VFW National Veterans Service Director Ryan Gallucci spoke at a press conference on S.535 the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Memorial Location Act. This bill would allow the GWOT Memorial, approved by Congress in 2017, to be constructed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. “A Global War on Terrorism memorial belongs on the mall, where all current and future service members, veterans, families, survivors, and all Americans can come to honor and remember those who volunteered to serve in our country’s longest war,” said Gallucci.
Veterans Day 2021
This Thursday, Nov. 11, is Veterans Day. It is a time to thank our Veterans for there service to The United States of America. WWI, known at the time as The Great War, officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside of the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased months earlier when an armistice, or a temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day on the eleventh month. For that reason, Nov. 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars,” but we know now that is not true. So whenever you see a service member in uniform, or a Veteran wearing some type of military hat, thank them for serving.
TRICARE Open Seasons Begins Today
TRICARE Open Season will run from today through Dec. 13, 2021. This is your chance to enroll or change your health care plan for the next year. If you are satisfied with your current plan then your coverage will continue automatically for 2022, as long as you remain eligible. It is important to note that new retirees have only one year to enroll for TRICARE Prime. Enrollment in TRICARE Prime or Select is not automatic for retirees.
Flu Season is Here
VA has expanded flu vaccine availability to more than 70,000 in-network community providers. Eligible veterans can now receive at no cost a standard, high dose, or preservative-free flu shot at their local VA health care facility, in-network community retail pharmacy, or an urgent care location without prior authorization. If you are eligible, you need to present a valid, government-issued ID at a participating location.
POW/MIA Update
Army Pvt. Stephen C. Mason, of Jersey City, New Jersey, was assigned to Headquarters Company, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Infantry Division. He was reported killed in action while trying to destroy an enemy machine-gun position near Beek, Netherlands. He was buried in North Arlington, New Jersey, on Nov. 3, 2021.
Marine Corps Cpl. Andrew Pellerito, 22, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force, which landed against a stiff Japanese resistance on the small island of Betio. Pellerito was reported killed on the first day of the battle, Nov. 20, 1943. He will be buried on Nov. 30, 2021, in Augusta, Michigan.
Marine Pfc. Walter L. Collier, 20, of Burbank, California, was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor. He will be buried on Dec. 8, 2021, at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, in Honolulu.
Army Pfc. Michaux Turbeville, 31, of Dillon, South Carolina, was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Dec. 1, 1950, after a fighting withdrawal near the Chosin Reservoir. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia. The date has yet to be determined.
Till next week, praying for all service members.
– Charles Castelluccio
