St. John AME’s Military Ministry Celebrates Veterans Day

B. Johnson

The Military Ministry of St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 2013 under the leadership of the Reverend Dr. Patrick Clayborn. The concept for the ministry was proposed by the Reverend (Ret.) Robert B. Hereford, Sr., a retired minister and Vietnam-era veteran. Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Felecia Carter followed up on forming the ministry and enlisting members.

The mission of the ministry is to provide resources and partnerships based on the belief that faith makes a difference in the lives of those who have answered the call to serve their nation and agreed to live with the special conditions and stress of military life, whether on the front lines or the home front.

The purpose of the military ministry is to work collaboratively with the pastor, church leadership, chaplains, and other ministries in providing resources for current and former military members and their families.

In celebration of Veterans Day, the Military Ministry sponsored a workshop for veterans and their family members on Saturday, November 19, 2022. The guest speaker for the occasion was Mr. Moses Nervis, a benefits counselor with the nonprofit organization, Still Serving Vets.

The major topic of discussion was assisting veterans

Vietnam War Era Presumptive Conditions List - Agent Orange Exposure

❖ AL Amyloidosis

❖ Chronic B-Cell Leukemias

❖ Chloracne

❖ Diabetes Mellitus Type 2

❖ Hodgkin’s Disease

❖ Ischemic Heart Disease

❖ Multiple Myeloma

❖ Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

❖ Parkinson’s Disease

❖ Peripheral Neuropathy, Early-Onset

❖ Porphyria Cutanea Tarda

❖ Prostate Cancer

❖ Respiratory Cancers

❖ Soft Tissue Sarcomas

❖ Bladder Cancer

❖ Hypothyroidism

❖ Parkinsonism

❖ Hypertension

❖ Monoclonal Gammopathy in navigating the benefits maze. Mr. Nervis stated that many veterans begin obtaining their rightful benefits, but encounter so many obstacles along the way, that they soon become frustrated, disgusted, and just give up. He suggested that each veteran should seek an advocate to work on their behalf rather than giving up. Such advocacy is exactly what he does daily. He serves as an advocate to assist veterans in working through the maze to receive all the benefits to which they are entitled.

Mr. Nervis stated three important questions that veterans should ask themselves when considering filing a claim:

1. Did the injury/issue happen during the time while serving?

2. Was treatment initiated to resolve the issue?

3. Is the problem ongoing because of what happened during the time of service?

If the veteran answers these three questions affirmatively and provides evidence to substantiate the claim, an individual or their family member should pursue the claim.

During the afternoon session, LTC. (Ret.) Felicia Carter followed up the morning session with a list of Veterans Administration (VA) Presumptive

Conditions that might qualify for VA benefits. Listed below are those conditions by era served in the military.

Veterans Administration Presumptive Conditions

List. The Department of Veterans Affairs has created two important lists called the VA Presumptive Conditions List, which identifies if a veteran who has served in a location/circumstance during certain years developed medical conditions, then those conditions will be automatically considered service-connected. It is important to note that a “Presumptive” connection means the VA presumes that certain disabilities were caused by military service. If physicians diagnose a veteran with a presumed condition within a certain group, he or she can be awarded disability compensation. As a result of the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act, the VA added additional conditions to the list for Agent Orange: bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and Parkinsonism, also known as Parkinson-Like conditions. Many of our veterans were exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War or burn pits and other environmental hazards and toxic particulate matter while serving in Southwest Asia for Gulf War and post 9/11.

If you need your medical records, please contact the National Archives - https://www.archives.gov/ veterans’service.

Gulf War and Post 9/11 Presumptive Conditions List

Effective April 26, 2022, the VA established an interim final rule (87 FR 24421) that identified a link between military service in qualifying areas of certain countries and the following nine rare respiratory cancers:

❖ Squamous cell carcinoma of the larynx

❖ Squamous cell carcinoma of the trachea

❖ Adenocarcinoma of the trachea

❖ Salivary gland-type tumors of the trachea

❖ Adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung

❖ Large cell carcinoma of the lung

❖ Salivary gland-type tumors of the lung

❖ Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the lung

❖ Typical and atypical carcinoid of the lung

Symptoms of medically unexplained chronic multisymptom illnesses (MUCMI):

❖ Chronic fatigue

❖ Headaches

❖ Joint pain

❖ Muscle pain

❖ Skin symptoms

❖ Indigestion

❖ Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)

❖ Dizziness and other neurological symptoms

❖ Cardiovascular symptoms

❖ Memory problems

❖ Weight loss

❖ Menstrual disorders

The below-listed Gulf War presumptive conditions must be diagnosed within one year from the date of your military separation in order to qualify for VA benefits for disabilities resulting from your Gulf War service:

❖ Malaria

❖ Brucellosis

❖ Campylobacter Jejuni

❖ Coxiella Burnetii (Q Fever)

❖ Nontyphoid Salmonella

❖ Shigella

❖ West Nile Virus

The below-listed Gulf War presumptive conditions can be diagnosed at any time after you leave military service to qualify for disability benefits:

❖ Visceral Leishmaniasis

❖ Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

It has become a tradition each year for the Military Ministry to acknowledge a veteran(s) with a brick paver placed in the Huntsville-Madison County Veterans Memorial Park. Four veterans will be recognized in Spring 2023 with the installation of brick pavers. Brick pavers will be installed for veterans Derrick Williams, the son of Brother Bill Williams, Col. (Ret.) James Johnson, Elder Maurice Wright, Sr., and the late Reverend Charles Edward Glover, Sr.

The celebration continued Sunday, November 20, 2022, during the 10:00 a.m. worship service. Elder Maurice Wright, Sr., a veteran of the Vietnam era, was the guest speaker for the occasion. Elder Wright, Sr.’s message was “Gifts of the SpiritThe Weapons of God’s Army.” The scripture reference was Galatians 5:22-24.

After a spirit-filled worship service, the congregation was invited to walk to the Huntsville-Madison County Veterans Memorial Park, just across the street from St. John, to view the newly installed pavers for veterans, Sgt. Major Everett Brooks Sr., and the Reverend Derwood (Grandpa) Wilson. Plans include having one section, Section 23, in the HuntsvilleMadison County Veterans Memorial Park, designated just for veterans of St. John.