POST 131 COURIER HONORING THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN SO MUCH Volume 1 Number 1
August 2011
POST 131 COURIER
The American Legion Preamble to the Constitution For God and Country we associate ourselves together for the following purposes:
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To uphold and defent the Constitution of the United States of America
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To maintain law and order
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To foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism.
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To preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the Great Wars.
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To inculate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state, and nation.
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To combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses;
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To make right the master of might;
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To promote peace and goodwill on earth;
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To safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy;
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To consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.
Post 131 Courier is a monthly publication edited and produced entirely by American Legion Shirley-Holloway Post 131 located in Columbiana, Alabama. For information on how to subscribe or how to advertise, please contact the Post: American Legion Shirley-Holloway Post 131 Post Office Box 357 Columbiana, Alabama 35051 http://post131.alaaldist23.org All articles must be submitted by the 15th of every month in order to be printed the the current newsletter webmaster@post131.alaaldist23.org
AUGUST 2011
Submitted by Eldon Erickson
I am not a doctor, I do not work for the VA, and I am not a Veterans Service Officer. I am a father of a son who came back from Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and received a medical discharge after serving a little over ten (10) years in the U.S. Army. I am no expert and I don’t quite understand PTSD, but I know it’s real since I have witnessed my sons’ actions. He got a divorce from his first wife but has since remarried and his new wife is understanding and helpful in handling his medical issues. PTSD is a long-term disability caused by exposure to a traumatic event. PTSD victims often suffer from flashbacks, insomnia, and intense anger, among other symptoms. After the Iraq and Afghanistan wars began, military psychologists saw an alarming rise in the number of PTSD victims. Reportedly, between 11% to 20% of veterans showed symptoms of PTSD, compared with 2% to 10% of veterans of the first Gulf war. The Army has done a great deal to fight PTSD. It has provided psychological care during combat operations and tried to get to the afflicted early. It has also tried to cement the bond between a soldier and his unit, which has been shown to improve the welfare of the soldier when he gets back home. But despite such efforts, the nature of combat in the Middle East, in which insurgents are around every corner, is taking a psychological toll. The constant vigilance that serves a soldier well overseas can become an issue when he/she returns home. The most typical, noticeable effects – relationship problems, for example, or a loss of productivity – are difficult enough. Even more grave is the prevalence of substance abuse, homelessness, and suicide among PTSD victims. No one knows why some individuals are pre-disposed to get PTSD while others are not. Different people, after all, have different responses to traumatic events. Another problem, more than half of the soldiers returning from combat with symptoms of PTSD and depression sought treatment, and only half of those received treatment that was considered “minimally adequate.” If you know of anyone who has recently returned from combat and may have the symptoms of PTSD or depression encourage them to seek help. At least bring them to our Veterans Service Officer, Harry Moon, for a one-on-one conversation. Also, our Sergeant-at-Arms and Chairperson of the Heroes to Hometowns Committee, Ron Jefferson, is currently working with homeless veterans and other veterans in need. Let’s not let our veterans down.
POST 131 COURIER
Focus on homeless vets intensifies By Craig Roberts - July 16, 2011 www.legion.org
Emily Button of U.S. VETS, and the Legion's Mark Walker visit a newly renovated apartment for homeless vets in D.C
It has been almost two years since Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki spoke at The American Legion national convention in Louisville and pledged to end homelessness among vets within five years. It is estimated that on any given night, approximately 106,000 military veterans are without permanent shelter. Since the Secretary's announcement, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has launched or intensified a number of initiatives designed to help make good on his promise, including the creation of a dedicated information and education website. VA has also partnered with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in a supported housing program called HUD-VASH. The program provides permanent housing and ongoing case management services, such as mental health and substance abuse treatment, for homeless veterans who require them in order to live independently. Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers are issued on behalf of eligible veterans allowing them and their families to choose from among Public Housing Authority (PHA) allocated apartments nationwide. Thus far, more than 20,000 vouchers have been issued and the program recently received renewed funding. The Department of Labor (DoL) is on board in the anti-homeless campaign, too. DoL's emphasis is on employment, predictably, as a measure to keep veterans off the streets through its Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program (HVRP). To quote the HVRP web page, the program's purpose is to "provide services to assist in reintegrating homeless veterans into meaningful employment within the labor force and to stimulate the development of effective service delivery systems that will address the complex problems facing homeless veterans." Continued on Page 7
AUGUST 2011
American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program “A constitutional speech contest” The American Legion Oratorical Contest exists to develop deeper knowledge and appreciation for the U.S. Constitution among high school students. The 70-year-old program presents participants with an academic speaking challenge that teaches important leadership qualities, the history of our nation’s laws, the ability to think and speak clearly, and an understanding of the duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges of American citizenship. The program has featured numerous politicians and prominent contestants over the years, including former president candidate Alan Keyes and CNN anchor Lou Dobbs. Young orators earn some of the most generous college scholarships available to high school students. Over $138,000 in scholarships can be awarded each year. The overall national contest winner gets an $18,000 scholarship. Second place takes home $16,000, and third gets $14,000. Each department (state) winner who is certified into and participates in the national contest’s first round receives a $1,500 scholarship. Those who advance past the first round receive an additional $1,500 scholarship. The American Legion’s National Organization awards the scholarships, which can be used at any college or university in the United States. High school students under age 20 are eligible. Competition begins at the post level and advances to a state competition. Legion department representatives certify one winner per state to the national contest, where department winners compete against each other in two speaking rounds. The contest caps off with a final round that decides the three top finishers. Speaking subjects must be on some aspect of the U.S. Constitution, with some emphasis on the duties and obligations of citizens to our government. Speeches are eight to 10 minutes long; three- to five-minute speeches on an assigned topic also are part of the contest. DEPARTMENT OF ALABAMA ORATORICAL CONTEST DATES: (May be held earlier but not later than) School Contests Not later than February 1, 2011 County/Zone Contests Not later than February 8, 2011 District Contests Not later than February 15, 2011 Division Contest Not later than February 22, 2011 Department Contest Not later than March 5, 2011
POST 131 COURIER
AUGUST 2011
Legislative Committee Submitted by Patricia Erickson, Chairperson What is America’s greatest contribution to civilization? I believe it to be the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It is magnificent in its simplicity: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. That’s it. When Americans use the cliché “It’s a free country,” this is what they mean. The government can’t tell us how to worship or dictate what we can and cannot say or write, nor can it muzzle our protests about its actions. This is the soil that nurtures the seeds of representative democracy. But, those of us who have served in the military know that “FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.” Many of our young men and women have died to keep our nation free and to keep the citizens of other nations free. They are still dying today. If your Senator or Representative is considering a vote on legislation that will affect active duty military personnel, retirees, or any veteran, please, exercise your rights and let them know how you want them to vote. They represent you. It only takes about 5 minutes to write a short letter or email. We all need to work together to protect the rights of veterans, retirees, and active duty personnel. One piece of legislation that will affect all veterans with ID cards and active duty personnel is currently under consideration in the House and Senate. The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee voted to provide VA health care to veterans and their families who served on Camp Lejeune during the years when the water was contaminated. They voted to fund this initiative by consolidating the exchange and commissary systems into a single store system, which the CBO claims could save approximately $9 billion over the next 10 years. Critics contend that consolidating the two systems will, in effect, gut the commissary benefit. We need to provide 100% support to the Marines affected by the contaminated water, but it should not be funded at the expense of the commissaries. As Amy Bushatz keenly points out in Spouse Buzz (http://spousebuzz.com/blog/2011/06/senate-committee-votes-to-gut-commissary-program.html), “a vote in a Senate committee does not a law make.” This must still make it through the Senate and House. Let your Senator know how you feel about consolidating the exchange and commissary systems by going to the following link: http://www.capwiz.com/military/issues/alert/?alertid=50973611&type=ML Read more: http://militaryadvantage.military.com/2011/06/senate-vote-could-gut-commissary-benefits/#ixzz1SPJngZbO MilitaryAdvantage.Military.com
POST 131 COURIER
Focus on homeless vets intensifies Continued from Page 3
Veterans' homelessness is among the major concerns of The American Legion and one of the primary focuses of its Economic Division, headquartered in the Legion's Washington, D.C., office. It offers testimony to Congress periodically on the topic and monitors both government and private efforts to address the problem. For instance, Deputy Economic Director Mark Walker recently visited newly renovated, attractive and affordable housing for homeless veterans provided by the United States Veterans Initiative (U.S. VETS). U.S. VETS bills itself as "the nation's largest non-profit provider of services to veterans facing challenges in their transition to civilian life." It was organized in the early 1990's. According to Walker, "U.S. VETS in the District of Columbia began providing services in 1997 through the National Collaboration for Homeless Veterans AmeriCorps Program. The D.C. location serves 43 veterans daily. Nationwide, the organization operates programs at 11 sites in five states, as well as D.C., with beds to accommodate more than 2,100 veterans every day." Representatives from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Labor and Veterans Affairs will be among those participating in a Homeless Veterans Roundtable during The American Legion National Convention in Minneapolis this August. Despite Shinseki's pledge to end the problem within five years, the challenge is expected to grow, not diminish, as more and more American troops come home to a weakened economy and diminished job market. A downloadable 14" x 19" poster promoting the Homeless Veterans Workshop, as well as a similar sessions on veterans' education and employment, is available online.
AUGUST 2011
• 4 US Coast Guard Founded 1790 • 5 Women's Air Force Service Pilots (WASP) founded 1943 • 11 Regular Post Meeting • 13 District 23 Meeting • 14 VJ Day 1945 • 26 Women received the right to vote 1920 • 31 Iraqi Freedom ends 2010
POST 131 COURIER
VA Launches Childcare Pilot www.va.gov Program Provides Eligible Veterans Childcare While Visiting Health Care Providers WASHINGTON – Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced the launch of free, drop-in childcare service centers at three VA medical centers to an audience of more than 700 participants attending the Fifth National Summit on Women Veterans’ Issues July 15-17 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. “We know that many Veterans, particularly women Veterans, are the primary care takers of young children,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We want these Veterans to have the opportunity to access the highquality health care that VA offers, and we believe that these childcare centers will make it easier for Veteran caregivers to visit VA.” The pilot centers are part of VA’s continuing effort to improve access to health care for eligible Veterans, particularly the growing number of women Veterans. Congress established this childcare initiative as part of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010 which was signed by the President in May 2010.The three sites and childcare details include: •
Northport, NY: 30 child capacity, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., ages 6 weeks to 12 years
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Tacoma, WA: Varying capacity, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., ages 6 weeks to 10 years
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Buffalo, NY: 6 to 10 child capacity, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., ages 6 weeks to 12 years
All the pilot childcare centers will be operated onsite by licensed childcare providers. Drop-in services are offered free to Veterans who are eligible for VA care and visiting a facility for an appointment. In a survey, VA found that nearly a third of Veterans were interested in childcare services and more than 10 percent had to cancel or reschedule VA appointments due to lack of childcare. This pilot program will benefit both men and women Veterans. Development of the pilot program was facilitated by the Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group, which strives to make positive changes in the provision of care for all women Veterans. “While the number of women Veterans continues to grow, they use VA for health care proportionately less than male Veterans,” said Patricia Hayes, Chief Consultant of the VA’s Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group. “We hope that by offering safe, secure childcare while the Veteran attends a doctor’s appointment or therapy session, we will enable more women Veterans to take advantage of the VA benefits to which they are entitled.” Women Veterans are one of the fastest growing segments of the Veteran population. Of the 22.7 million living Veterans, more than 1.8 million are women. They comprise nearly 8 percent of the total Veteran population and 6 percent of all Veterans who use VA health care services. VA estimates women Veterans will constitute 10 percent of the Veteran population by 2020 and 9.5 percent of VA patients. For more information about VA programs and services for women Veterans, please visit: www.va.gov/womenvet and www.publichealth.va.gov/womenshealth.
AUGUST 2011
Senate stands up on Agent Orange www.legion.org A day in which The American Legion called upon its membership to tell Congress to strike down an amendment to the MILCON/VA appropriations bill closed with the passage of the bill through the Senate without the controversial amendment. Senate Amendment 564 to H.R. 2055 was introduced by Sen. Tom Coburn (Okla.) and would have radically changed the fundamental scientific threshold of evidence, making it nearly impossible for future disorders to be added to the presumptive disability list associated with Agent Orange, and possibly negatively affected other veterans suffering from exposures to Gulf War hazards and other exposures. By a vote of 69-30, with one senator not voting, Congress struck down the amendment and passed the clean bill subsequently with only two opposing votes. The American Legion was extremely active yesterday in opposition to this amendment, writing critical analysis on the blog The Burn Pit, issuing a press release from National Commander Jimmie L. Foster and calling for action through the Legislative Action Center. The American Legion called and membership raised their voice to Congress to stop the change before it could cause great damage to the Agent Orange veterans. Foster praised the defeat of the cost cutting measure, noting, "I'm pleased that common sense, compassion and fairness prevailed. We can't balance the budget on the backs of those who have already contributed so much." The amendment stood to change the standard of scientific evidence needed to associate disorders with Agent Orange from a "positive association" which has been the standard since the Agent Orange Act of 1991 to the far more onerous "causal relationship." In medical research, establishing a causal relationship requires far more exhaustive study, yet most treatment techniques and health advice is based on positive associations, as the more intricate causal relationships can often be almost impossible to pin down. Legionnaires are urged to contact their Senators and tell them not to balance the budget on the backs of America's veterans. Tell them to say no to Coburn's "Back in Black" and send it back.