Reynolds County VFW Post 6660 Newsletter

Reynolds County VFW Post 6660 Newsletter

Randle Tolliver, Commander

For veterans in crisis, the Veterans Crisis Line’s number is “988” then press “1”.

Homebound veterans requiring assistance please contact any member.

Veterans experiencing or at risk for homelessness, please contact any member or the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 424-3838.

Reynolds County Cub Scout Pack 3403 meetings are suspended for the summer vacation. For more information, contact Anthony Mann at (803) 924-0608.

Our summer raffle is underway and our prizes this year are $250, $150, and $125 Visa Gift Cards. Look for our booths around the county until after the Reynolds County Fair.

VFW Post 6660, VFW Auxiliary, Ellington Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Ellington invite all to a 9/11 Remembrance ceremony at 2 PM on Saturday 9 September at the large flag pole located at the junction of HWY 21 and 106 in Ellington. Parking is available.

We will have a veteran’s service workshop from 9 AM to 1 PM on 16 September at the Black River Motel in Lesterville. The address is 32970 MO 21 Lesterville, MO 63654. Please bring what documentation you have.  For more information or if the veteran is homebound and cannot travel, please contact Jay Parks at (573) 689-1477, or Scott Rosen at (573) 466-9188.

The next VFW and VFWA meeting will be at 2:30 PM, on 17 September at the Donald L. Cook / Billy J. Swyres Memorial Veterans Center in Centerville.

We continue to ask for your support to urge congress to pass the “Guard VA Benefits Act” to reinstate penalties for “Claim Sharks” who prey on veterans through aggressive and misleading advertising. We also ask to include the “Major Richard Star Act” in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to end the policy of reducing military retirement pay one dollar for every dollar of disability compensation a veteran receives.  Please call and/or write: Senator Josh Hawley, 115 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington D.C. 20510/(202) 224-6154, Senator Eric Schmitt, B-11 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510/(202) 224-5721, or Congressman Jason Smith, 2418 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 / (202) 225-4404.

Our annual education-related awards programs, Patriot’s Pen and Voice of Democracy, are underway.  The Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest is for middle school students in grades 6-8. The contest is a 300 to 400-word essay based on this year’s theme “How are you inspired by America?”.  The Voice of Democracy audio-essay program provides high school students with the opportunity to win a state scholarship of $1,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. The national first place winner receives a $35,000 scholarship. This year’s theme is “What are the greatest attributes of our democracy?”. All students, including home schooled, are welcome. For more information, please contact Dr. Charles Laramore at (573) 637-2112, Randy Tolliver, or email post6660@movfw.org.

Now let us talk a bit about our history:

247 years ago, on 22 August then Battle for Long Island began. A force of 20,000 British and Hessian troops, commanded by General William Howe, landed on Long Island, New York. Five days later, he attacked General Washington’s forces on Brooklyn Heights. In the first major battle of the Revolutionary War, the American troops were flanked and suffered 2,000 casualties before retreating. The British dug in for a siege, but on the night of 29 August, Washington evacuated the entire army to Manhattan without the loss of supplies or a single life. After several more defeats the Continental Army was forced to retreat through New Jersey into Pennsylvania. British and Hessian losses were 64 killed, 294 wounded and 31 missing. The Americans loses were approximately 300 killed and over 1,000 captured.  The most significant outcome of this first battle was the realization that there would be no easy victory, and that the war would be long and bloody.  For more information, I recommend one of my favorite authors, David McCullough and his 2006 book “1776.”

211 years ago, the USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere fought a ship to ship battle about 400 miles southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It took place on 19 August 1812, one month into the war. Guerriere was sailing to Halifax for a refit after detaching from a squadron which had earlier failed to capture Constitution, commanded by Captain Isaac Hull. When the ships sighted each other on 19 August, Guerriere’s Captain James Richard Dacres was very confident of a Royal Navy victory against the larger, better-armed U.S. ship. They exchanged broadsides, demasting the Guerriere and reduced her to a hulk. The Constitution was slightly damaged. Captain Hull accepted Guerriere’s surrender, took the British sailors on board and set Guerriere on fire. Constitution then returned to Boston with news of the victory. Although the battle was, arguably, inconsequential from a military perspective, and the loss of Guerriere was insignificant to the 600 ship Royal Navy, it was a pivotal moment in American naval history. The effect of the battle on American morale and patriotism was immeasurable. Prior to the battle, the American land campaign against Canada had been unsuccessful with a resulting loss of public support for the war. After the battle, the American public was proud of defeating the vaunted Royal Navy in a “fair” frigate-to-frigate fight. For more information, I recommend 1812: The Navy’s War by George C. Daughan.

Now for a few reminders:

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

The VA one-stop telephone number is 1-800-698-2411 and press “0” 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 (573) 522-4061 or www.veteranbenefits.mo.gov .

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, call (573) 924-2382, email us at post6660@movfw.org or www.facebook.com/Post6660Reynoldsco .

“Here to Serve”