VFW Assembly Desert Storm Exhibit

Reynolds County VFW Post 6660 Newsletter1909 Wright Bros demo Ft MyersOrville Wright in conversation with Lt. Frank Lahm with the Wright 1909 Military Flyer during July 1909 demonstration for the U. S Army at Fort Myer, Virginia.

Randle Tolliver, Quartermaster / Adjutant

post6660@movfw.org  / www.facebook.com/VFWPost-6660

For veteran’s in crisis, call the Veterans Crisis Line at 1-800-273-8255 and press “1”.

For homebound veteran’s requiring assistance, please contact Jay Parks at (573) 689-1477, Randy Tolliver at (573) 924-2382, or Scott Rosen at (573) 466-9188.

In a bit of post news, last week Post Commander Jay Parks and I had the honor of representing the VFW Department of Missouri, as delegates to the 123rd VFW National Convention held in Kansas City.

Our summer raffle is underway and our prizes this year are $250, $150, and $100 Visa Gift Cards. Look for our booths at various locations around the county until after Labor Day.

VFW Auxiliary will meet at 1 P.M. on 20 August at the Donald L. Cook / Billy J. Swyres Memorial Veterans Center in Centerville. For more information, contact Denise Szafranski at (573) 300-5523 or deerae9@yahoo.com.

Our next regular post meeting will be 2 P.M on 21 August at the Post HQ in Centerville.

We will hold a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) event on 30 July from 9 AM to 1 PM at the First Baptist Church of Ellington located at 300 N 2nd St in Ellington. VSO’s are accredited to legally represent veterans and help you understand and apply for any VA benefits you may be entitled. Our VFW VSO events are free-of-charge, and please bring all of your documentation including your discharge documents (DD-214).

We request your support to urge congress to include The Major Richard Star Act in the FY23 Nation Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The situation is this. Over 50,000 medically retired veterans—many of whom are Purple Heart recipients—are forbidden from receiving their full retirement pay and disability compensation. Today their VA disability pay is deducted from their military retired pay even though they are fundamentally different benefits, earned for different reasons.  The Major Richard Star Act would allow combat-disabled uniformed services retirees with fewer than 20 years of service to receive without reduction, veterans’ disability compensation and retired pay or combat-related special compensation. We ask you to call and/or write Senator Hawley at “The Honorable Josh Hawley, 115 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington D.C. 20510” or call (202) 224-6154. We ask you to call and/or write Senator Blunt at “The Honorable Roy Blunt, 260 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 or call (202) 224-5721. We ask you to call and/or write Congressman Smith at “The Honorable Jason Smith, 2418 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515.

A significant number of things of great historical significance happened during the last week of July:   

124 years ago this week, during the Spanish-American War, U.S. Marines land at and captured the towns Ponce and La Playa, raising the U.S. flag over Puerto Rico for the first time.

113 years ago this week President Howard Taft and 10,000 other spectators gathered at Fort Myer, Virginia to watch aviation pioneer Orville Wright fly himself and U.S. Army Lt. Frank P. Lahm to demonstrate the world’s first military airplane, the 1909 Wright Military Flyer.  Army leadership was so impressed; the Army took delivery of its first Wright Flyer within days, designating it “Signal Corps No. 1”.  Today, the aircraft is the National Air and Space Museum in Washing D.C.

77 years ago this week, President Harry S. Truman authorized the use of the new atomic weapon. General. Henry H. “Hap” Arnold was given a list of potential targets and directed to begin mission planning. President Truman informed his Soviet counterpart, Joseph Stalin that America had developed such a weapon, but we later learned Stalin already knew from spies within the Manhattan Project.

75 years ago this week, The National Security Act of 1947 was passed, establishing the Department of Defense, the National Security Council, and the Central Intelligence Agency. The Act, which became effective on 18 September, was the most sweeping reorganization of the American defense structure since the establishment of the Department of the Navy in 1798.

74 years ago this week President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, which directed desegregation the United States Armed Forces.

Our annual education related awards programs, Teacher of the Year, Patriot’s Pen, and Voice of Democracy are underway.  This year’s Patriot’s Pen youth theme is “My Pledge to Our Veterans”.  The Voice of Democracy audio-essay theme is “Why is the Veteran Important?” Children who are home schooled are also welcome to participate.  For more information, please contact Dr. Charles Laramore at (573) 637-2112, Jay Parks or Randy Tolliver, or email post6660@movfw.org.

Now for a few reminders:

We are assembling a Desert Storm – Afghanistan exhibit at the Reynolds County Museum. If you wish to donate or lend materials, please contact Randy Tolliver.

Now for a few reminders:

For more for information concerning local VA health care call the Poplar Bluff VAMC at (573) 686-4151 or https://www.poplarbluff.va.gov/services/index.asp

The VA one-stop telephone number is 1-800-698-2411 and press “0” to reach a live agent for immediate assistance. The VA one stop website is VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs .

The Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC) one-stop Benefits and Resource Portal is www.veteranbenefits.mo.gov or call (573) 522-4061.

To order military service documents such as a DD 214/Separation Document or Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), contact the National Archives, National Personnel Records Center at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records, or call (866) 272-6272.

For more information, contact Jay Parks, Randy Tolliver, or Heather King at (573) 330-1020, or email post6660@movfw.org , or go to https://movfw.org or http://movfw.org .

“Here to Serve”