Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Apr-Jun 2012 North Carolina VFW Leader
Apr-Jun 2012 North Carolina VFW Leader
Department
VFW of North Carolina PO Box 25337 Raleigh, NC 27611-5337
Non-Profit Org US Postage PAID Rermit No. 1838 Raleigh N.C.
H OLD T E FUTU RE
2012
Volume No. 72
apr/may/JuN 2012
State Representative Graham Martin, a combat veteran and strong supporter of all veterans' rights issues, has announced that the North Carolina Legislature has approved the issuance of special license plates for veterans of the Afghanistan campaign, the Iraq campaign, and the War on Terror. To obtain one of these plates, if you are such a veteran, follow these steps: *Download the application from www. indot.gov/dmv/forms/. *When at the website, look at the left side of the screen and notice the Forms section, then click on the Specialized Plates tab. This will take you to the appropriate forms. *Many license plate options will appear in the Specialized Plates section. Among these are the Afghanistan, Iraq, and War on Terror license plates. By clicking on the appropriate one, it will open to a PDF titled MVR-33A. *Print and fill out the MVR-33A form, select-
The Military Order of the Cootie (MOC), Grand of North Carolina, has elected its first female Grand Commander in history at their State-level Scratch in
ing the license plate of choice. A veteran may also obtain an application by mail or from their local license plate office. *Once the form is completed, send it to the Veteran's Affairs office at the address listed on the form - North Carolina Division of Veterans Affairs, 1315 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, C 27699-1315. You may purchase the plate using cash, check, money order, or cashier's check made out to NCDMV. *When Veterans Affairs finishes completing section 3 o the MVR-33A, which confirms the individual veteran's war service, they return it to the individual purchasing the plate. *You will then mail the form to the NCDMV along with the appropriate $10 fee. Send to the Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles, Raleigh, NC 276993135. Again, you may pay as stated previously. *If you qualify according to Veterans Affairs and the proper fees are provided, you will receive your desired plate in four to six weeks.
Apr/MAy/Jun 2012
"Department Headquarters normal operating hours 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday. Closed for holidays: New Years Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day."
Chris Sikes District 5 Sr. Vice Commander Greetings Comrades. I am going to start sharing information from the VA's Medical Centers around the State and some health promotion tips in each Edition of The Leader." This edition is going to focus on the Website and program that the VA has setup called MyHealtheVet. This site is designed for the Veteran to be able to access your medical record, track your healthcare, obtain health promotion tips, refill prescriptions, and communicate directly with your healthcare team. To access the site point your internet browser to www. myhealth.va.gov. One the right hand side there is the option to Register and to log on. If you are signing up and are a patient at any VA medical center please make sure you check the 'VA Patient' box. Once you have signed up you will be able to access only a portion of the site until you complete the 'In-Person Authentication' form. This can be completed at any Medical Center or Community Outpatient Clinic. After the In-Person Authentication process is completed you will be able to access the pharmacy refill, secure messaging and medical record download. The Secure messaging portion of the
My Healthe Vet site is the most valuable feature to patients. This allows you to send an email directly to your medical provider. These messages are tracked and if not answered within three day they become escalated. This eliminates the need to call the clinic or going there to have a question answered. You are able to request, change or cancel an appointment, request more refills for medications, or ask a question. Recently we added the option to view your DoD military service information. This is a direct link to the Record Center and will give you access to Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) codes, Pay Details, Service Dates, Deployment Periods, and Retirement Periods. This information is available through the Blue button download within the site. In addition to this you are also able to see your lab results and upcoming appointments. As always I am able to assist you if needed by emailing me at christopher.sikes@va.gov. Christopher Sikes Telehealth Clinical Technician Wilmington & Brunswick CBOC 736 Medical Center Drive Wilmington, NC 28401 Phone (910) 763-5979 ext 236 Fax (910) 763-4935 doors until fund raisers and volunteers from the community helped to rebuild this Post of mostly WWII veterans. They were once 400 strong but are now down to 32 members. Harold said they were grateful but still had one large bill for lumber and no way of paying it.
Terry Poling
Dear Comrades: My VFW Post 9010 is in Clemmons, NC. We are a service Post that prides itself on helping needy Veterans and their families. The reason that I joined was to make a difference in the lives of fellow Veterans. Post 9010 is very fortunate to have a strong Bingo program which brings in revenues allowing us to give scholarships to our members' families and help to local Veterans where needed.
I asked my VFW Post to help our comrades from Mocksville, as I could think of no one more worthy than these brave men who served us all so well. My proudest moment was when our. membership voted unanimously to pay the bill and At our last district meeting, I was honor these men. When you can moved by the story of Harold help another Post in need, the feelFranks, Commander of VFW Post ing you get is beyond words. 4024 in Mocksville, NC. Their Post had fallen into disrepair and was in Terry L. Poling Commander, Post danger of being forced to close its 9010 Clemmons, NC
Kitchen Tune-Up is currently offering a program that supports veterans seeking to own their own home improvement franchise. The company is waiving over 80% oftheir $39,995 franchise fee, making the investment only $5,000 for honorably discharged Stay Tuned, veterans. Financing options are available for up to $4,500 for Jill Hansen Director of Technology qualified applicants. PR Specialist "This is the second program of this kind that we have offered," said Kitchen Tune-Up founder and president, Dave Haglund.
Collins as chief of staff, U. S. Army. This field manual was made official by "Wm. E. Bergin, Major General, In the April 29 Military Update, the Adjutant GeneraL" Tom Philpott quotes U. S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican of Chapter 5, Individual Interest, Duth Carolina. He was talking about Section 1: "You're the world's best medical care and Tricare hikes: "I paid soldier. "Section Other Benefits, don't believe anybody was promised page 127: "In addition to retirement free lifetime medical care. That's pay, you are entitled to commisa popular myth." Sen. Graham sary, post exchange privileges, mediis very wrong. I joined the U.S. cal care and hospitalization."I still Army in 1956. We were all issued have my original copy of this field a Department of the Army field manual. manual, FM 21-13, The Soldier's Guide, dated June 1952. J. Lawton Robert B. Arnold
apr/May/Jun 2012
Ted h. Briggs Let me begin by thanking each Comrade in this great Department of North Carolina, for supporting me for the past two years, and for electing me to serve as your State Commander for the 2012-2013 year. I appreciate the opportunity to serve this Department, and I will do all I can to ensure that we grow in membership, promote our core programs, and serve the needs of our Veterans. Comrades, my goal this year is to reach 30,000 in membership. Not for me, but for the Department of North Carolina. I feel we can achieve that goal, but it will take all of us working together. Post and District Commanders, Quartermasters, Auxiliary Presidents, and Treasurers, please plan to attend the
ernie aLLis
Comrades, In May, I visited a home that was built in 1954. The house is a brick structure with four bedrooms, an enclosed sun porch, and was a little over 2400 square feet. It is located within a small community of 43 homes and 9 other structures that serve as administration buildings. Maintaining its own roads, play areas, ball fields, water and sewer
ChapLains CoLuMn
Greetings To the Comrades of North Carolina, thank you for electing me as your Department Chaplain. Becoming your Chaplain is a bittersweet event in my life. It was my hope that when I could be elected, that my friend and mentor would be here to offer his wisdom and guidance. Along with everyone else in our Department, I truly miss AG. To I would also like to thank the Cooties have Mrs. Parker attend the first and Sisters of the Grand of North Department Memorial Service I con- Carolina. Thank you for your guidducted was an honor. I wish AG's smiling face could have been at her side. While I have a beard like AG and wear clothes like AG, I cannot be Chaplain Parker. I have been told he left big shoes to fill and I cannot. I cannot follow in his footsteps. I can step forward, as your Department Chaplain, and lead as he taught me. I stand ready to do just that. ance, instruction, encouragement and your endless patience. Lastly, to my travel companion, navigator, and favorite critic. Tamara, you have always kept me grounded, propped me up, and have been my mental "slap upside the head" when needed. You are truly a blessing from my Lord. You are my Helpmate. IHS SR Smith+
TAPS
Page 4
Apr/MAy/Jun 2012
1 ($10,000) - John Carney of Melbourne, FL, 2 ($2000) - Mike neville of supply, 3 ($1000) - John norkus of raleigh, 4 and 5 ($500) each - Michael Bolch of Marietta, Ga, and delories Beaman of ararat
VFW Leader prize Winners For the VFW Leader neWspaper raFFLe heLd on 16 June :
WASHINGTON-The Department of Veterans Affairs announced today the national deployment of claims transformation initiatives to 12 regional offices in the remaining months of fiscal year 2012 to improve benefits delivt?ry to Veterans, families and their survivors. "This is an important milestone in our transformation to achieve the goal we established in 2009 to process all disability claims within 125 days at a 98 percent accuracy level in 2015," said Secretary of Veteran's Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. The 12 regional offices to begin the deployment of the transformation initiatives include: Huntington, W.Va.; Hartford, Conn.; Portland, Ore.; Houston, Texas; Cleveiand, Ohio; Des Moines, Iowa; Boise, Idaho; Phoenix, Ariz.; New
to eliminate errors at the earliest possible stage. Simplified and Standardized Rating Notification Letters, which give veterans one simplified decision letter that Cross-Functional Teams, which provides notice of VA's decision, support a case-management including a summary of the eviapproach to claims processing dence considered and the reason that mininizes rework and reduces for the decision. processing time and VA provides compensation and The Veterans Benefits pension benefits to more than Management System, which is a four million veterans, family memnew electronic claims processing bers and survivors. Veterans filing system that employs rules based claims may file online through technologies to improve decision e-Benefits, a joint project between speed and qualIty. the Department of Defense and VA, at www.ebenefits.va.gov. VA has already nationally implemented:' Quality Review Teams, They can check the status of their which are composed of dedicated claim with a Premium e-Benefits local, quality review specialists account, and use a growing numwho will evaluate situations and- ber of online services or contact individual employee performance VA Call Centers for more informa and conduct in-process reviews tion at 1-800-827-1000.
apr/May/Jun 2012
page 9
GinGer Amos
Sisters...
We begin a new membership year as the Premier Women's Organization of today! However, we still sell ourselves short! We have much to do to carry out our mission of service to Veterans, Active duty and Military families. We have seen and will continue to see much change, and we need to embrace the changes and do the work of the organization. We must have "everyone" in the Department of North Carolina working together to hit our target set by our Ladies Auxiliary National organization. Each Department must achieve 100% participation in Americanism, Veteran's and Family Support and Cancer Aid and Research this year. All other programs except for Membership and Chief of
melbA bAtten
Two Past Department Presidents of the Ladies Auxiliary Department of North Carolina have recently died. They are Elois Cameron Kelly, President from 1962 to 1963, and Melba Thompson Batten, President from 1970 to 1971. PDC Kelly was 82 years old, and PDC Batten was 89 years of age. of Jonesboro, when she was 30 years old. They had one child, a son Gary, who was born in January 1962 and died in January of 2011. The same year her son was born, Ms. Kelly became the Department President of Ladies Auxiliary, Department of North Carolina. She served her term with State Commander Robert J. Bowers, who was Elois Kelly was born in Harnett County also a member of Stanley McLeod Post in the small rural community of Olivia 5631 in Sanford. Following her tenure as on January 1, 1930. She was the young- President, she became the Department est of three daughters, and attended Musician and the long-term floor work the Benhaven School for all 12 years of instructor. Her husband died in August her education. Upon graduation, she 1995. started working for a car dealership in the town of Sanford. After two years at She is survived by several nieces and that position, she was hired as a civil- nephews. ian employee on Fort Bragg. She held this position for a long period of time, Melba Batten was born on August retiring from there after more than 30 2, 1922, to the late Lewis and Rosa years. Thompson of Pine Level. She married Charles Kelly, a native She graduated from Pine Level High
elois Kelly
School in 1939, where she was voted the very first Miss Pine Level. She became a Life member of VFW Post 5886 in Smithfield, her eligibility through her husband, Joseph Elbert Batten, to whom she was married for 67 years. She then served a number of years as local, district, and state president. She worked for 33 years as a bookkeeper and office manager of Medlin Printer Company. In her later years she enjoyed baking cakes and fishing in Nevil Creek. She was also a Life member and past president of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary to Post 405 of Pine Level. She is survived by a daughter, two granddaughters, two great grandchildren and her sister Carol Dale Bennett of Selma.
Ladies ofVFW Auxiliary 9488 enjoy themselves at the Kentucky Derby Party held at Post 9488 in Charlotte. Prizes were awarded for Best Dressed, Celebrity Look Alike, and Best Poppy Hat. In the seated photo are Bonnie Williams, Geneva Williams, Rose Thompkins, Ann Hicks, and Donna Watts. In the standing photo are Joan Vincent, Elaine Friar, Deanna Long, Bonnie Williams, and Geneva Williams.
We need Foster Parents for VFW Trained Service Dogs. If interested call state Headquarters at 919-828-5058
Page 10
Apr/MAy/Jun 2012
Ribbon Cutting for a New Facility Home Depot Grant to Serve Disabled, Homeless Vets
Winston-Salem, NC Supporters stood shoulder-to-shoulder today to cut the ribbon for Veterans Helping Veterans Heal's (VHVH) new housing facility at 3614 North Glenn Avenue. The goal ofVHVH will be to help veterans overcome barriers so that they can transition into permanent housing, achieve personal goals including self-sufficiency, and function well with family, coworkers, and friends. Today's ribbon-cutting celebration served to recognize the successful completion ofthe acquisition and rehabilitation ofthe VHVH building, to thank everyone who has helped make this project possible and to allow our community to see the facility before it is occupied. It is important to note that the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has not yet inspected and accepted the VHVH project at this time. This is expected to be a comprehensive inspection and review process which will begin within the next few weeks now that the rehabilitation of the building has been completed. Occupancy by homeless veterans will follow the receipt of all final approvals by the V A. VHVH will address the gap in housing services in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County that are needed for chronically homeless veterans who are coping with substance abuse and/or mental illness, the two highest rated problems within the homeless veteran population. VHVH will also help the local Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness (United Way of Forsyth County) meet its housing goals and build on the programs offered by the various homeless shelters and other transitional housing facilities. VHVH wIll offer a supportive housing environment in collaboration with the VA, CenterPoint Human Services and others that will include on-site case managers and the provision of services to meet the special needs of the veterans. Each veteran will work with his case worker to establish personal goals. All residents will attend lifeskills training and participate in the daily upkeep of the facility. Regular Alcoholic and Narcotics Anonymous meetings will be held on-site. The Triad Community Kitchen will provide food service under the leadership of Jeff Bacon, director and executive chef. VHVH also plans to acquire a passenger van in order to provide transportation for the veterans to medical facilities, job interviews, workshops, and other meetings. Veterans will be referred by VA and community outreach providers. VHVH will serve 30 veterans at one time in dormitory style housing for a period of up to two years. It is anticipated that some ofthe veterans will transition out of the program within six to nine months enabling other veterans to participate in the program. VHVH will, therefore, likely serve between 30-45 chronically homeless veterans each year. Chronically homeless veterans make up about 20 percent of the entire local homeless population in Forsyth County. Veterans will be referred to the program by local homeless service providers and the VA Medical Center in Salisbury, among others. Since VHVH will serve veterans, space at other shelters will be freed up for other individuals who are homeless. VHVH was developed by the North Carolina Housing Foundation (NCHF) in partnership with the Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post # 1134. Funding for the development of VHVH includes grants from the Veterans Administration Grants Per Diem program, Branch Banking and Trust (BB&T), the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, the Winston-Salem Foundation, United Way of Forsyth County, and donations from individuals and members of many local military service organizations. Funding for the annual operations of the program, will come from multiple sources including an Emergency Shelter Grant from the City of Winston-Salem, a two-year grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, the VA Per Diem reimbursement for each veteran in the program. VHVH will also be one of the beneficiaries from fundraising by groups like the Winston-Salem Elks annual golf tournament and the Marine Corps League Mud Run. Rehabilitation of the former VFW Post # 1134 at 3614 North Glenn Avenue in Winston-Salem began in late October. The architect was Mike Osman of the Steele Group and the general contractor is Landmark Builders of the Triad. Stimmel Associates' Luke Dickey assisted with zoning and road closure. Carolyn Scogin at Blanco Tackabery provided legal assistance. All are Winston-Salem companies. Countless veterans have helped with the demolition of the interior of the building. VHVH will be owned and managed by the North Carolina Housing Services and Management Corp., a nonprofit affiliate of the North Carolina Housing Foundation also based in WinstonSalem. The program manager will be Peter Moorman, Jonathan Evans will serve as operations director, and Dan Fisher will be resident manager. All three men are veterans. The North Carolina Housing Foundation (NCHF) is based in Winston-Salem and is the parent affiliate of VHVH and the North Carolina Housing Services and Management Corp. (NCHSM). NCHF is an experienced nonprofit developer of affordable housing which focuses on developing quality affordable housing for low and moderate income households throughout the state. NCHSM currently manages 26 properties with a total of nearly 1000 apartment units. These units include apartments for families, independent elderly, persons with disabilities or special needs, and transitional and permanent supportive housing for the homeless. The Development Team includes Garry Merritt, NCHF Board Chair; John Nichols, NCHSM ; Diane Evans, NCHSM Director of Development; Jane Milner, NCHSM Development Coordinator; Peter Moonnan, VHVH-ProgramManager;Jeff~Bacon, Triad Community Kitchen; CharlieClayboum, VFW Post #1134; Mary Claybourn, VFW Post #1134 Women's Auxiliary; Ron Hairston, US Department of Veterans Affairs; Andrea Kurtz, Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness/United Way of Forsyth County; and Paula Stephen, The Stephen Company. VHVH is a project of the Ten Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness. The Plan, overseen by United Way of Forsyth County with the full support of the community and homeless service providers, seeks to provide effective solutions and accessible services to eliminate chronic homelessness and improve the system's effectiveness for all persons experiencing a housing crisis. Andrea Kurtz is the director of the Plan, and BB&T's Chris Henson chairs the Plan's council. For additional information, please visit VHVH.org (currently under construction). February 24, 2012 - The Home Depot (HD) has opened their Community Impact Grants cycle, which will be in effect from February 6, 2012 through August 13, 2012, though it is suggested you apply as soon as possible. VFW Posts can receive up to $5,000 to fix up their buildings; however, of course, there is no guarantee of funding. To begin the process, type in the following Internet link: www.homedepot foundation.orglhow-we-help/grants.html. Near the bottom of the Web page, choose. "Click here to start the application". To help you complete this application, the VFW Foundation has prepared a step by-step, how-to guide. We have tried to make the instructions as simple as possible. Any deviation from this guide will most likely result in not being able to submit the application. To receive this information send an email to: foundation@vfw.org. Type the following in the subject head ing: Need Home Depot Guide. The application must be filled out via the Internet only (no telephone calls to HD, e-mails or written submissions will be accepted nor will you be able to turn this application in at your local HD 7 store). Pay close attention to the Tax ID Instructions Section. You will use the Employee Identification Number (EIN) of your Post and upload the Post's 501(c) (19) IRS determination letter at the end of the application. If you receive funding it will come in the form of Home Depot gift cards that- can be used to buy materials at your local HD store. You will need to recruit Post members or other community volunteers to do the work. The project must be completed within 6 months. You will also be required to fill out a final report. Failure to do so will negatively impact your Post's ability to receive any future funding from The Home Depot. After submission of the application, you should receive a written e-mail response from HD usually in six weeks letting you know if you received the grant. Should you have any, questions, please contact Richard Freiburghouse, Grants Manager, at 816-968-1124 or rfreiburghouse@vfw.org
Save the Date Heroes Remembered: Korean War Armistice Day 2012 on July 27, 2012 at 9:00am - 10:30am at Arlington National Cemetery
Mark your calendars and make plans to join the Dept. of Defense 60th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee on July 27, 2012 at 9:00am for a very special ceremony honoring the 59th anniversary of the Korean War Annistice at Arlington National Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The event is open to the public and kicks off with a wreath laying ceremony and keynote remarks by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta.
More infonnation and details to follow in the coming weeks. To RSVP for the event, please email at koreanwar@conus.army.mil
Page 12
Apr/MAy/Jun 2012