|
|
 | October 4, 2013 |
The VFW Demands a Federal Budget be Passed
In a letter addressed yesterday to the President and House and Senate leadership, VFW National Commander Bill Thien demanded that they start working together to enact a federal budget now. He said the lack of a budget prevents countless veterans from taking advantage of transition assistance programs provided by the Departments of VA and Labor, plus it will increase the claims backlog and threatens to stop disability compensation and survivor benefit payments to millions of combat-wounded veterans and widows. Thien also said the lack of a defense budget and the ongoing sequester is threatening national security. "We expect more from our elected leadership, and not a piecemeal approach that would use the military or disabled veterans as leverage in a political game," he said. "This current failure in Washington by the elected representatives of the people is having a very real impact on America, and as advocates for all veterans, military and their families, the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States demands that Congress and the Administration stop the political gamesmanship and do the job you were elected to do." Read Thien's full letter. To find contact information for your elected official, click here.
Shutdown Update on VA ServicesWithout House/Senate agreement on a budget/appropriations package, the VA continues to operate many services on a shuttered schedule. VA medical centers, clinics and other health services continue to operate as normal because of advance appropriations, but the Veterans Benefits Administration, which processes claims and provides payments for compensation, pension, education, and vocational rehabilitation programs, will run out of money by late October if Congress doesn't extend their mandatory funding appropriations for FY 2014. The VFW continues to be updated by Congress and the VA, and will pass along any information we receive. For a two-page Field Guide on the shutdown's impact on VA, click here. To read more on the VA, veterans and the government shutdown, visit our Capitol Hill blog.
The VFW to Launch In-State Tuition CampaignNext week, the VFW will roll out its new #InState4Vets campaign alongside Student Veterans of America and the American Legion, pushing for in-state tuition protections for veterans enrolled at public colleges and universities from coast to coast. Be on the lookout as the VFW, SVA and Legion unveil new tools to help veterans understand the higher education landscape in their home states, ways to share stories through the Twitter hashtag #InState4Vets, and ways to take action both locally and nationally. The VFW, SVA and the Legion plan to make the announcement next Wednesday, October 9. Check back with www.vfw.org for updates. Learn more.
Overseas Initiative Helps POW/MIA MissionVFW National Commander Bill Thien returned this week from traveling to Moscow to continue our mission to help American researchers gain deeper access into Russia's central military archives and potential eyewitnesses. It was a very productive trip that included meetings with the U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission and American military assigned in Moscow, as well as with two of Russia's largest veterans' organizations and senior members of the Russian Federation Council and State Duma. From Russia, the Chief traveled to Italy to lay wreathes at the American Cemetery in Florence, and he met with senior officers and junior enlisted assigned to U.S. Army-Africa and the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, and the Air Force's 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano AB, to discuss how the VFW can better serve them and their families during the current budget crisis and sequester.
Wounded Warrior Dinner Marks 10th Anniversary
The VFW is a longtime sponsor of the Wounded Warrior Dinners, which have been held once a week since October 2003. The dinners used to be held at the old Fran O-Brien's Steakhouse inside the Capitol Hilton until a contract dispute closed the restaurant. Co-owner and VFW life member Hal Koster pledged to keep the dinners going until the wars ended. He created the nonprofit Aleethia Foundation to keep that promise, and in 2007, the VFW awarded him its Citizenship Award at its National Convention in Kansas City. The VFW is proud to be a major co-sponsor of the 10th Anniversary Wounded Warrior Dinner tomorrow night near the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
Four MIAs Recovered The Defense POW/MIA Office announced the identification of remains belonging to two soldiers from the Korean War and two airmen from Vietnam. Recovered are:
- Army Cpls. Harold A. Evans, 22, of Linsell, Minn., and Robert J. Tait, 19, of Bar Harbor, Maine. In late 1950, Evans was a member of Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, and Tait was a member of Headquarters Battery, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, both assigned to the 31st Regimental Combat Team, that was forced into a fighting withdrawal south of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Evans was reported missing on Dec. 12, 1950. Tait was also reported missing, but, in 1953, returning U.S. POWs said he had been captured but died shortly afterward due to lack of medical care and malnutrition.
- Air Force Lt. Col. Robert E. Pietsch, 31, of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Maj. Louis F. Guillermin, 25, of West Chester, Pa. On April 30, 1968, Guillermin and Pietsch were on an armed-reconnaissance mission over Savannakhet Province, Laos, when their A-26A Invader aircraft crashed. Search and rescue efforts were unsuccessful.
Read more about their individual stories.
Thanks to all our National Legislative Committee Members for a successful September meeting and for signing up more than 725 new advocates to join our Action Corps team! Great job, and keep up the good work!
As always, we want to share your advocacy stories on the VFW Capitol Hill blog. To share your stories, fill out our online form or simply email photos and stories directly to vfwac@vfw.org.
Was this Washington Weekly forwarded to you by a friend? Sign up to get your own free issue each week.
—
 |
|
|
Veterans of Foreign Wars | 406 West 34th Street | Kansas City, MO 64111
|
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.