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Vietnam veteran robbed, killed on his way to deposit VFW money William Burtner had helped raise money for WWII vets' trip to Washington Army veteran William Burtner survived Vietnam and dedicated his life to helping other veterans. On Monday, Burtner was about to enter a bank in Midlothian to deposit money that the south suburb's Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2580 had raised during a benefit. He never made it inside. Burtner, 65, was assaulted and robbed outside the bank. He died Wednesday night in Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. An autopsy Thursday concluded Burtner died of hypertensive...

<p>Contact your Senators and let them know what you think!</p> <p>U.S. veterans or subsidies for United Nations (U.N.) bureaucracy.</p>

WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2009 – Deployed and hospitalized servicemembers are expected to make about 120,000 calls home this Veterans Day, and it won’t cost them one thin dime. The Veterans of Foreign Wars organization is once again offering “Free Call Day” through its Operation Uplink program. USAA, which offers financial services to servicemembers, is sponsoring the day of free phoning, which is expected to total some 1 million minutes. “We are very pleased to join forces with USAA, an association recognized as a devoted friend and advocate of the military community, to offer a special Veterans Day Free Call Day,”...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. veterans criticized President Barack Obama's lengthy review of Afghan war strategy, saying on Thursday the drawn-out debate in Washington was a direct threat to troops and the nation's defense. The head of Veterans of Foreign Wars, a group representing 1.5 million former soldiers, issued a tersely worded statement urging Obama to follow the advice of his military commanders, who want more troops for the eight-year war. "The extremists are sensing weakness and indecision within the U.S. government, which plays into their hands," said Thomas J. Tradewell Sr., a Vietnam veteran and head of VFW. This was...

Deep in the heart of the Mojave National Preserve in California stands a five foot cross carefully disguised in a plywood box. The U.S. Park Service was forced to cover the cross until the Supreme Court decides whether the cross can remain in its place as a monument to fallen soldiers during World War I, or whether it must come down because its presence violates the Constitution. The case is the latest in a recent flurry of challenges to religious symbols placed on public property. The cross was constructed more than 70 years ago by the Veterans of Foreign Wars....

Expressions on the Vets faces are priceless.

Here is a video report about a "Flag Burner" who was duct taped to a VFW Flagpole as punishment for his having burned an American Flag that flew over the post in Valley Falls, New York. The man had gotten angry because the bartender at the post would not serve the man because he was drunk. In anger, he went outside, took the flag down and burned it. The flag had flown over a fox hole in Iraq where several Americans died. The post commander hunted the man down and "gave him some options." The option the man chose was...

VETERANS RIGHTS ADVOCATES UNDER ATTACK BY SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS AND MEMBERS [Snip]Article... What vets don't know is how the American Legion, VFW and other groups have advised the DVA and Congress, led us, every step of the way, to the total failure and utter disaster we have now. These groups "played" at helping vets but became a home for political extremists or dimwits addicted more [sic] grandstanding than the hard work required by informed veterans advocacy.

Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, I am honored and humbled to stand before you as Commander-in-Chief of the finest military the world has ever known. And we're joined by some of those who make it the finest force in world-from Luke Air Force Base, members of the 56th Fighter Wing. Whether you wear the uniform today, or wore it decades ago, you remind us of a fundamental truth. It's not the powerful weapons that make our military the strongest in the world. It's not the sophisticated systems that make us the most advanced. No, the true strength of...

Here is video of President Barack Obama speaking today at the Veteran's of Foreign Wars meeting. Obama criticized the "defense establishment" and Congress for creating "exotic projects" that he says drains the defense budget. Obama assured veterans that he will see to it they are taken care of, and said their health care would diminish at all under his plans for Health Care Reform. Obama received polite, but what I would characterize as muted applause from the veterans during his appearance there. . . . . (Watch Video)

Obama is speaking before the VFW now. Except for a dozen people or so, they are sitting on their hands. Vets know who the real Obama is. Occasional applause for apple pie statements. For the most part, silence.

President Barack Obama plans to speak at the annual VFW convention in Phoenix on Monday. A speech before the nation's largest organization of combat veterans is a summertime tradition for presidents. Obama spoke to the group last year as a presidential candidate. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs has said that Obama will discuss the United States' responsibilities to maintain the world's finest military. Gibbs also says Obama will speak about the nation's responsibility to the men and women of the armed services when they return home from combat. The president has been in Arizona since Saturday evening on the final...

VFW: Woodstock Wasn't the Only Thing Happening 40 Years Ago By Colleen Raezler (Bio | Archive) August 12, 2009 - 13:47 ET    While some in the media have been dusting off their love beads, bell-bottoms and broomstick skirts in an effort to wax nostalgic about Woodstock, the VFW has reminded its members that the world did not stop for those four days in August 1969. In fact, for 109 American soldiers, the world ended that weekend.VFW Magazine honored those soldiers in the August 2009 cover story, "While Woodstock Rocked, GIs Died." Much has been made over the "half...

CLEARWATER — Stung by fierce criticism, the Clearwater City Council on Monday canceled a plan to remove about a dozen flagpoles and American flags from city property to save money. "We're going to leave all the flags as is," Mayor Frank Hibbard said after a lengthy and contentious discussion of the topic at a council meeting Monday morning. Council members criticized City Manager Bill Horne for not telling them about the flag removal plan that city staffers had come up with. Instead, the council first learned about it from the St. Petersburg Times. Council member George Cretekos said Horne had...

The Clearwater council on Monday canceled staff plans to take down flagpoles and American flags at some parks and facilities. Clearwater won't lower flags Stung by fierce criticism, Clearwater has canceled a plan to remove about a dozen flagpoles and American flags from city property to save money. After the story appeared on tampabay.com on Friday, nearly 300 readers posted comments, with many calling for Clearwater officials to be summarily fired. City leaders also got what the mayor described as "an unrelenting volume of phone calls." For full story: http: //www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article1024460.ece

The city today scrapped plans to take down some of its 60 odd flags after the mayor and city council members received a barrage of angry emails and telephone calls over the weekend, some of them from veterans. City Manager Bill Horne's staff had recommended slightly more than a dozen flags – out of 59 – be removed to save the city money. Some flags were on property no longer maintained by the city. Others were at maintenance buildings or the like that were far out of the public eye. Mayor Frank Hibbard and city council members were rankled that...

CLEARWATER — The Clearwater City Council plans to discuss the removal of several American flags, an act that has drawn widespread ire, during a work session this morning. Kevin Dunbar, Clearwater's parks and recreation director, ordered the removal of 13 flagpoles from across the city last week. He said budget cuts made it impossible to properly care for the flags. So Dunbar had city workers pull the poles out of the ground. The last flagpoles were removed Friday. City Council members and Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard were never consulted before the removal. Public reaction to news of the flag removal...

City Manager Bill Horne didn't think taking down Old Glory at a few city properties would be a big deal. He was wrong. Several weeks ago, city workers started removing American flags from city properties. In all, 13 of the city's 50 flags came down, according to Mayor Frank Hibbard. But the cost-cutting measure has sparked outrage, especially among veterans groups, prompting city leaders to revisit the decision at a workshop this morning. "It's a knock at our country," said John Smith, canteen manager at the Hercules VFW Post 2473. "It's the only city in the United States that has...

CLEARWATER — Here's probably the most bizarre casualty of shrinking government budgets you'll hear. The city of Clearwater can no longer afford to fly the American flag. Clearwater's parks and recreation director ordered the removal of 13 flagpoles from across the city this week saying budget cuts have made it impossible to properly care for the flags. "Over the last three years, the parks and recreation staff has been reduced by 25 percent,'' explained director Kevin Dunbar. "When you have a flagpole, you have certain responsibilities. The flag has to be lit at night, if a flag has a rip...

With the 40th anniversary of the '60s cherished rock concert, the so-called "Sixties Generation" remembers fondly those four days in August 1969. Instead, VFW magazine commemorates the 109 Americans killed in Vietnam then. Newsweek described the as "a youthful, long-haired army, almost as large as the U.S. force in Vietnam." One of the promoters saw what happened near Bethel (nearly 40 miles from Woodstock), N.Y., as an opportunity to "showcase" the drug culture as a "beautiful phenomenon." The newsmagazine wrote of "wounded hippies" sent to impromptu hospital tents. Some 400,000 of the "nation's affluent white young" attended the "electric pot...

"While Woodstock rocked, GI's died" is the cover article. 109 died in Vietnam during the 4 days Woodstock was held from Aug 15-18, 1969. 'Time', 'Newsweek' and various other liberal rags are not only lifting up the various hippies and drug addicts, but made remarks like: "it may well rank as one of the significat political and sociological events of the age", and "deplored the 3 deaths that occured there" (one a heroin overdose), mentions the "need for more authentic service" and so on but refers to the Vietnam war as a "meaningless war in the jungles of southeast asia"...

Post Chaplain Wayne Rudell began the ceremony in honor of Flag Day with a prayer, “ ... Most gracious Lord, you have given to us the symbol of the flag to represent the United States in every nation when it is flown ... This flag has flown in every war and our flag is still flying in the middle of battles as a symbol of freedom for all who see it. Today it is time to retire the service of these flags and give them honor for their duty. We do this by burning each flag to put it in...

The National Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Jeff Roy, and Governor Sarah Palin, will hold a press conference at 10:00 am on May 30, 2009 at Mt View VFW Post 10252 located at 3105 Mt View Drive, Anchorage. The purpose is to launch an extraordinary expedition by America’s heroes to successfully summit 20,320 ft. Mt. Denali, the highest peak in North America, after more than a year of intensive preparations. Commander Roy will introduce the members of this team of wounded warriors who symbolize the strength of our Nation and those who defend it.

Some see it as the universal symbol of sacrifice in World War I, others see it as the undisputed sign of Christianity, but it will be up to the Supreme Court to make a final determination as to whether a 7-foot cross remains standing in a California desert to memorialize war veterans. The cross was first erected in 1934 in what is now the federally protected Mojave Desert Preserve by a group of veterans whose doctors advised them that the desert heat would help them recover from shell shock. Veterans today say this war memorial and others like it across...

As the nation once again honors those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country, the Veterans of Foreign Wars is struggling to recruit a new generation of warriors returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Newsmax.TV's Kathleen Walter takes a look at what VFW members are doing to ensure the organization survives for decades to come.

In its second major misstep with veterans in as many months, the Obama administration gave our representative organizations another opportunity to step up on our behalf and defend us from misguided government action. The meek response from the national leadership of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) stood in stark contrast to the strong statement from the American Legion's national commander, David K. Rehbein. At issue was the recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report that profiled returning veterans as potential recruits for right-wing extremist organizations and urged law enforcement personnel to...

WASHINGTON, March 4, 2009 – The Veterans of Foreign Wars will sponsor eight Purple Heart recipients who served in the Persian Gulf, Iraq or Afghanistan wars in the Annual Veterans Golf Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C. The trip, May 17 to 20, will include free airfare, hotel accommodations and the tournament entry fee for each winner. Players must have a U.S. Golf Association slope handicap or be able to validate five or six of their most recent scores to be eligible. Meals will be included, and family members may attend at their own expense. This will be the first...

Per VFW

America's generals love to brag about their all-volunteer Army. That's because they tend to overlook Jeffrey Mellinger. He donned his Army uniform for the first time on April 18, 1972, about the time the Nixon Administration was seeking "peace with honor" in Vietnam and The Godfather was opening on the silver screen. Nearly 37 years later, he's still wearing Army green. Mellinger is, by all accounts, the last active-duty draftee serving in the U.S. Army....

Video Prologue at Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22, 2009 – The national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. said today's presidential decision to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is not a prudent course of action during a time of war. "The detention facility is a valuable tool in the fight against terrorism because it provides useful intelligence information and it keeps our enemies off the battlefield," said Glen M. Gardner, Jr., a Vietnam veteran from Round Rock, Texas, just north of Austin. President Obama's executive order will begin an immediate case-by-case review of 245 remaining detainees, and close...

Call for Volunteers – Escambia Veterans Plan for the Final 7 days of the 2008 Presidential Campaign The issues are National Security and rejection of Income Redistribution. Elect a hero instead of an unknown. The following information and daily events schedule is all you need to take some personal action in the closing days of this race. Winning Florida is a must and Northwest Florida is the key. Your active participation in the next 7 days could be a deciding factor in McCain/Palin winning here by a substantial margin. We encourage you to do the following: þ Vote (the info...

...VFW-PAC has decided to endorse Reps. John Murtha (PA-12) and Patrick Murphy (PA-8). VFW-PAC could hardly have chosen two men who disagreed more sharply with the sense and principles of the VFW on this crucial matter. ...VFW-PAC's decision is particularly startling because both Murtha and Murphy are running against long-time veterans who actually share the principles of the VFW.

The political arm of Veterans of Foreign Wars on Saturday endorsed Democratic U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, who did not serve in the military, over Republican challenger Pete Olson, a former Navy pilot and Pentagon liaison. Also, the National Rifle Association made its backing of Lampson official, months after signaling its support of his legislative votes for gun ownership rights.

Today President Bush traveled to Orlando, Florida to speak to the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention. Unlike the whiney messiah who spoke to the VFW yesterday, President Bush didn’t hesitate to thank those have served and defended America in time of war. (Transcript) I know you share with me a deep love for America and an awesome pride in those who defend her. When I meet with our troops, they always inspire me with their sense of duty and honor.They are America's finest citizens. (Applause.) The President also spoke about the situation in Georgia, reinforcing the United States’ solidarity...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2008 – The United States is beholden to servicemembers fighting the war against terrorism and to military veterans who served in past conflicts, President Bush said at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Orlando, Fla., today. “America owes the men and women of the VFW a debt that could really never be repaid,” Bush said to a group that included some of today’s servicemembers as well as veterans of past conflicts. “You fought for our freedoms. And then when you came home, you volunteered to continue to serve this nation.” Bush also thanked and praised...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2008 – The United States must remain on the offensive to defeat global terrorism, President Bush told U.S. military veterans in Orlando, Fla., today. The only way to bring U.S. servicemembers home from Afghanistan and Iraq is victory, Bush told Veterans of Foreign Wars members at their convention. “We must not rest until that war is won,” Bush declared. Bush saluted the VFW members for their past service in uniform and for their volunteerism today. The organization, he said, donates about 13 million hours of vital services to communities nationwide each year. The men and women...

Democrat Barack Obama used his appearance Tuesday at a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention to attack Republican John McCain's critique of him to the group a day earlier - but got a cooler reception than did the Vietnam veteran running against him for president. Obama denied McCain's assertions that he was for failure in Iraq, or shifting his anti-war stance out of expediency, or in any way basing his foreign policy on a strategy to win the presidency. "Let's have a serious debate, and let's debate our disagreements on the merits of policy - not personal attacks," Obama said. Obama...

Days before Denver's Democratic Convention, Barrack Obama is standing tall and striking back. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Tuesday urged his Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, to stop questioning his character and patriotism. Obama spoke to the same veterans group in Florida that McCain addressed the day before when he accused Obama of putting his political ambitions ahead of U.S. national interests. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has the latest on the presidential campaign from Washington. Senator Obama told the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Orlando, Florida, that Afghanistan remains the central front in the war on terrorism, and...

ORLANDO, FLA. -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama defended his patriotism today, chiding rival John McCain for impugning his integrity and challenging the Republican to acknowledge that they can disagree without maligning each other. "I have never suggested that Sen. McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics or personal ambition," Obama told an audience of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. "I have not suggested it because I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America's national interest. Now it's time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same." One day after McCain addressed the...

US Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) speaks at the VFW's Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, August 19, 2008. REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA)

<p>Addressing the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, Obama reaffirmed his early opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq and said the so-called "surge" strategy of sending 30,000 additional troops to Iraq last year had not produced the political reconciliation necessary to achieve lasting peace in the country. McCain supported the Iraq invasion and was an early champion of the surge.</p>

Obama calls on McCain to acknowledge his patriotism Obama tries to push back McCain's shots at his character, without impugning McCain's, in a speech to veterans today. In particular, he's demanding that McCain call him a patriot -- forcing the direct question to a candidate who, at times, shies away from his own harsh attacks; and pressing a storyline Obama likes: That McCain is Mr. Negative. From the prepared remarks: But one of the things that we have to change in this country is the idea that people can't disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism. I have never...

Here is video of a major portion of John McCain's remarks to the National VFW Convention meeting in Orlando, Florida, August 18, 2008. He hammered Barack Obama for his opposition to the Surge Strategy in Iraq, saying Obama not only predicted the Surge would fail but tried to "legislate failure" by opposing funding for the troops. . . (see video)

“I know that earlier this year, Senator Obama proposed cutting the NASA budget and delaying the timetable for our return to the Moon and the Mars mission,” McCain said. “I believe that he later repudiated his own plan. Sometimes it is difficult to know what a politician will actually do once in office, because they say different things at different times to different people. This is a particular problem when a candidate has a short, thin record on the issues as in the case of Senator Obama. “Let me say, just in case Senator Obama does decide to return to...

Here is video of Sen. John McCain hammering Barack Obama on his opposition to the Surge Strategy in Iraq in pursuit of his ambition to be President. McCain pointed out that Obama not only predicted failure of the Surge Strategy, he tired to "legislate failure" once the Surge was underway be voting against funding for the U.S. Troops in the field who were carrying out the Surge. McCain made the remarks during an address before the National VFW Convention meeting in Orlando, Florida today, August 18, 2008. . . . (see video)

Republican presidential candidate and former prisoner of war John McCain took off the gloves at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) convention in Florida on Monday, accusing his opponent of putting personal ambition in front of national interest in opposing the troop surge in Iraq. McCain accused Democratic rival Barack Obama of "shifting positions" on the surge, adding that the Illinois senator's opposition to the surge and subsequent troop funding bills provided a "clarifying moment." "Not content to merely predict failure in Iraq, my opponent tried to legislate failure," McCain said. He added: "It was a moment when political self-interest...

Here is a video clip from John McCain's speech this morning to the National Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Convention meeting in Orlando, Florida. In this clip, McCain states that as President he will stand strongly behind the former Soviet Republics whose freedom is now being threatened by Russia. . . . (see video)

ARLINGTON, VA -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today announced that John McCain will speak at the 109th Annual Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States National Convention in Orlando, Florida on Monday, August 18th. Monday, August 18, 2008 ORLANDO, FLORIDA WHO: John McCain WHAT: Speech WHEN: Monday, August 18, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. EDT WHERE: Orange County Convention Center 9800 International Drive Orlando, Florida 32819

Is VFW Post Phone MessageA VFW in Susquehanna County is drawing some attention because of its answering machine message. Some in Montrose wonder if it the right message. The VFW near Montrose is a busy place along Route 706, a place where many in the area come to socialize. But some folks are questioning the post's answering machine message, saying it's not very social at all. "Hello, this is Montrose VFW. We are an English speaking, American establishment. If you do not speak English or believe in America, please hang up," the message says. "Racist. I mean, that's like, this...