation Day. Held 2 PM to 5PM. Planned theme and activity are a surprise.
 
June 10 - monthly meeting. Dinner 6PM and meet 7PM. Install new officers.
 
June 12 - 15 - Department Convention - Greensboro, NC
 

 

Below is a photo of our members presenting wreaths at Veterans Monument at Court house on Memorial Day, 2007.

Scholarships

The Junior Girls Scholarship is a national scholarship award program that awards a $10,000 First Place and a $5,000 Second Place Scholarship. It is available to girls ages 13 to 16 who have been active in the Junior Girls Unit of the Ladies Auxiliary VFW for one year and have held an office.

The Voice of Democracy Scholarship Program is a national program open to students in the 9^th through 12^th grades. They compete for $143,500 in national college scholarships including a $25,000 first prize.

The "Patriot’s Pen" is a nationally conducted youth essay competition. This competition awards in US Savings Bonds a national first place prize of a $10,000, 2^nd $7,000, 3^rd $5,500, 4^th $5,000, 5^th $4,000, 6^th $3,500, 7^th - 8^th $3,000, 9^th $2,500, 10^th $2,000 and 12^th – 19^th place $1,000 each. Patriot’s Pen is open to 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade students.

The Young American Creative Patriotic Art Contest is a national scholarship program that will award a $10,000 first place, $5,000 second place, and $2,500 third place prize. Students in grades 9^th through 12^th are eligible to compete.

The Outstanding Young Volunteer of the Year Award is a national program available to 12 to 15 year olds. The National winner will receive a $5,000.00 U.S. Savings Bond.

The Erline Mayberry, Otis Brown, and Billy Ray Cameron Scholarships are Department of North Carolina scholarships offered by both the VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary. The Erline Mayberry Scholarship is a one time $1,000 scholarship whereas the Otis Brown and Billy Ray Cameron Scholarships are $1,000 a year for up to 4 years. Each of the scholarships require the student to be a graduating senior in high school, a child, stepchild or grandchild of a current VFW or Ladies Auxiliary member and is enrolling in a North Carolina junior or senior college.

There are two memorial scholarships offered exclusively by VFW Post 4309 each year – the George Wegner and Joe Fisher Memorial Scholarships. The requirement is that the student must be a Transylvania County graduating high school senior who is the child, step-child or grandchild of either a living or deceased member of the VFW and intends to attend college in North Carolina. The amount of each scholarship will be announced at a later date.

$1,000 Auxiliary Scholarship from National.: Offered to spouse, daughter, son and member but member had to be a member one year prior to application. Used for continuing education, college degree or technical school.

Below are the 2007 Rosman VOD winners along with 2 active duty soldiers who served in Afghanistan and are graduates of Rosman High School, and the Bagwells. Their History Teacher and Principal were also present.

Frequently Asked Questions About the VFW

The Veterans of Foreign Wars National Website (www.vfw.org) has a new feature which can answer your questions about the VFW.

The VFW's new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section can answer many of the most common questions anyone might have about the organization.

Have a question about:

• Eligibility?
• Cost of Lifetime Membership?
• Flag etiquette?
• Appropriate time to wear your VFW cap?

Get the answers to these and nearly 400 other common questions here.

Calendar of Events

VFW Commander-in-Chief Defends Modernization

Posted at 07:58 AM on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 by Webmaster Post 4309

Robert F. Dorr's December 1 commentary, "VFW, Legion must modernize in order to thrive" is interesting reading but regrettably focuses on archaic stereotypes that are simply re-hashing many of his embedded misunderstandings of what veterans service organizations really accomplish.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U. S. was founded in 1899 by Spanish-American and Philippine War veterans who returned home to a government that bore little responsibility to care for wounds or rehabilitation. Since then, and through every war and conflict in the 20th and 21st centuries, the VFW has led the way to promote strong military and veterans' legislation.

Our accomplishments are significant, from helping to create the Department of Veterans Affairs, the World War II GI Bill, and Agent Orange and Gulf War undiagnosed illnesses legislation, to leading the way to today's traumatic injury disability insurance and the new better GI Bill for the 21st Century.

We would not be celebrating our 110th birthday next year if we were stuck in the past. We incorporate the best practices from each generation and move forward, yet some practices are sacrosanct: we stand for the flag of our country, recite the Pledge of Allegiance and sing the National Anthem. We open our meetings with prayers, just as military units did and continue to do before going out on missions. This is not Old School; this is what real, caring Americans do..."

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VFW Member Receives Bronze Star 63 Years Later

Posted at 07:18 AM on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 by Webmaster Post 4309

Sixty-three years after he helped liberate captives in three Nazi concentration camps and one POW camp in Germany and Austria, veteran Raymond Callanan (left) of Farmington, Missouri is getting his Bronze Star medal.

Visit VFW Post 5896 for more.

The American Veteran - December Edition

Posted at 08:17 AM on Tuesday, December 2, 2008 by Webmaster Post 4309

VA Sends Latest Gulf War Illness Report to IOM for Review

Posted at 07:46 AM on Tuesday, December 2, 2008 by Webmaster Post 4309

WASHINGTON (Dec. 1, 2008) -- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has sent the October 2008 report from the VA Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses to the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM) for review and recommendations.

The October report from the advisory committee identified potential causes for -- and asserted that research supports the existence of -- a multi-symptom condition resulting from service in the 1990 - 1991 Gulf War, which the committee identified as Gulf War Illness (GWI).

Because VA has traditionally and by law relied upon IOM for independent and credible reviews of the science behind these particular veterans' health issues, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake has asked IOM to review the advisory committee's report before VA officially responds to the report's conclusions.

"I appreciate the committee's work on this report, and I am eager to see the results of further independent study into their findings," Peake said. "Of course, VA will continue to provide the care and benefits our Gulf War veterans have earned through their service, as we have for more than a decade."

VA has long recognized conditions, granted benefits and provided health care to Gulf War veterans suffering from a broad range of symptoms, even though these conditions have not been scientifically recognized as a specific disease or injury or GWI.

These include chronic fatigue, persistent rashes, hair loss, headaches, muscle pain, joint pain, neurologic symptoms, neuropsychological symptoms (such as memory loss), respiratory system symptoms, sleep disturbances, gastrointestinal symptoms, cardiovascular symptoms,
abnormal weight loss and menstrual disorders.

Grassroots 2008 December Survey

Posted at 08:26 AM on Monday, December 1, 2008 by Webmaster Post 4309

BUDDY POPPIES: PANHANDLING? SAY IT AIN'T SO!

Posted at 08:45 PM on Sunday, November 30, 2008 by Webmaster Post 4309

(via Dept of Wisconsin)

VA Announces Travel Reimbursement Increases for Eligible Veterans

Posted at 11:36 AM on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 by Webmaster Post 4309

(via VA Press Release)

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced that eligible veterans will see an increase in the mileage reimbursement they receive for travel to VA facilities for medical care.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake announced that he will use his authority to raise the mileage reimbursement from the 28.5 cents per mile to 41.5 cents per mile for all eligible veterans.

"We owe it to our veterans to give them the best care possible," said Peake. "The increase will once again provide assistance to our veterans, especially in these difficult economic times, to help offset gasoline costs and to assist veterans with access to the VA's world-class health system."

Congress, which mandates such increases, recently provided funding to VA to increase the reimbursement rate, which goes into effect on November 17, 2008. Service connected veterans, veterans receiving VA pensions, and veterans with low incomes are eligible for the reimbursement.

"As I have travelled the country and spoken with many of our veterans, they have expressed the need for such an increase," added Peake. "We are pleased to be able to provide them with the increase needed and we will continue to work with our veterans to ensure they receive the quality care they need."      

While increasing the payment, the current deductible amounts applied to certain mileage reimbursements will remain frozen at $7.77 for a one way trip, $15.54 for a round trip, and capped at a maximum of $46.62 per calendar month.  On January 9, 2009, these deductibles will decrease to $3 for a one way trip, $6 for a round trip, with a maximum of $18 per calendar month.  Deductibles can be waived if they cause a financial hardship to the veteran.

VFW Launches Campaign to Attract Women Veterans

Posted at 11:34 PM on Monday, November 24, 2008 by Webmaster Post 4309

VFW Chief Calls on Vietnam Veterans Help in MIA/POW Mission

Posted at 11:18 AM on Monday, November 24, 2008 by Webmaster Post 4309

VFW National Commander Glen Gardner visits a MIA recovery site to dig for possible remains. Photo via VFW.org

VFW Commander-in-Chief Glen Gardner is once again calling upon veterans of the Vietnam War to search their memory and files for any information that might be of value in determining the fate of Vietnam’s 300,000 MIAs and might be of assistance in the recovery of their remains.

Providing information of this nature to the Vietnamese government helps to generate good will among its people and further assists U.S. efforts in its investigative and recovery operations for America’s MIAs. Information is also needed for the Laotian and Cambodian governments to help account for their missing.

VFW Commander-in-Chief Glen Gardner requests Department, District, Post, and VFW member assistance in gathering information that would help identify Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian gravesites.

Such information or material may include veterans’ statements; photos and locations of battles or burial sites; battlefield souvenirs, especially if they contain names or other identifying information; personal effects, such as photos, letters or identification documents taken from casualties; sketch maps, etc.

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