Military & Veterans Career Expo

As part of the 2023 Mid-Winter Convention, the Texas VFW Foundation organized both a Veterans Resource Fair and Military & Veteran Career Expo There was a great turn out of comrades and their family members to find and learn about resources they may need Several veteran focused employers were on deck to discuss available job opportunities with participants. Some of which were conducting interviews on the spot.

Workforce Solutions

Coastal Bend and the Texas Workforce Commission were on-hand to discuss local and Texas regional with veterans from across the state. Several convention goers also popped outside to checkout the Coastal Bend Blood Center bus to help support the Mid-Winter Blood Drive

Contributing Expo Sponsors

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West continues to explain the historical nature of how these inspired men could have turned their back on a country that would have never formed. Quoting a segment from Thomas Paine’s words:

“These are the times that try men's souls The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.”

While these men went into battle and won, “there was a secret weapon on our side, and that’s called the Auxiliary”, states Dan West A statement resonating throughout the room and the importance of the survival of the VFW and the necessary support of the Auxiliary is crucial.

National Veterans of Foreign Wars Dan West Adjutant General

While Dan West jokes about Kansas vs Texas BBQ, there was a more important message attendees received on the perception of VFW membership to and for younger generations. Expanding into a story of the desire consequences troops were facing in the winter of 1775 and their enlistments coming to an end Adjutant General West reminds us of how General George Washington enlists the help of Thomas Pain to write an inspiring pamphlet called the American Crisis.

2023 Snapshot

The Texas VFW Foundation has served 49 veteran and 2 surviving spouse households, including 60 dependents, with $106,737 33 in direct financial assistance and $35, 500 in Post Assistance Grants so far this fiscal year

Districts Appreciation

The Texas VFW Foundation is so fortunate to have the support of the Texas VFW leadership Department of Texas State Commander, Lynn Toomer, challenged the staff to try to attend a District meeting in every District between Mid-Winter and the end of the year We appreciate the warm welcome and the wonderful hospitality the Districts, both VFW and Auxiliary, offered us. The opportunity to interacted with each member and to answer questions is much appreciated and can only build better collaboration for making sure all Texas Veterans have all we can offer them

Upcoming Events

2023 Texas VFW State Convention events (June 8-10) sponsored by the Texas VFW Foundation for attendees and the public:

Thursday from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, join us in playing cornhole, networking, and relaxing while we snack a little and have the beverage of your choice. The Gossip Bar has been reserved for us as well as some outdoor space.

Humana, the Texas VFW Foundation, and the Texas VFW bring you our very first Health Fair. The Fair will be open on Thursday and Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and on Saturday from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Stop by and thank them for joining us!

The Career Expo will be held on Thursday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Up to 30 employers will be on site as well as veterans in search of a job Texas VFW Employment Chair, Bob Gear, and his team with the Texas Veterans Leadership Program, among other agencies, will be there, too. If you have a spare minute, please stop by and introduce yourself.

Written by Mitch Fuller VFW National & State Legislative Chairman

In accordance with the Texas Constitution, the 88th Session of the Texas Legislature convened on January 10, 2023, for its biennial 140-day Session The Texas VFW was present from the beginning at the State Capitol and immediately began advocating for our state legislative priorities, many of which were contained in the Interim Charges the Texas Senate Veterans Affairs Committee and Texas House of Representatives Defense and Veterans Affairs (DVA) Committee considered in 2022 leading up to the 88th Legislature. Our relationships with legislators and their staffs paid off on our top priorities We were invited to testify during the first hearing of the House DVA Committee in late February along with the heads of the Texas Veterans Commission, the Texas Veterans Land Board, and the American Legion

We achieved four major victories in the 88th Legislature First, we were successful in our top legislative priority: defending the legality of hemp derived consumables (e.g., Delta 8 or Delta 9 gummies). Senate Bill (SB) 264, which would have instituted an outright ban on hemp-derived consumables, never got a committee hearing due to our constant advocacy presence on this issue and others and our partnership and collaboration with Hometown Hero and their outstanding team of lobbyists Along with ensuring SB 264 never got a hearing and died in committee, we worked with our partners on defending House Bill (HB) 2818 and HB 4918, hemp related bills supported by Hometown Hero, their industry partners and us

HB 2818 and HB 4918 both passed the House of Representatives and went to the Senate where the focus during the final days of the Session was ensuring that hempban language from SB 264 was not used as an amendment to either HB 2818 or HB 4918 in committee hearings or on the Senate floor Our efforts prevented either bill from getting a hearing and we also fought hard to ensure that Senate rules were not suspended very late in the Session leading to SB 264 or other hemp-ban language going to straight to the floor without a committee hearing. Mission accomplished in a very difficult and time- consuming battle that will ensure Veterans have an alternative of their choosing to opioids that is effective.

The second major victory was passage of HB 558, authored by State Rep. Richard Raymond of Laredo and sponsored in the Senate by State Sen. Angela Paxton of McKinney. The language in HB 558 was the exact legislation that was our top priority in the 2021 Legislative Session a law preventing our Posts from being closed due to Emergency Orders issued by the Governor, e g , Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020 Our Posts with TABC licenses were unjustly treated as bars during the pandemic and we weren’t considered “essential” businesses. The Senate bills we fought so hard for in 2021 that contained the exact language from HB 558 during this Session got a committee hearing but no vote in committee to go the Senate floor in the 2021 Session Not this time Our Posts can never be closed again due to Emergency Orders The great work our Posts do in our communities and the relationships we have cemented the past few years in the State Capitol were noticed and paid dividends.

Victory number three was passage of HB 2248, the “Vanessa Guillen Day” bill, authored by State Rep Josey Garcia of San Antonio and sponsored by State Sen Carol Alvarado of Houston HB 2248 will honor and remember Specialist Vanessa Guillen, who was a victim of military sexual trauma and murdered by a fellow Soldier in Killeen. HB 2248 is a small but vital way to raise awareness of and ultimately eradicate military sexual trauma and hold those accountable who engage in this heinous behavior

Our fourth major victory was defending the Hazelwood Act. We ensured HB 3997 never got a committee hearing. This bill would have moved the operation and administration of the Hazelwood Act from the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board A meeting we were invited to with staff for the Speaker of the House and top leaders of the TVC in early April was instrumental in killing HB 3997.

We achieved other important victories with bills related to service dogs; state agency hiring preference for Veterans and their spouses; easier path to teacher certification for Veterans; Disabled Veterans parking fines; bills supporting the Texas State Guard, who are engaged on the border on Operation Lone Star; and legislation making the TVC more efficient. Testimony was provided in four Senate Committees and seven House Committees, including being invited and asked to testify by Senators and Representatives on their particular bills books.

Perfect for the historian, librarian, student of history, veterans and readers with an interest in military events. Smell the Gunpowder offers a unique firsthand account of our servicemen's difficulties and struggles.

From author William R. Graser, SmelltheGunpowder:TheLandoftheMorning Calm , is inspired by true events and veterans' firsthand accounts of Americans who served in Korea. Because of these veterans, the Republic of Korea remains a free sovereign nation, and one of the strongest and wealthiest countries in Asia.

American military efforts in Korea began from the end of World War II through the Cold War to include two Korean Conflicts (1950-1953 and 1966-1969) and continued with the Singapore Summit 2018, the Hanoa Summit 2019, North Korea's hostile threat of nuclear conflict along with the economic and social impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Today, North Korea continues to have a nuclear arsenal and the outcome of a peace agreement is uncertain.

About the Author

William R. Graser, U.S. Army (Ret.) was a Sergeant First Class recruited by the U.S. Army Security Agency in 1965, and during the Cold War era his assignments included South Korea. On November 2, 1966, the second Korean conflict began, and he was assigned to a U.S. Army camp on the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). This book includes the story of his time there, as well as how that experience carried his life forward through to present day.

Since 1922, the Veterans of Foreign Wars has organized a national distribution of Buddy Poppies This time-honored tradition has flourished for generations to provide financial assistance in maintaining state and national veterans’ rehabilitation, service programs, and partially supports the VFW National Home.

Recently, Wayne F East VFW Post 4820 member, Andrew Arnold, and his daughter participated in a distribution event in Winnie, Texas to hand out Buddy Poppies to local grocery shoppers Representing a sentiment of including family and youth is vital for each VFW member to instill in others to carry the legacy forward

Jay Smith recants spending much time as a child at the Edwin G. Hutchins VFW Post 856 with his parents, J.W. and Mary Jo Smith, and the many other family members that were also Post members Comrade J W Smith (featured in the 1959 image below) built the old brick BBQ grill on the east side of the Post

The legacy of the Buddy Poppy has been fermented forever within our generational VFW members and the continuing impact it has made nationwide

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved and now we lie In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you, from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow, In Flanders fields.