Department of Virginia

VFW Washington Weekly - November 13, 2009

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:59:00 -0500

In 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:

1. VFW / VA Members Among Fort Hood Victims: Last week's tragic shooting
at Fort Hood included VFW and VA members. Staff Sgt. Justin M. DeCrow,
32, was killed by Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, who allegedly murdered 13
and wounded dozens before being shot and apprehended by two civilian law
enforcement officers. DeCrow was a member of VFW Post 11016 in Songnam,
South Korea. He graduated high school in 1996 in Plymouth, IN, and
leaves behind a wife and daughter at Fort Gordon, GA. Two VA employees
also slain were identified as:
* Dr. Russell G. Seager, Ph.D., a 51-year old Army Reserve captain
who led a mental health team at the VA medical center in Milwaukee.
* Lt. Col. Juanita L. Warman, a 55-year-old Maryland National
Guardsman who was a nurse practitioner at the VA medical center in Perry
Point, MD. She was a former member of VFW Post 8276 in Delmar, MD.
VFW Commander-in-Chief Thomas J. Tradewell Sr. said, "No words can
properly convey our condolences to the wounded and families of those
murdered. The entire military family is grieving right now. I just
want them to know they do not grieve alone. Our hearts and prayers are
with them." Read the VFW press release at
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDtl&did=5280.

Read more VFW Washington Weekly

VFW National Jr Vice DeNoyer Reports on Tour of Europe

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:53:00 -0500

(Via Dept of Wisconsin)

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2009 Europe Report -

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Old Vets Scorched By Strain of New Wars

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 01:55:00 -0500

Old Vets Scorched By Strain of New Wars

Tom Philpott | November 12, 2009

Even Old Vets Scorched By Strain of Current Wars

A small group of U.S. war veterans, the age difference among them as wide as

70 years, gathered last Saturday at American Legion Post 177 in Fairfax,

Va., for a special event at the annual Veterans' Day Community Fair. They

had agreed to participate in a "living history," co-hosted by VFW Post 8469,

and organized by its commander, Floyd Houston, a man committed to ensuring

local war heroes, old and young, don't fade away. For two hours they told

war stories and stood by to answer questions that never came from local Boy

Scouts seeking to earn merit badges for their time there. The public too was

welcomed but didn't show.

What they missed was more than the usual compelling personal accounts of

war. They missed how deeply some veterans of past wars are disturbed by

burdens being carried by the current generation of volunteers. Avon

Blevins, a retired Navy chief, began his talk by pulling a few mementoes

from a paper bag. He was a teenage radioman aboard USS O'Brien when that

destroyer escorted 50 landing craft, with 200 infantrymen apiece, toward

Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944. "We took them in on the first wave. We

got them there on target and on time.Patrolled up and down the beach all day

and fired when they asked us to fire," Blevins said. O'Brien's guns took

out enemy pillboxes and a machine gun nest. It was relieved that evening by

its sister ship, USS Meredith. When O'Brien returned at dawn, its crew could

see the Meredith on fire and sinking from an explosion later confirmed to

have been caused by a German mine. Three weeks later, an eight-inch German

shell from a shore battery would rip into O'Brien below its bridge, causing

32 casualties, Blevins said. After repairs, the ship sailed to the Pacific.

Blevins was still aboard when Japanese Kamikaze aircraft struck, twice. In

the second attack, a plane with 500-pound bomb penetrated to the ship's

ammunition magazine. "Almost blew the ship in two. We had a lot of

casualties," Blevins said. "We had part of the pilot too. I never will

forget he had three or four uniforms on. I had one of his shoes until an

officer took it away from me."

John Swart was 19, part of 8th Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, which landed

at Utah Beach in the second wave ashore at Normandy. "Some troops got out

in water over their heads, carrying 30 pounds packs. Where I landed was

probably knee high," he said. The first town they liberated was Sainte

Marie du Mont. At dusk that evening, Swart recalled, he and other troops

watched in horror as Army gliders tried to land in fields the German had

planted with telephone poles. "A lot of those boys were butchered up,"

Swart remembered. Swart's own mortar platoon suffered 60 percent casualties

within weeks. He was wounded twice that year, in July and November. For the

second set of wounds he spent 10 months in various hospitals before

discharge. He let the scouts passed around one of his Purple Heart medals.

Lehman Young, a former Navy test pilot, recalled delivering an F4U Corsair

fighter to a base in California early in WWII. He had arrived with extra

fuel and so, before landing, decided "to do some sightseeing." He was set

on flying under the Golden Gate Bridge until he was close to it. Instead he

flew up the coastline. Suddenly he saw puffs of black smoke in the air ahead

of him, exploding shells from anti-aircraft batteries. "I wasn't supposed

to be there," Young said, holding his cane and smiling. "I did a real quick

180, got back over the bay, got down real close to the ground, went up in

the mountains and hid for a couple of hours." Young said he had five forced

landings while flying naval aircraft, but "that was as close as I came to

getting shot down."

By the time retired Army Col. George Juskalian, 95, arrived at Legion Post

177 in his wheel chair, the Boy Scouts had moved on. But sharing his

experiences through three wars, including capture by the Germans in Tunisia,

wasn't his priority this afternoon. Where should we start, I asked him.

"It starts with my anger at our present military policies. We have military

personnel redeploying to theaters of war five and six times and we're not

doing anything about it," said the colonel, his voice rising. "We expand

the Army by about 20,000, which is a drop in the bucket. But nobody is

mentioning the draft. Nobody! Most of the country doesn't even know we're in

a war! After eight, nine years of fighting, when in the hell are we going to

level with them? How are we going to continue this all-volunteer business,

especially for the Army and Marines taking the losses?" Yes, he said,

because of a poor economy the military is meeting recruit requirements. But

before civilian jobs grew scarce, the services were lowering standards,

Juskalian said. "Who's kidding who?" "I don't hear anybody at the White

House, anybody in the Pentagon, any of these generals we have, anyone in the

Congress using the word 'draft.' It's become a dirty word! We can't rely on

volunteer effort forever!" He said he reads letters in newspapers from

military spouses worried that loved ones are going off to war, again and

again, perhaps this time never to come back, while they raise their young

children alone. "Well it bothers me. Jesus Christ, I could cry," he said,

voice growing soft and eyes moist. Eventually he recounts some of his own

experiences in WWII and wars in Korea and Vietnam, not mentioning until

prompted by Houston his two Silver Stars. Soon Juskalian returned to why he

was there. "If it's a war worth fighting for," he said, "the whole country

has got to fight for it." Houston, with a son returning to Afghanistan the

next day, agreed.

To comment, e-mail

VA, 20120-1111 or visit: www.militaryupdate.com.

milupdate@aol.com, write to P.O. Box 231111, Centreville,

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Suicide Epidemic Among Vets of All Ages

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:25:00 -0500

Suicide Epidemic Among Vets of All Ages

Dennis Guthrie

Surgeon General

Veterans of Foreign Wars

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.

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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 25^{th 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.

Veterans Day Message from VFW WebCOM

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:17:00 -0500

To all who have served and those who are serving now, we thank you for your service and remember those who have fallen in defense of our freedom.

- VFW WebCOM Network Staff

VFW: White House Initiative Good for Veterans

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:51:00 -0500

WASHINGTON, November 10, 2009 � The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is applauding the president's new executive order for helping more military veterans get federal and private employment.

"The president is serious about helping veterans get a job, and he is making sure the federal government is at the top of the hiring line," said VFW Senior Vice Commander-in-Chief Richard L, Eubank, a Vietnam veteran from Eugene, Ore., who is in Washington to represent the organization at different national Veterans Day events.

According to the White House, approximately 480,000 veterans work for the government, about one-fourth of the total federal workforce. While the executive order places emphasis on hiring veterans for both public and private employment, it is specifically focused on hiring veterans for federal positions. It created a special Council on Veterans Employment to encourage federal agencies to recruit and train military veterans. The council will be co-chaired by the secretaries of Labor and Veterans Affairs.

Read more

Businesses Honoring Veterans With Discounts

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:47:00 -0500

During Veterans Day Weekend, several retail businesses are raising money for programs, while other businesses are offering various discounts to veterans. VFW received the following notices about Veterans Day Specials:

Sport Clips nationwide on Veterans Day, November 11, is supporting VFW Operation Uplink" with "The Biggest Haircut Day of the Year." On that day, Sport Clips will donate a dollar for every haircut given in our 660+ stores. Show your support for troops and veterans by getting your next haircut at Sport Clips.
Burger King restaurants in select states across the country are raising money for VFW Unmet Needs through November 30. More than 800 Burger King restaurants are participating in the "buy a burger; donate a buck" fundraiser in the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin.

Click here for the VFW's full list of participating businesses.

Home Depot offering Post Improvement Grants

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:36:00 -0500

The Home Depot has once again revised their grant program which is now entitled "Building Healthy Community Grants."

VFW Posts are eligible to apply for up to $2,500 in Home Depot gift cards to be used for remodeling activities to their Post building.

Visit Department of Wisconsin to learn more.

Happy Birthday Marine Corps

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:31:00 -0500

Click here to read Marine Corps Birthday message from the VFW.

2009 Veterans Day Proclamation

Tue, 3 Nov 2009 09:23:00 -0500

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

We have a sacred trust with those who wear the uniform of the United States of America. From the Minutemen who stood watch over Lexington and Concord to the service members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, American veterans deserve our deepest appreciation and respect. Our Nation"s servicemen and women are our best and brightest, enlisting in times of peace and war, serving with honor under the most difficult circumstances, and making sacrifices that many of us cannot begin to imagine. Today, we reflect upon the invaluable contributions of our country"s veterans and reaffirm our commitment to provide them and their families with the essential support they were promised and have earned.

Caring for our veterans is more than a way of thanking them for their service. It is an obligation to our fellow citizens who have risked their lives to defend our freedom. This selflessness binds our fates with theirs, and recognizing those who were willing to give their last full measure of devotion for us is a debt of honor for every American.

We also pay tribute to all who have worn the uniform and continue to serve their country as civilians. Many veterans act as coaches, teachers, and mentors in their communities, selflessly volunteering their time and expertise. They visit schools to tell our Nation"s students of their experiences and help counsel our troops returning from the theater of war.

These men and women possess an unwavering belief in the idea of America: no matter where you come from, what you look like, or who your parents are, this is a place where anything is possible. Our veterans continue to stand up for those timeless American ideals of liberty, self-determination, and equal opportunity.

On Veterans Day, we honor the heroes we have lost, and we rededicate ourselves to the next generation of veterans by supporting our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen as they return home from duty. Our grateful Nation must keep our solemn promises to these brave men and women and their families. They have given their unwavering devotion to the American people, and we must keep our covenant with them.

With respect for and in recognition of the contributions our servicemen and women have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world, the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor our Nation"s veterans.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2009, as Veterans Day. I encourage all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through appropriate public ceremonies and private prayers. I call upon Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag of the United States and to participate in patriotic activities in their communities. I call on all Americans, including civic and fraternal organizations, places of worship, schools, and communities to support this day with commemorative expressions and programs.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA