VFW World News: Army Reserve Celebrates 100 Years of Service
The U.S. Army Reserve celebrates its 100th birthday on April 23, marking a full century of service in which Army Reserve soldiers have continuously answered the nation’s call.

Army Reserve soldiers served in both world wars, the Cold War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War and the ongoing global war on terrorism. They also helped respond to countless other crises, emergencies, disasters, operations and expeditions.

That busy century of service to America all began when Congress established the Army’s first federal reserve force on April 23, 1908. President Theodore Roosevelt signed Senate Bill 1424, creating the Medical Reserve Corps. The Reserve medical officers in the corps could be ordered to active duty by the secretary of war during times of emergency.

In June 1908, the first 160 medical professionals received Reserve commissions. This number grew to about 360 by 1909 and to 1,900 by 1916. The concept of bringing civilian professionals into the Army in a disciplined and quickly-accessible manner also expanded beyond the medical profession and beyond just officers.

In 1912, the Regular Army Reserve was created, a federal reserve outside of the Medical Reserve Corps. It grew much more slowly than its predecessor; by 1913, there were only eight enlisted men in it. Three years later, some 3,000 Army Reserve soldiers would be called up to serve beside their Regular Army and National Guard comrades along the southern border of the United States.

This first mobilization of the Army Reserve was due to tension between the United States and Mexico caused by the actions of the Mexican revolutionary, Francisco “Pancho” Villa, and the subsequent punitive expedition after him led by Brig. Gen. John J. Pershing. A second Mexican-American War was averted, but this mobilization provided invaluable experience for America’s Army in the greater war soon to come.

As World War I raged on it Europe, major changes were taking place in the Army’s structure.

The National Defense Act of 1916 established the Officers Reserve Corps (into which the Medical Reserve Corps would be merged in 1917), the Enlisted Reserve Corps and the Reserve Officers Training Corps. When the United States entered World War I in April 1917, these organizations – as well as the entire Army – would expand dramatically. For example, by June 1917 there would be 9,223 Army Reserve doctors, dentists and veterinarians -- a huge increase from the original 160 only nine years earlier.

More than 170,000 Army Reserve soldiers served on active duty during World War I. The Reserve doughboys of the Great War served in every division of the American Expeditionary Force in France, whether those divisions were Regular Army, National Guard or National Army.

Among their ranks was President Roosevelt’s son, Col. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., who served in the 1st Infantry Division; Maj. Charles Whittlesey, who led the 77th Infantry Division’s “Lost Battalion” during its heroic battle in the Meuse-Argonne, and Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, “America’s Ace of Aces.” All three would receive the Medal of Honor, Whittlesey and Rickenbacker for World War I heroism, Roosevelt for his courage in World War II. Their example and those of all the citizen-soldier doughboys set the standard that Army Reserve soldiers have followed ever since.

The era between the world wars was a difficult one for the Army. There were few incentives for service, active or reserve, other than dedication to duty and patriotism. In the Organized Reserve (as the Army Reserve was called at this time), which was primarily an organization of Reserve officers because few enlisted men served, there was no pay for unit drill and no retirement plan. With the national economy in tatters during the 1930s, training became even rarer. No year in that decade saw more than 30 percent of Reserve officers undergo annual training; in 1934, only 14 percent did so.

Despite these and other hardships, the Army Reserve continued to answer the call to serve in emergencies, such as the national emergency of the Great Depression. Between 1933 and 1939, more than 30,000 Organized Reserve Corps officers were involved in running some 2,700 Civilian Conservation Corps camps. The CCC was one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s key New Deal programs that provided jobs to unemployed young men across the country.

With the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939 and especially with the fall of France in June 1940, the United States began rearming in earnest. The nation began calling on its long-neglected Reserve as a key element in rebuilding its armed forces. There were some 2,700 Reserve officers serving on active duty in mid-1940; within a year, there were 57,000 on active duty. About 90 percent of the Army’s company grade officers in June 1941 were recently-mobilized Army Reserve officers.

The Reserve presence in World War II was considerable. In a typical Regular Army combat division during the peak war years, Reserve soldiers occupied most of the mid-grade officer positions. By the end of the war, more than 200,000 Reserve soldiers were on active duty, serving on every front. Roughly a quarter of all Army officers serving during the war were Army Reserve officers.

Most of them were in the grades of first lieutenant through lieutenant colonel. They included Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder who led Rudder's Rangers up the Pointe du Hoc cliffs on D-Day; Lt. Col. Strom Thurmond who crash-landed in a glider with the 82nd Airborne Division on D-Day; Lt. Col. Henry Cabot Lodge who resigned from the U.S. Senate to serve in North Africa, Normandy and Italy; and Capt. Ronald Reagan who used his civilian-acquired skills as a movie star to make Army Air Force training films.

A number of these officers progressed to general officer rank. In April 1942, Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle led 16 Army B-25 bombers off the aircraft carrier Hornet on the first aerial attack against Japan. For leading what was immortalized as “the Doolittle Raid,” he received the Medal of Honor and a promotion from lieutenant colonel to brigadier general. He would go on to command the Eighth Air Force and end the war as a lieutenant general.

Maj. Gen. William J. Donovan had received the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross and three Purple Hearts while leading a battalion of the 165th Infantry Regiment (the old “Fighting 69th” regiment from the Civil War), 42nd Infantry Division, in World War I. Recalled to active duty as a colonel in 1942, Donovan headed the nation’s espionage and sabotage agency, the Office of Strategic Services, known as the OSS, the World War II predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Another hero from the First World War who also fought in the Second was Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., who returned to duty as a colonel in 1941 and was soon promoted to brigadier general.

After combat in North Africa and Sicily with the 1st Infantry Division, Roosevelt led the 4th Infantry Division ashore on Utah Beach, the first general officer to come ashore on a Normandy beach on D-Day. For his leadership and courage on June 6, 1944, he received the Medal of Honor. He died of a heart attack on July 12, 1944, never learning that he had been selected for promotion to major general and command of the 90th Infantry Division.

One Reserve officer reached the highest position possible: commander in chief. Harry S Truman, who commanded a Field Artillery battery in combat during World War I, joined the Organized Reserve in 1920 and rose to the rank of colonel. He was elected U.S. Senator from Missouri in 1934. When the war began, Truman requested to be called to active duty but was turned down by Army Chief of Staff Gen. George C. Marshall, who said Truman was more valuable to the country in the Senate than he would be in the Army.

Marshall, as usual, was correct. As head of a special sub-committee, Truman investigated wastefulness in the nation’s defense programs and saved the government billions of dollars from fraud and mismanagement. His new national prominence helped gain him a spot as President Roosevelt’s running mate in 1944. When Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, Vice President (and Organized Reserve Col.) Truman became the President of the United States and led the nation to final victory in World War II.

Five years after the end of World War II, Army Reserve men and women -- women were authorized to join the Organized Reserve in 1948 -- were called to duty again, this time for war in Korea. More than 240,000 Reserve soldiers were eventually called to active duty, some as individuals, and others with the 971 Reserve units that were mobilized. Fourteen Reserve battalions and 40 separate companies actually went to Korea, and seven Reserve soldiers – men like Capt. Raymond Harvey and Cpl. Hiroshi Miyamura – received the Medal of Honor for their combat heroism.

In the 1960s, the Army Reserve stood ready to answer the Nation’s call during the Berlin Crisis, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War. Only Vietnam resulted in an armed conflict and, because of decisions made by the administration of President Lyndon Johnson, only a small Reserve mobilization was authorized, resulting in a call-up in 1968 of 42 Army Reserve units with fewer than 5,000 soldiers.

Army Reserve soldiers actively participated in Operation Just Cause, the United States’ intervention in Panama in 1989, with military police and civil affairs support.

The biggest deployment of Army Reserve soldiers overseas since the Korean War took place in 1990-1991 with Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. More than 63,000 soldiers from 647 units were activated to accomplish both continental U.S. and overseas missions. Thousands of Individual Ready Reserve soldiers, Individual Mobilization Augmentees and 1,000 retirees volunteered or were ordered to active duty as well. In all, almost 84,000 Army Reserve soldiers answered their country’s call.

In 1993, Army Reserve soldiers participated in Operation Restore Hope, the Somalia relief expedition. They included more than 100 Army Reserve volunteers who made up the 711th Adjutant General Company. Other Army Reserve civil affairs and public affairs soldiers also served in Somalia until U.S. Forces departed there in March 1994.

Since 1995, thousands of Army Reserve soldiers have conducted peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Kosovo, as well as to support those operations from Hungary, Germany, and Italy.

The Kosovo conflict resulted in a stateside mission in 1999 at the Fort Dix Army Reserve Installation in New Jersey. There, Army Reserve soldiers led and were part of the Operation Provide Refuge Joint Task Force, giving relief and assistance to more than 4,000 ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and a field in Pennsylvania. About 3,000 Americans were killed as a result of these attacks.

Army Reserve men and women were on the front lines of this first war of the 21st century from its outset, with a number of Reserve soldiers among the killed at the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. Army Reserve units and individual soldiers responded to the attack immediately and carried out a host of missions to support rescue and recovery operations and to secure federal facilities nation-wide.

Less than a month after the attack on America, America struck back at the base of the attackers in Afghanistan. Within a few months, Afghanistan’s repressive Taliban regime, which had supported and given sanctuary to the al Qaeda terrorists who had launched the 9-11 attacks, had been driven from power and, along with the foreign terrorists, were in hiding in the rugged south and east of Afghanistan.

Army Reserve soldiers contributed significantly to this victory. Army Reserve public affairs soldiers went into the mountains of eastern Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne Division during Operation Anaconda. Army Reserve engineers improved facilities at Kandahar, while medical citizen-soldiers treated casualties at Bagram air base. Army Reserve civil affairs soldiers operated throughout Afghanistan to help the Afghan people recover from decades of war.

On March 20, 2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom began, with Army Reserve soldiers in action right from the beginning and fighting their way to Baghdad alongside their comrades-in-arms from the other U.S. services and coalition allies. The 459th Engineer Company, for example, built bridges across the Diyala and Euphrates rivers under fire to support the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force’s advance to Baghdad.

Declared to be over on May 1, 2003, combat did not cease. A difficult guerilla campaign continued, one waged by loyalists of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iraqi insurgents and foreign fighters. Army Reserve soldiers in a multitude of units served, and continue to serve, in numerous capacities during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Not all of the Army Reserve’s battles in the early 21st century were against armed foes.
Nature was also a tough adversary.

In 2005, for example, Army Reserve soldiers kept busy providing assistance to the victims of numerous natural disasters at home and abroad. Especially valuable were the Army Reserve helicopter units that provided assistance to the people of the U.S. Gulf Coast in September following Hurricane Katrina and to the people of Pakistan following a devastating earthquake in October.

As the Army Reserve ended its first century of service, it remained heavily committed to the continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, Army Reserve soldiers were decisively engaged in helping the emerging Afghan democracy. They served as part of the coalition forces building a 70,000-man strong Afghan National Army and helping the Afghans set up a modern defense establishment under the control of a democratically elected civilian government.

In Iraq, Army Reserve soldiers continued to battle Iraqi insurgents while laying the groundwork for Iraq’s security forces to take over this mission themselves. A key development in accelerating the training of the new Iraqi Army was the deployment of the 98th Division to Iraq in late 2004 to speed up the new Iraqi Army’s training. This was the first time since the U.S. military began training Iraqi security forces that an Army Reserve unit took on this important mission.

The Army Reserve’s only remaining ground combat unit served in Iraq from 2005-2006.

The 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry, deployed there as part of the Hawaii Army National Guard’s 29th Separate Infantry Brigade. The Army Reserve soldiers of the 100th/442nd come from Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam and Saipan.

In Iraq, they proudly upheld the heritage inherited from the original 100th Infantry Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team of World War II, the most decorated U.S. Army units of their size in American history. During its year in Iraq, four soldiers from the battalion were killed and 45 wounded.

At the beginning of 2008, the number of Army Reserve soldiers killed in both Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom had grown to 153. More than 1,250 had been wounded in action.

The Army Reserve that embarks on its second century in 2008 is one of its most battle-tested and experienced forces since its creation.

More than 180,000 Army Reserve Warrior-Citizens have been called to duty since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, with more than 41,000 having been mobilized more than once. No longer a strategic reserve, the Army Reserve of 2008 is an operational reserve, with some 25,000-30,000 soldiers – from a force of about 190,000 – mobilized routinely and deployed in 18-20 countries around the world, to include the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan, and in the United States.

Not only conceptually but throughout its first 100 years, the Army Reserve changed from a force that was a smaller mirror image of the Active Army to one that complemented the Total Force with combat support, combat service support and training capabilities.

Many of these capabilities were and remain either exclusively or primarily in the Army Reserve.

Though the Army Reserve has undergone many changes over the past century, one thing that hasn’t changed are the quality of citizen-soldiers who continue to distinguish themselves serving their country.

Today’s Warrior-Citizens remain as dedicated, professional and courageous as their predecessors.

Spc. Jeremy Church of the 724th Transportation Company received the first Silver Star awarded to an Army Reserve soldier in Iraq for battling insurgents and rescuing other soldiers and civilians during an ambush on his convoy in April 2004.

Staff Sgt. Jason Fetty, a 339th Combat Support Hospital soldier attached to the 364th Civil Affairs Brigade, received the first Silver Star awarded to an Army Reserve soldier in Afghanistan after hand-to-hand combat with a suicide bomber that foiled his attack on the Khost Hospital in February 2007.

They and their fellow Army Reserve comrades serving today show by their commitment and actions that they are worthy successors to the Organized Reserve doughboys and G.I.s who preceded them.

As the Army Reserve continues to evolve and transform throughout its next 100 years, it will do so, as it always has, in the capable hands of those men and women who choose to be “twice the citizen.”
(Retired Army Col. Randy Pullen, a former Army Reserve public affairs officer, wrote this article for the Office of the Chief, Army Reserve.)

VFW National News: VFW Pledges $1 Million for Vietnam Veterans Wall Project
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) of the United States has pledged up to $1 million to help build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, a visitors and education facility being built on the National Mall, announced Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

VFW is the first veterans’ organization to pledge financial support to the Memorial Center. The organization plans to raise the money over the next three years through its more than 8,000 posts and 1.7 million members worldwide.

VFW has a long history of supporting the Memorial Fund and was, in fact, the first major veterans’ organization to contribute to building The Wall itself. VFW contributed $250,000 to build The Wall back in 1982, making it one of the largest contributors to the project. Additionally, the group gave $50,000 to the Memorial Fund to create and distribute a curriculum guide, Echoes from The Wall, to 25,000 public and private high schools in 1999.

“VFW has always been a supporter of The Wall, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and any undertaking that pays tribute to the brave Americans who have served their country in other lands,” said Scruggs. “We are proud to have VFW as a sponsor of this important new project, to teach visitors about the sacrifices that were made during the Vietnam War, as well as other American conflicts.”

“A visitors and education facility is long overdue and is a vital addition to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial,” said George Lisicki, the national commander of the VFW and a Vietnam War veteran. “Not only will the Center complement America’s memorial to our Vietnam War comrades, it also will provide an educational experience to the 4 million visitors who visit The Wall annually. We lobbied Congress for several years to approve the Center’s addition to the National Mall, so we are thrilled for a vision to finally become a reality.”

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center will be built underground near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. While still in the planning stages, exhibits will include a wall of photographs of those whose names are on The Wall, a selection of the over 100,000 items that have been left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a timeline of key military events in the Vietnam War, rotating exhibits and a resource center, where visitors can find in-depth information. One exhibit will illustrate the legacy of service demonstrated by the American people, showing images of those who served in all of America’s conflicts, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund has raised more than $16 million to date, with a goal of $75 million to $100 million. The Center will be funded completely from private donations, just as The Wall was privately funded when it was built in 1982. The Memorial Fund expects to break ground for the Center in 2010; the building should be completed 18 months later.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund
Established in 1979, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund is the nonprofit organization authorized by Congress to build the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Today, through a series of outreach programs, it is dedicated to preserving the legacy of The Wall, promoting healing, educating about the impact of the Vietnam War and is building the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Center, an underground educational facility, near The Wall.

For more information, visit www.vvmf.org.

Educating America's Newest Greatest Generation
The national commander of America's largest organization of combat veterans is demanding that Congress pass S. 22, the "Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act."

"A new GI Bill for the 21st century must be passed," said George Lisicki, who leads the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S., a veterans' service organization that includes more than 70,000 Afghanistan and Iraqi war veterans among its 1.7 million members.

"We have an all-volunteer force that has accomplished everything asked of them," said Lisicki. "We need to reward them for their service by helping them to reintegrate back into society with an educational package that meets today's cost of tuition. I join with the leadership of Congress and my fellow veterans' organizations to say that S. 22 is the right bill at the right time."

S. 22 was introduced by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) to mirror the original World War II educational benefit. It would repeal the $1,200 enrollment fee, match tuition at the highest in-state rate, and provide for books and fees, and a living stipend. For those veterans accepted to private institutions, S. 22 would also provide a dollar-for-dollar tuition match for those colleges and universities who choose to participate in the program.

Lisicki is hopeful that strong bipartisan support will finally help the new GI Bill for the 21st century become reality. S. 22 now has 57 other co-sponsors, to include fellow GI Bill beneficiaries Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), John Warner (R-Va.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), and both democratic senators from Hawaii, Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye. Its companion bill in the House, H.R. 5740, currently has 242 co-sponsors; it was introduced by Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.) and Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.).

"The 20-year-old Montgomery GI Bill was good, peacetime legislation, but it is no longer good enough to attract new recruits who know they are signing up to go to war," said Lisicki, a Vietnam combat veteran from Carteret, N.J.

"The Montgomery GI Bill only accounts for 50 percent of the average cost of tuition today, and the benefits for Guard and Reservists are drastically less," he said. "If the military is to successfully compete against public and private employers who also want to recruit America's best and brightest, the military must offer potential recruits something more attractive and tangible than just a 'Join the Military, See the World' sales pitch."

The U.S. Department of Labor said 90 percent of the fastest-growing jobs of the future will require some postsecondary education or training, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said American college graduates earn nearly twice as much as workers with just a high school diploma.

"Enacting a new and fully-funded GI Bill for the 21st century is one of the VFW's highest legislative goals," said Lisicki. "It is something the troops expect from their nation, and it is something the 2.3 million members of the VFW and our Auxiliaries demand from our Congress."

VFW Co-Hosts NASCAR Event for Soldiers
A picture may paint a thousand words, but a smile might reveal even more. In the case of Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Streussnig, his happy grin probably doesn’t scratch the surface of the sights, sounds and smells he soaked in on a sun-washed afternoon.

“Any chance to be around NASCAR means a lot,” said Streussnig, an XVIII Airborne Corps Soldier. He was among the 200 Soldiers invited with their Families to tour the headquarters of Kevin Harvick Incorporated in Kernersville, N.C. on March 27. KHI is an auto racing company headed by NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick and his wife Delana.

The tour and a luncheon, co-hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, not only recognized the contributions of United States military service members, but also heralded the racing union between VFW and KHI. The new team is known as VFW Racing.

The partnership has the potential to benefit multiple parties and not just those hosting the event said Tommy Tradewell, junior vice commander-in-chief, VFW.

“We’re delighted to welcome this new opportunity to showcase the vitality of the VFW. We believe NASCAR supporters will understand the importance of our services,” he said.

The VFW commitment to KHI is significant, with the VFW poised to commit $1.2 million yearly.

“It’s an investment to the future,” said Tradewell. Millions of people see corporate logos on race cars and he cited the tremendous opportunity to acquaint NASCAR fans, many of whom are military Families, to VFW benefits.

Streussnig agrees. “The VFW gains sponsorship and exposure far exceeding the monetary costs,” he said.

For the majority of fans and guests, however, talk of corporate sponsorship was the last thing on their minds. The event was held to thank the troops for their continued efforts, said Kevin Harvick. “We really appreciate everything you do for supporting our country. This is your program,” he said.

Other KHI team members were also quick to thank everyone involved with the event, especially the Soldiers present.

“It (racing) will never be what you guys do for us. None of us can even come close to that,” said Cale Gale, VFW Racing driver, while addressing the lunch crowd.

“We hope we can give you something to get excited about on the racetrack,” added Delana Harvick.

Jennifer Myers, the fiancée of Staff Sgt. Gary Bullard, a soldier assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 82nd Airborne Division, was one of the many fans able to get an autograph and pose for a picture with Kevin Harvick. “The whole experience today was more real than just seeing them on the TV or at the racetrack,” she said.

Myers and many others toured the KHI racing facilities after the luncheon and learned about things involved with fielding a competitive racing team. John Cowart, director of sales and marketing for KHI, spoke of racing aspects that surprised some fans only accustomed to following the sport via television. He actively works with KHI sponsors.

Sponsorship is a “different sell once you have an established team,” said Cowart. Additionally, the cost of fielding a competitive team is significant, he added.

“It costs around $6.5 million yearly to float a team with one driver,” said Cowart. Race cars, largely custom-built by the almost 80 employees at team headquarters, can cost almost $150,000, he added.

NASCAR fans may gain another quality team to follow and enjoy this season through the KHI-VFW partnership, but the day’s focus remained on the troops and their Families. Military personnel and Families who are NASCAR fans benefit from the partnership, but more importantly, they may ultimately benefit from a larger and stronger VFW made possible by the new exposure and sponsorship.

Tommie Warren, chief of staff to the deputy commander, Fayetteville VFW Post 6018, and formerly an infantryman with the 82nd Airborne Div., spoke for many.

“I think it’s a fantastic move and it’s going to help a lot of people,” he said.
For others, there were more enjoyable things to spend time thinking about such as food, fun and sun available for the taking.

“It never gets old visiting racing shops,” said Streussnig.

Note: Story is courtesy of Fort Bragg's public affairs office and was originally published in the Paraglide, Fort Bragg's hometown newspaper. VFW would like to thank the Paraglide for permission to post.

VFW at Work: Illinois Post Donates $157,600
One Illinois Post has stepped up to provide much-needed funds to help hospitalized veterans in its home state, as well as soldiers in Iraq.

In August 2007, Post 3854 in Skokie, Ill., donated $100,000 to DMS Pharmaceuticals Group, sponsors of the Fisher House of Illinois at the Hines VA Medical Center (VAMC) near Chicago.

“The Fisher House project came to our attention this past year and was of immediate interest to our membership,” said Robert Oberwetter, Post senior vice commander.

Fisher Houses are located at major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to their loved ones during hospitalization. The Fisher House program provides free temporary housing to more than 10,000 families each year.

“We are grateful and appreciative for the leadership donation from members of VFW Post 3854 and its Ladies Auxiliary,” Fisher House Foundation President David A. Coker said. “The 16,800-square-foot, 21-suite Fisher House that will be built at the Hines VA Hospital will serve veterans and their families, so it is fitting that Illinois veterans show their support. We applaud their generosity.”

Post 3854’s fundraising for the donation didn’t come all at once, but culminated after years of steady activity.

“We have a rather unusual situation at our Post in that we haven’t been running specific fundraisers to provide these contributions,” Oberwetter said. “Most certainly, the funds have come from years of hard work by our comrades and auxiliary members from fish fries and other activities, and we are now enjoying the fruits of our labors.”

The Post donated an additional $27,600 to the Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders (SCI/D) Center at Hines VAMC. The money will be used to furnish four patient rooms and two family waiting rooms in the 58,000-square-foot facility, which opened in 2005.

“The new Hines Spinal Cord Injury unit was looking for the furnishing of some of rooms,” Oberwetter said. “Again our members responded.”

The SCI/D Center provides specialty care to veterans from eight states. The program provides rehabilitation services for paraplegic and quadriplegic veterans, as well as care of ventilator-dependent spinal cord disorders. Outpatient services include psychology, telemedicine consultations and follow-up.

Dogs in War Zones Relieve Stress
Later in the year, Post 3854 found another cause worth of its generosity. When Post members heard about the America’s VetDogs program in a Chicago Tribune newspaper feature article, members got involved right away. The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind in Smithtown, N.Y., trained two dogs to be sent to troops overseas.

“The total cost to breed and train one of these dogs is $30,000,” Oberwetter said. “We were fortunate to sponsor one of two black Labradors that were trained to go to Iraq to the 85th Medical Battalion in December 2007.”

The two specially trained dogs interact with service members in war zones. These dogs are reported to be the first dogs to be used in a combat zone for therapeutic purposes, as they are intended to relieve stress.

“I felt more relaxed after being able to spend some time with [the dog],” said Sgt. 1st Class Brenda Rich, 1st BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (Air Assault) Medical Operations, told Camp Victory public affairs. “For a few minutes it was just me and the dog and nothing in this environment seemed to matter.”

Post 3854 was chartered in 1943 and still has a handful of members from those days, Oberwetter says. Even after 65 years, members are still actively assisting fellow veterans at home and overseas.
(Story courtesy of VFW Magazine

www.24hourfitness.com

Member Benefits: We've Got You Covered
What kind of insurance do you need? The VFW sponsors insurance products and services for our members and their families. Visit www.vfwinsurance.com to find out more. We offer competitive coverage on life, health, auto, long-term care, pet insurance and more.

For all you've done for our great country, you deserve the best!

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