VFW National Legislative Director Pat Murray testified before the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health. The hearing focused on Vet Centers and their importance in meeting the needs of service members, veterans, and their families. Murray stated, “The VFW is encouraged by the proposals in Congress to expand Vet Center services. However, with all expansions of eligibility, there also needs to be an expansion of resources to handle the increased workload.”
Military Sexual Harassment Now Punishable Offense
On Jan. 26, 2022, President Biden formally made sexual harassment a crime punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. As directed in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, the executive order is part of historic military justice reforms to eradicate sexual harassment from the military.
Senate Committee Advances Bill for Post-9/11 Toxic-Exposed Vets
The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs unanimously passed the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act, introduced by Chairman Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-Kan.). The VFW-supported legislation would extend VA health care eligibility for combat veterans from five to ten years after separation from the military. The bill would require VA to screen veterans regarding their exposures during service, furnish training for VA health care providers and disability claims processors, and provide additional reporting and tracking of veteran health conditions due to toxic exposures.
POW/MIA Update
Army Pvt. Andrew J. Ladner, 30, of Harrison City, Mississippi, was assigned to 126th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division. On Nov. 30, 1942, his unit was part of the effort to cut off the Japanese supply and communications line, called the Huggin Roadblock, on the island of New Guinea. Ladner was killed in the initial assault and buried near the blockade. Ladner will be buried in Gulfport, Mississippi. The date has yet to be determined.
Army Air Forces Pfc. Edward H. Benson, Jr., 22, was assigned to the 1562nd Army Air Force Base Unit on Biak Island. A Japanese air raid of Sorido Airstrip on March 22, 1945, resulted in the deaths of 39 service members, including Benson. Interment services are pending.
Army Staff Sgt. Grady H. Canup, 30, was assigned to Company C, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. He was reported killed in action on Nov. 14, 1944, when enemy artillery fire hit near his foxhole during the Hürtgen Forest offensive in Germany. Following the battle, his remains could not be recovered. Interment services are pending.
Army Pfc. Kenneth L. Bridger, 17, was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action on Nov. 30, 1950, on the last night of his unit’s stand at the defensive perimeter near the east side of the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. Interment services are pending.
Army Pfc. William B. Coleman, 21, was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 134th Infantry Regiment, 35th Infantry Division. On Nov. 1, 1944, Coleman was attempting to remove a booby-trap mine when it exploded, killing him and severely wounding two soldiers who were with him. Interment services are pending.
Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Adolph Olenik, 19, was assigned to the 345th Bombardment Squadron, 98th Bombardment Group, 9th Air Force. On Aug. 1, 1943, the B-24 Liberator aircraft on which Olenik was serving as a gunner crashed as a result of enemy anti-aircraft fire. Interment services are pending.
Army Pvt. Walter G. Wildman, 20, was assigned to Company M, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division. On Nov. 13, 1944, his unit was part of the Hürtgen Forest offensive in Germany. Interment services are pending.
Army Cpl. Donald L. Menken, 21, was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. He was reported missing in action after being wounded on June 10, 1953. Interment services are pending.
Till next week, praying for all service members.
– Charles Castelluccio
