Controversy over VFW endorsements didn't remove Skelton's earlier award

Pulaski County Daily News ^ | 10/23/2010 | Darrell Todd Maurina

[darrellmaurina]

(Oct. 23, 2010) — While it wasn’t mentioned at the Pulaski County “Veterans for Vicky” rally because speaker Bill Rostad isn’t a Veterans of Foreign Wars member, the VFW endorsement of U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton being widely publicized by his campaign has come under significant attack by the campaign of his Republican challenger, Vicky Hartzler, and by some members of the VFW itself. Candidates, including Skelton, often state that they’ve been “endorsed by the VFW,” “endorsed by the National Rifle Association,” or by other similar organizations, but the VFW and NRA are nonprofit 501(c)3 tax-exempt organizations which can’t explicitly endorse candidates for office. This year when the VFW political action committee endorsed numerous Democrats, a major protest broke out and the VFW national commander wants to shut down the PAC. That does not by itself revoke Skelton’s VFW Congressional award, which is given once per year to a member of congress. Unlike the VFW-PAC political endorsements, the VFW Congressional Award is given directly by the VFW. Former VFW National Commander Thomas Tradewell said in March that the award was given to Skelton “because it recognizes a champion in Congress who fights for a strong and secure America, and for those who wear and have worn the uniform, as well as their families.”