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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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Posted on 01/04/2003 12:01:24 AM PST by SAMWolf
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are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. We hope to provide an ongoing source of information about issues and problems that are specific to Veterans and resources that are available to Veterans and their families. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.
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 As one of America’s foremost veterans service organizations, AMVETS (or American Veterans) has a proud history of assisting veterans and sponsoring numerous programs that serve our country and its citizens. The helping hand that AMVETS extends to veterans and their families takes many forms.  Members of AMVETS Post 113 and the Hispanic Airborne Association proudly step out in a Southern California parade commemorating the 50th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. One of the most visible is our network of trained national service officers (NSOs) accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Funded by the AMVETS National Service Foundation, these dedicated men and women can be found in close to 40 states, providing sound advice and prompt action on compensation claims at no charge to the veteran. In one recent year alone, AMVETS national service officers processed more than 24,000 claims that resulted in veterans receiving some $400 million in compensation. This commitment to service traces its roots back to 1948, when our NSOs first began helping veterans of World War II to obtain the benefits promised them by the federal government.  AMVETS National Service Officer Robert Estes provides encouragement to a veteran undergoing physical therapy at the VA medical center in Dallas, Tex. Coincidental, it was these returning veterans who provided the impetus for forming AMVETS in the first place. At the time, many of them belonged to veterans clubs on college campuses. As the number of returnees swelled into the millions, it was evident that some sort of nationally organized assistance for them would be needed. The older established national groups wouldn’t do; the leaders of this new generation of veterans wanted their own organization. With that in mind, eighteen of them, representing nine veterans clubs, met in Kansas City, Mo., and founded The American Veterans of World War II on Dec. 10, 1944. Less than three years later, on July 23, 1947, President Harry S. Truman signed Public Law 216, making AMVETS the first World War II organization to be chartered by Congress.  President John F. Kennedy (left), a former AMVETS post commander, meets with AMVETS National Commander Harold S. Russell, winner of two Academy Awards. In 1961, Kennedy signed legislation enabling the USS Arizona Memorial to be completed. Since then, the original charter has been amended several times to admit as members those who served in different eras. Today, membership in AMVETS is open to anyone who is currently serving, or who has honorably served, in the U.S. Armed Forces from World War II to the present, to include the National Guard and Reserves. As a volunteer-led organization, we annually elect and/or appoint officers at the national, district, department and post levels. Each August, representatives from these levels attend the AMVETS national convention to make decisions on issues affecting veterans and the organization. Over the years, AMVETS has been in the forefront of public-policy related to national defense, services for homeless veterans, adequate funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, concurrent receipt of retirement pay and disability compensation by disabled military retirees, veterans employment and training, POW/MIA accountability and flag protection.  A member of the Junior AMVETS presents a personal-care kit to a veteran hospitalized at the VA medical center in Louisville, Ky. On "Because We Care Day," AMVETS volunteers may distribute as many as 30,000 of the kits, which are donated by the AMVETS National Service Foundation. In addition to the work of our national service officers, other AMVETS members, as well as those in the AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary, will devote as many as 250,000 hours of free time a year to brighten the lives of hospitalized veterans. Here, something as simple as playing cards with the lonely or watching television with the disabled can make a world of difference. So can the assistance we give those who want to finish their education. Each year AMVETS awards scholarships totaling $40,000 to deserving high school seniors, ROTC students and veterans pursuing higher education. But helping others is not limited to our fellow veterans. AMVETS members in more than 1,400 posts nationwide also promote and support “quality of life” community-service programs ranging from Special Olympics and ROTC to scouting and organ-donor projects. Apart from these initiatives, the organization has thrown its monetary support behind work on such national monuments as the USS. Arizona, the Statue of Liberty and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It also sponsors its own carillon program to honor America’s deceased servicemen and women. Since 1949, when President Truman dedicated the first carillon at Arlington National Cemetery, this program has grown to encompass more than 60 sites in the United States and overseas.  Entertainer Lee Greenwood (left) receives the AMVETS' Silver Helmet Americanism Award from National Commander James B. King. Greenwood was honored in 1988 for his popular patriotic anthem, God Bless the USA. Another tribute unique to AMVETS is the Silver Helmet Award, often referred to as the Veterans Oscar. A replica of the World War II GI helmet, this prestigious award is presented annually to recognize excellence and achievement in Americanism, defense, rehabilitation, congressional service and other fields. As the organization moves further into the 21st century, it does so with the conviction that its focus on preserving freedom, supporting America’s defenders and serving her communities remains a clear blueprint for continued service to God and country.
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Despite unparalleled military strength and great economic and political influence, the United States faces new challenges in defending itself and the American way of life. To meet these challenges, our nation must maintain a national defense that can meet any need and defeat any foe. This requires the proper resources and, as such, AMVETS encourages our military and foreign policy leadership to ensure that the brave and dedicated men and women who serve in our Armed Forces are provided with the best possible training, equipment and technology.
Therefore, AMVETS calls for actions that will-
VA healthcare has become the system of choice for many veterans and the primary resource for care of veterans with service-connected injuries. In addition to various inpatient programs and related treatments for veterans, the system maintains a variety of highly specialized and, often costly, services for treatment of blind veterans and those suffering from spinal-cord injuries. It is the first backup to the Department of Defense in times of armed conflict and a high tech provider of specialized services-many of which are needed because of the traumas of combat. The system is also a key element of VA research and development, which AMVETS strongly supports because of its contributions to veterans' healthcare and the public good.
AMVETS believes it is essential that adequate funding be provided VA's health-care system. We remain insistent about funding the needs of the system, serving veterans, and the recruitment and retention of vital health-care professionals, especially registered nurses. Despite a decrease in the overall number of veterans in this country, reliance on VA services continues to increase. VA estimates it will see an additional 1.2 million patients over the next year, bringing the number of veterans served up to 4.9 million-a 31 percent increase over last year. Years of flat-lined budgets, however, have led to rationing of care through reduced services, lengthy delays in appointments, higher co-payments and, in some cases, veterans being turned away from treatment.
With this in mind, AMVETS seeks actions that will-
AMVETS, in concert with our fellow veterans service organizations, is committed to ensuring full access to employment opportunities for our nation's veterans. It is important that programs and policies at the federal level continue to help veterans to establish private businesses by providing them with technical, financial and procurement assistance, thus allowing more of them to become part of the American work force.
AMVETS will remain vigilant in supporting the delivery of federally funded programs that ensure priority employment and training services for veterans. We believe the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) is a quality program and key component in the assimilation of veterans into the work force and, as such, should be established at every DoD installation.
Therefore, AMVETS seeks actions that will-
AMVETS recognizes that the human costs of war cannot be ignored by an honorable nation and that veterans' benefits are as much a cost of war as are the more tangible tools of conflict. We view veterans' benefits as legitimate compensation, paid on behalf of a grateful nation, to the men and women who were injured in their service to country.
Our nation provides benefits and services to its veterans and eligible dependents through a variety of specially designed programs. The core benefit administered by VA is compensation to veterans disabled as a result of service in the Armed Forces. In general, these benefits are intended to compensate for service-connected disabilities or to serve as a safety net for totally disabled, nonservice-connected wartime veterans.
AMVETS is very concerned about the growing backlog of disability claims that leaves many veterans without a decision or outcome on their requests for compensation, thereby suffering delay in earned benefits.
In addition to these concerns, AMVETS seeks actions that will-
AMVETS supports the right of the American people to protect their flag from desecration. We seek to overturn a 1989 Supreme Court decision that allows the U.S. flag to be burned, torn, trampled, or otherwise physically desecrated under the guise of free speech. Since the Court's 5 to 4 decision, the only way the American people can reclaim their right to protect Old Glory is through a constitutional amendment. Such an amendment, which AMVETS strongly supports, provides that "Congress shall have the power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States."
Flag amendment legislation passed the House of Representatives by the required 2/3 majority in July 2001. The Senate, however, did not act on the measure. AMVETS calls on members of the 108th Congress to seek constitutional protection against desecration of the flag of the United States.
AMVETS remains committed to pursuing the American POW/MIA issue until the fullest possible accounting of our missing service personnel has been achieved. We vow to stand behind our men and women in uniform and work to account for those who do not return. We will keep the lines of communication open between AMVETS National Headquarters and the Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office.
AMVETS, therefore, seeks actions that will-
AMVETS has long recognized a clear need to pursue a more comprehensive and coordinated effort to address homelessness among veterans. According to the latest VA estimates, on any given night, more than 250,000 men and women who previously served in the Armed Forces spend their time on the streets of U.S. cities and rural towns with no place to call home.
Over the years, members of AMVETS have adopted a series of resolutions seeking adequate levels of federal, state and local funding to ensure that resources are in place to help prevent homelessness among veterans. As an organization, we have been and continue to be intricately involved in programs and initiatives across the country to aid homeless veterans.
We applaud enactment of legislation in the 107th Congress to establish as a national goal the elimination of chronic homeless in the next decade. Providing assistance to homeless veterans can play a major role in getting these men and women back on their feet and into the mainstream of community life.
With this in mind, AMVETS seeks actions that will-
| 'AMVETS stands as a powerful advocate of veterans' rights. We do this by working together to make a positive difference in each other's lives, whether by providing professional advice about government entitlements; volunteering time with the hospitalized; or actively pursuing veterans' issues on Capitol Hill. Our members have been building on this tradition of service since World War II — to the benefit of, not only their fellow veterans, but also the communities in which they live. On the pages that follow, I invite you to learn more about our organization and what we're doing to build for a better America.' -- W.G. "Bill" Kilgore, |
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