Make A Donation To Honor A Veteran
With Christmas just around the corner and you don’t know what to buy your veteran, an American flag is always a great gift. Just make sure you know where it was made. And, if you would donate to some service members support groups, here are a few that I highly recommend: *Veterans Miracle Center, 1573 West 39th St., Erie, PA 16509; (814) 796-4200; *Erie City Missions, 1023 French St., Erie, PA 16501; (814) 452-4421 ( Grace House Female Veterans); *Liberty House, 550 West 7th St., Erie, PA 16502 ( Male Homeless Veterans); (814) 874-3687; *VFW National Home For Children, 3573 S. Waverly Rd., Eaton Rapids, MI 48827 ( note in memo for Pa. House); (517) 663-1521; *Lilac Springs, 192112 Willow Way, Meadville, PA 16335; (814) 282-9380; *Cell Phones For Veterans, Andrew F. Fish, Magisterial Court, 1052 B. Grandview Rd., Oil City, PA 16301; (814) 671-2503.
Congress Passes Major Veterans Bill
This week, Congress sent major veterans’ legislation to the president for his signature. H.R. 6416, the Jeff Miller and Richard Blumenthal Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2016, included numerous provisions related to several VFW resolutions. The bill expands eligibility for grave marker medallions to be issued by VA to include those veterans who died before November 1990. Another section of the bill provides for researching how the health of children of veterans exposed to toxic substances is impacted. Changes that make uniform the definition of homelessness were also included in the bill. These important provisions were 2016 Priority Goals for the VFW and their enactment into law would fully accomplish VFW Resolution 620 and partially accomplish Resolutions 619 and 621, which were approved at the 117th VFW National Convention. Additional legislation to require VA to pilot a self-scheduling program, to authorize VA to partner with non-governmental agencies to finance VA facilities, and to pay back money withheld from veterans discharged after January 17, 1991, who received severance pay, also cleared Congress and awaits the president’s signature. This concludes the 114th Congress. The VFW looks forward to working with the 115th Congress to ensure the VFW’s 2017 Priority Goals are accomplished.
National Defense Authorization Act Clears Congress
Legislation providing $618.7 billion and a 2.1 percent pay raise for the military cleared Congress and was sent to the White House this week. The bill also includes a number the VFW’s 2016 Priority Goals, such as requiring DOD to formulate a process by which veterans who received Less-Than-Honorable discharges due to misconduct resulting from the effects of Post-traumatic stress disorder, Military sexual trauma (MST) and Traumatic brain injury are given a fair shake when appealing for discharge upgrade; calculating the military retirement owed to a former spouse based on the rank at time of divorce instead of at time of retirement; and improved reporting and treatment of service members who are victims of MST. The passage of this important bill also fully accomplishes VFW Resolutions 416 and 418 and partially accomplishes Resolution 410, which were approved at the 117thVFW National Convention.
Military BAH Rates Set To Increase
This week, the Pentagon announced that there will be a 2.4 percent increase to the Basic Allowance for Housing it pays service members. The average increase will be $41 per month, which is also dependent on the rank of the service member and whether they have dependents. While not all regions will see an increase, there will be no decrease for those living in a region that does not get an increase. Further, this marks the third of a five-year plan that will increase the amount of burden that the service member would be responsible for when paying for housing. In an attempt to reduce personnel costs – something directly caused by sequestration – the average service member will have to pay three percent of housing costs out-of-pocket in a design which will increase to five percent by fiscal year 2019.
POW/MIA Update
Navy Seaman 2nd Class Floyd F. Clifford was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Interment services are pending. Navy Fireman 3rd Class Kenneth L. Holm was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Navy Seaman 1st Class Harold W. Roesch was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Navy Yeoman 3rd Class Edmund T. Ryan was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Interment services are pending. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Byron H. Nelson was a nose gunner aboard an American B-24G Liberator bomber with the 721st Bomb Squadron, 450th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force. Interment services are pending. Army Air Forces Capt. Albert L. Schlegel, of Cleveland, Ohio, disappeared Aug. 28, 1944, while piloting his P-51D Mustang on a ground strafing mission near Strasbourg, France. In his final communication, the fighter “ace” radioed he’d been hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire and would need to bail out. Interment services are pending. Army Cpl. Gerald I. Shepler was the lead scout on a reconnaissance patrol for Company K, 3rd Battalion, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, near Hajoyang-ni, North Korea, when his patrol was ambushed by enemy forces. Army Sgt. Homer R. Abney was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, when his unit was engaged in heavy fighting with Chinese forces on the road from Kunu-ri to Sunch’on, North Korea — later named “The Gauntlet.” Army Cpl. James T. Mainhart served with Company I, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, part of the 31st Regimental Combat Team deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Interment services are pending. Army Cpl. Edward Pool was reported missing in action on Nov. 30, 1950, while serving with 31st Heavy Mortar Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Army Cpl. Jules Hauterman was a medic with the Medical Platoon, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing as of Dec 2, 1950. Army Cpl. George A. Perreault was part of Support Force 21, assigned to Headquarters Battery, 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, near the Central Corridor in South Korea. Perreault was declared missing on Feb. 13, 1951. Interment services are pending.
To all, have a merry Christmas!
