THE OFFICIAL VOICE OF THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS …

THE OFFICIAL VOICE OF THE DISABLEDAMERICAN VETERANS AND DAV AUXILIARY

www.dav.orgNOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2006

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Top left, DAV members take advantage of Cyber Central to e-mail their Senators and Representatives and access the Membership system. Top right, delegates enjoy the fountain across from the Hilton Chicago Hotel, home the 85th National Convention.

Right, Harley-Davidson Chief Execu-tive Officer Jim Ziemer, left, presents to National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson a $1 million donation from the Harley-Davidson Foundation for the DAV’s service programs.

Bottom left, DAV delegates register for the National Convention. Center, Ford Motor Company Fund Contribution Manager Sandra Nicholls, center, is joined by National Volun-tary Services Director Edward E. Hartman, right, and Transportation Network volunteer driver Jesse L. Johnson of Chapter 45 in Fay-etteville, N.C., following Ford’s donation of 11 new vans to the Transportation Network and $50,000 to the Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship Program.

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f r o m t h e N A T I O N A L C O M M A N D E R

Bradley S. Barton

�DAV MAGAZINE

I am touched and deeply honored to be selected by my fellow disabled veterans as your National Commander in

the coming year.Thank you for the confidence you have placed in me. I

will do my very best to serve you and carry on our mission of service and hope.

As I think about those who have held this cherished office before me, I am truly humbled. I know I have my work cut out for me to measure up to the caliber of leadership they represent. But I’ll have lots of help and support from National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson, who has set some very high standards for leadership in the DAV himself, as well as his staff of top-notch professionals.

From both our national headquarters to our National Service Offices, from our Departments and Chapters to in-dividual members around the country, I think I’ll have all the help I need to keep the DAV the finest veterans service organization in the whole world.

The DAV means a lot to all of us. And we each have a per-sonal connection to the organization that ties us all together — like an extended family.

Like many of you, my family has been instrumental in my survival and rehabilitation. My brother Otho, for example, came to Japan to be with me while I was in the hospital recovering from my injuries. I probably would not have sur-vived without his being there to motivate me.

And when I was at Great Lakes Naval Hospital, it was a tremendous boost to my spirits to have my family come visit me almost daily. My family was not very well off financially, and it was a sacrifice for them to visit me so often.

The hospital was about 35 miles from where I grew up, and my cousin Mildred wore out her car bringing my mother back and forth all those times.

So, I want to recognize the families of DAV members. After all, we all owe so much of the credit for what we’ve done in our lives to the love and support we receive from our families.

Like you, I can’t think of a greater feeling than the one we get from assisting our fellow disabled veterans. Whether it’s helping them file a claim, taking them to the VA for their medical appointments or just spending time visiting with them in the hospital, our volunteers know that feeling.

Sadly, though, I constantly hear from our Hospital Service Coordinators and others how difficult it is to find people to volunteer at VA hospitals to pass out comfort items or to drive vans. So, I would like to encourage all of you to get involved and volunteer. It helps us, and it helps them. And it will make you feel good.

Like many of you, my life experience has been a motiva-tion to help our fellow disabled veterans. After returning home from Vietnam, I went to college and I began to see the problems that veterans often face when they return home from war.

As you know, that was quite a turbulent time in our nation’s history. College professors were critical of the war in Vietnam and those who fought it. Many of my professors and fellow students didn’t draw a distinction between the war and the warrior. So I witnessed first hand how cruel one’s country can be to returning veterans.

As a result, veterans on campus organized to protect our-selves from such a negative attitude and to help one another adjust to the educational process. We conducted used book sales, tutoring and social events to help and support one another.

And in the end, we were able to gain the respect and

DAV: A Personal Connection

Bradley S. Barton, a combat-disabled veteran of the Vietnam War, was elected National Commander on August 15, 2006,

by a unanimous vote of the delegates to the 85th National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. Following are highlights of his

acceptance remarks, which were received with enthusiastic applause and a standing ovation at its conclusion.

(Continued on page 42)

Building Better Lives for America’s Disabled Veterans

®

®®

Bradley S. Barton National Commander

Arthur H. Wilson National Adjutant & Publisher

Gary Weaver National Director of

Communications

David E. Autry Deputy National Director

of Communications

Arvel “Jim” Hall Assistant National Director

of Communications

Thomas L. Wilborn Assistant National Director

of Communications

Rob Lewis Marketing & Special Events

Manager

Dan Clare Associate National Director

of Communications

James A. Chaney Production Manager

MAGAZINE • November/December 2006

Contact Us: www.dav.org • Toll Free 877.426.2838 • 3725 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, KY 41076

� DAV MAGAZINE

Volume 48, Issue 6, DAV Magazine (ISSN 0885-

6400) Editorial Office: DAV Magazine, P.O. Box

14031, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301. Telephone

(859) 441-7300 or toll free (877) I AM A VET.

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by the Disabled American Veterans, a Congres-

sionally-chartered, non-profit organization, P.O.

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1 National Commander Bradley S. Barton points out that disabled veterans and their families have a deep personal connection with the DAV and pledges to strengthen the organization for today’s and tomorrow’s veterans.

3 National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson urges lawmakers to give final approval to the American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act to help us realize our goal of building the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.

5 In presenting his first legislative testimony before the House Veterans’ Affairs Commit-tee, National Commander Bradley S. Barton urged Congress to make sure that veterans health care is adequately funded and that those funds are available on the first day of the new fiscal year.

7 Delegates to the 85th National Convention conducted the serious business of electing new national officers, setting the organization’s policy agenda for the coming year, and sharpening the skills they need to provide even better service to disabled veterans.

11 National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson expresses grave concerns that proposals to replace monthly disability compensation payments with a one-time, lump sum payout would be bad for disabled veterans.

12 National Director of Voluntary Services Edward E. Hartman notes that the Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship Program helps us forge a strong relationship with young people, who are the future leaders in their communities.

16 An astute National Service Officer helps correct a serious VA disability rating error for a World War II combat veteran.

19 The DAV has made cost-effective, efficient use of information technology a high priority to improve services and better meet our members’ needs as set forth in out Strategic Plan.

26 National Commander Bradley S. Barton and Auxiliary National Commander Donna M. Tanner, head an outstanding slate of new national officers for the 2006-2007 member-ship year.

33 Auxiliary National Commander Donna M. Tanner looks forward to building a stronger organization dedicated to serving disabled veterans and their families.

39 As the nation marks the 65th anniversary of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor that thrust the United States into World War II, survivors of that momentous event hold their last official reunion.

f r o m t h e N A T I O N A L A D J U T A N T

Arthur H. Wilson

November/December 2006 �

Pass the Commemorative Coin Act

We’ve seen it time and again: one chamber in Congress passes a bill with overwhelming support, yet it gets

bogged down on the other side of Capitol Hill. Unfortunate-ly, that’s what has happened to legislation that would help raise valuable funding for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.

The Senate version of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act (S.633) passed by unanimous consent this summer. The House companion bill (H.R.1951) has 201 co-sponsors, yet the measure has been stalled in the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology.

Introduced in the Senate in March 2005 by Senator Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) and in the House in April 2005 by Repre-sentative Sue Kelly (R-N.Y.), the measure would authorize the Treasury Department to mint commemorative silver dollar coins and allocate the surcharge proceeds from their sale to the memorial. This important legislation is designed to provide another avenue for raising funds to complete the construction of the memorial. The estimated total cost of the memorial is over $60 million.

When completed, the memorial will be a solemn dec-laration that America honors and reveres the sacrifices of disabled veterans. It will be a reminder to future generations that courage and duty and honor are not lost values. And with so many Americans serving and sacrificing in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, we believe such a reminder is, unfortunately, very necessary.

Since it was authorized by Congress in 2000, the memo-rial has cleared a number of hurdles needed to become a reality. The site has been selected and approved. The design concept was accepted by the National Capital Planning Commission and the Commission of Fine Arts in 2004. The

next hurdle is the design approval process. With the fundraising and construction ongoing, it is an-

ticipated that the memorial will be dedicated in 2010.DAV Departments, Chapters and our individual members

have really been generous with their donations, as have other veterans service organizations and private citizens. The campaign for corporate support is underway and gain-ing momentum.

But urgent action is needed to help ensure passage of the American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act before the 109th Congress adjourns. DAV members and their families are urged to contact your Representative now and ask them to support H.R. 1951.

To find out if your Representative is a co-sponsor of the bill or to send an e-mail message urging support for the American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act, visit the Legislative Action Center on the DAV Web site www.dav.org.

By supporting the American Veterans Disabled for Life Commemorative Coin Act Congress will be recognizing the veterans who have courageously answered our country’s call and who now carry the scars of war every day. The measure will honor their sacrifices and will help us realize our goal of building the American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial.

As advocates for disabled veterans, I believe we have a duty to make sure the American public understands and honors the sacrifices made by disabled veterans for our country. And those sacrifices represent the cost of freedom, a price that disabled veterans and their fami-lies continue to pay every day for the rest of their lives. The coin and the memorial will help us accomplish that mission.

4 DAV MAGAZINE

DAV Magazine welcomes letters. However, due to the volume of mail, we are unable to acknowl-edge every letter.LOUD & CLEAR letters are sub-ject to editing for clarity, style, accuracy, space, and propri-ety. Letters involving individual claims are referred to the DAV Service Department, DAV Maga-zine, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, Ohio 45250-0301.

Rule Changes Hurt Vets

After reading the letter from Cheryl Monroe in your July/August DAV Magazine, I couldn’t agree more with her comment that “Rules shouldn’t change on the whims of the current administration.” Retiring in 1994, I was given a 10 percent disability due to a back injury. In 2005, I requested to be re-evaluated due to further complica-tions that I perceived to be a result of that injury. After an appointment at the VA, I received a letter stating that my current symptoms were actually below the new guidelines for a 10 per-cent disability. However, no changes would be made to my current status. In other words, “Gee, under our new guidelines, written since you retired, you don’t actually qualify for any dis-ability. However, being the good people that we are, we’re not going to take away what we’ve already given you.” Needless to say, I was not happy with their response and can only wonder...our government is counting on our troops, yet is hesitant to pay for any injuries they may incur. With the de-cline in benefits, and the unwillingness to actually support our troops after their time in service, no wonder our enlistment rates are dropping. Patrick Sims, Roanoke, VA

Lawyers Not Needed for Vet Claims

Great article from National Adjutant Arthur Wilson in the July/August edition. Vets are often forced into getting a law-yer when the VA refuses to give them the benefit of the doubt regarding issues like date of injury/claim reported to the VA. They have denied me disability compen-sation back to 1992, simply because their physician is now retired. The administra-tion’s “rule of law” and “spirit and intent” of those laws rings quite hollow with me and my family. Lt. Cdr. (USN, Ret.) James J. Tenant, Centennial, CO

What a wonderful article! We need more like these! I am one of the World War II honorably discharged veterans who have resorted to lawyers in order to get my claim processed. It is still pending! I have written my Congress-man and Senators opposing the legisla-tion mentioned in your article, and will watch the outcome closely. Donald A. James, Kingston, OK

Lawyers Could Help Veterans

I do not agree with Adjutant Wilson’s article in the July/August 2006 issue. The right to use an attorney should be a last resort and only used if the situation calls for legal force. Mr. Wilson mentioned the percentage of success between veterans service organization help and attorney assistance. What wasn’t addressed was the type of claim and the resultant complications. With all that’s being done to veterans benefits, almost none of it good, the VA needs a wake up call where it will hurt—in

the wallet. Time spent delaying a claim costs money. With an attorney breathing down their neck, things would speed up, especially if the veterans had the right to sue for recovery of legal costs. Dave Troescher, Santa Maria, CA

You are right. Veterans should not have to hire lawyers to receive the bene-fits to which they are entitled, since they have already “paid the price” for those benefits. Neither should injured workers or victims of other people’s negligence have to hire a lawyer to be properly compensated. But this is the real world. What should we do? We should not allow lawyers to be paid by the veteran, but we should allow lawyers to represent veterans. If the claim is denied, then the lawyer receives nothing. We should also require the VA to pay all attorney fees and costs if the claim is successful. This would cause the VA to do a better job of reviewing claims, and only deny-ing those where the facts are clear and convincing. If the VA had to pay, out of its budget, for their mistakes, it would be more than an “embarrassment,” it might actually scare the VA into fulfilling its mission to assist the veteran. It might even scare Congress. If it did not, then at least the burden would be borne by the taxpayers, and not by the veterans alone. H. Ownby, Plano, TX

Legislative Article Inspires

I wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed the article by National Legisla-tive Director Joseph A. Violante in the July/August edition. The only thing that would have really added to the value of this article would be if it were permissible to identify the member of Congress that plugged so much pork into the veterans bill. I certainly did enjoy reading this article, and I could just feel the passion from Joseph A. Violante, which is what is often miss-ing from other writers. Rick Scollon, Oregon, WI (Continued on page 44)

November/December 2006 5

National Commander Barton Urges

VA Budget Overhaul

Calling the way veterans health care is funded a failure, National Commander Bradley S. Barton called on Con-

gress to “join the DAV and the entire veterans’ community in an open and frank discussion of the current VA appropria-tions process and how that process might be improved to better serve our nation’s sick and disabled veterans.”

In his first appearance before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee since being elected National Commander, Barton said “the DAV has been fighting to make sure that veterans health care is adequately funded, and that those funds are available on the first day of the new fiscal year.”

“As the current fiscal year draws to a close,” he told the

committee, “we hear from VA officials around the country that health care funding shortfalls continue to hamper their ability to care for sick and disabled veterans. They are unable, or unwilling, to hire needed medical staff, in large part because of prob-lems with the current budget process. With just days before the new fiscal year, the VA still does not have an appropriations bill.”

“It is impossible for the VA to plan for the coming fiscal year when it does not know what its budget will be or when it will get its allocation. And that is no way to run the second largest federal agency with the country’s largest integrated health care system. The VA simply cannot function properly under those conditions,” he said.

“The current budget process is a failure: it fails to serve veterans; it fails to serve the VA; and it fails the American taxpayer,” Commander Barton told the committee. The solution, he said, is changing VA’s health care funding stream from a discretionary to a mandatory program.

Commander Barton’s Sept. 20 testimony took on added importance as the Government Accountability

Office (GAO) released a report critical of the admin-istration’s budgeting for veterans health care. The report found that VA budget projections were based on unrealistic assumptions and insufficient and outdated information that led to serious funding shortfalls in veterans health care for the last two years.

Congress was forced to pass emergency supplemental appropriations to cover a $3 billion shortfall, something VA officials knew was coming but did not report to lawmakers.

The GAO report includes recommendations to improve the VA’s budgeting for health care and ways to facilitate congressional oversight.

House Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), who last year decided to cancel joint hearings of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees, said the September hearings were to “review the fiscal year just end-ing and look forward into the next year.”

Commander Barton urged Chairman Buyer to reconsider his decision to discontinue those joint hearings. “Personally,

Legislative Update

National Commander Bradley S. Barton, left, presents legislative testimony at a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on the VA budget.

By Dave Autry

6 DAV MAGAZINE

I would be honored and privileged to appear before a joint hearing of the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees and my peers, my fellow members of the DAV, to present DAV’s legislative agenda in February 2007,” he said.

Commander Barton told the com-mittee that although the proposed VA budget for fiscal year 2007 comes close to the levels recommended by the DAV and other coauthors of The Indepen-dent Budget, an additional $2 billion in discretionary funding is needed. He also said the DAV is “very concerned about another tightfisted budget in fiscal year 2008 and its impact on the needs of our nation’s veterans.”

According to some reports, the VA medical services budget faces a 3 per-cent cut in 2008 and would hover below $27 billion for the next four years.

Commander Barton also discussed another issue of great importance to the DAV and those veterans seeking benefits from the VA—pending legis-lation that would permit attorneys to charge veterans for assisting with their VA claims.

“The DAV firmly believes that al-lowing attorneys to charge a fee to represent veterans would not be in the best interests of veterans, and would be detrimental to the VA as well,” he said.

“As an attorney and a veteran who has considerable experience with the VA claims process, it is difficult to see how allowing attorneys to charge for their services will improve the situa-tion. What ails the VA claims system has nothing to do with who veterans choose to represent them,” the Com-mander said.

The real issues, he stressed, are the timeliness and accuracy of the decisions handed down by VA claims workers.

“I can understand why some at-torneys advocate changing the system.

And some veterans honestly believe they would receive better representa-tion by attorneys. But empirical data from the Board of Veterans’ Appeals shows that attorneys have a lower average allowance rate than veterans service organizations,” Commander Barton said.

“Veterans who fought for our coun-try should never have to fight our gov-ernment to get the benefits a grateful nation has provided for their sacrifices and service. Congress itself intended that these benefits be provided with a minimum of difficulty,” he stressed.

“The DAV does not stand alone in its opposition to these bills. This legisla-tion is also opposed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, AMVETS and several other military and veterans organizations. And I re-mind you that the VA itself is opposed to this ill-advised change in law,” the Commander said.

Commander Barton said the VA needs to hire more claims workers and provide intensive training to improve the quality as well as the timeliness of decisions. The VA also must enforce uniform quality standards through more effective management and exercise real accountability at all levels. More timely medical examinations and better infor-mation-sharing between the Veterans Benefits Administration and VA health care facilities are also needed.

“Only when the VA has taken these steps and Congress provides the neces-sary resources, will veterans receive the level of service they deserve. The VA’s objective—and its duty—is to pro-vide timely and accurate decisions on veterans’ claims,” Commander Barton said.

In addition, Commander Barton urged the committee to consider im-provements to several VA programs de-signed to benefit our nation’s disabled

veterans. Those recommendations were drawn from long-standing reso-lutions adopted at the DAV National Convention in Chicago and include the following:

• Support additional increases in grants for automobiles or other con-veyances available to certain disabled veterans and provide for automatic annual adjustments based on the increase in the cost of living. When this program was originally created in 1946, the law set the allowance at an amount sufficient to pay the full cost of a lower-priced new automobile. With subsequent cost-of-living increases, Congress sought to provide 85 percent of the average cost of a new automo-bile, and later 80 percent. Because of a lack of regular adjustments to keep pace with increased costs, the value of the automobile allowance has sub-stantially eroded through the years. Currently, the $11,000 automobile al-lowance represents only about a third of the average cost of automobiles in the year 2005.

• Increase the face value of Service Disabled Veterans’ Insurance (SDVI). The current $10,000 maximum for life insurance for veterans was first established in 1917, when most annual salaries were considerably less than $10,000. The maximum protection avail-able under SDVI should be increased to at least $50,000 to provide adequately for the needs of our survivors.

• Authorize VA to revise its premium schedule for SDVI to reflect current mortality tables. Premium rates are still based on mortality tables from 1941, thereby costing disabled veterans more for government life insurance than is available on the commercial market.

• Provide an additional increase in the specially adapted housing grant and automatic annual adjustments based on increases in the cost of living.


Brad Barton Pledges Service with Honor

Amid Chicago’s towering skyscrapers, an enthusiastic crowd of thousands attending the 85th DAV National

Convention unanimously elected Bradley S. Barton to the pinnacle of leadership as National Commander.

“I am touched and deeply honored to be selected by my fellow disabled veterans as your National Commander,” said Barton. “I will do my very best to serve you and carry on our mission of service and hope.”

More than 3,000 delegates and their guests converged on the Hilton Chicago Hotel Aug. 12- 15 to conduct the crucial business of the DAV, elect national officers, recognize those who support disabled veterans, establish the legislative pri-orities of the organization and expand their knowledge of the important issues affecting our nation’s veterans.

In accepting the mantel as National Commander, Barton affirmed the DAV “is still a vital force in the lives of disabled veterans and their families.”

“As I think about this new generation of Americans serv-ing in Iraq, Afghanistan and all around the world, I am more convinced than ever that the DAV needs to be there for them, just as it was for you and me,” said Barton. “By connecting with the new generation of disabled veterans,

we will be able to grow well beyond our historic one million life-member mark.”

“We will continue to build an even stronger, more ac-tive membership that truly is the very best veterans service organization on the face of the earth.”

National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson told the Board of Directors meeting on Aug. 11 that the DAV continues to be successful in its mission supporting disabled veterans and their families. “We’re extremely proud of the outstanding year the DAV has had,” Adjutant Wilson said. “We have spent more and more on service programs each year, thanks to our 1.3 million members nationwide for their continued support.”

The colorful National Convention Business Sessions—from the red, white and blue of the opening ceremonies to the rainbow of colors of the National Order of Trench Rats robes to the brightly colored lights of the concluding presentation of National Officers—were filled with stirring moments of patriotism and vital information on the future for disabled veterans.

Contrasting the hard work during the day, evenings were filled with entertainment at the National Commander’s

Left, Past National Commander Paul W. Jackson, left, presents new National Commander Bradley S. Barton with his National Command-er’s pin at the 85th National Convention. Above, National Commander Barton salutes the delegates who unanimously elected him to the DAV’s highest National Office.By Thom Wilborn

8 DAV MAGAZINE

reception, Fun Night with actor Gary Sinise and his Lt. Dan Band and the music of the Spectrum Singers at the Presentation of National Officers din-ner.

Then-National Commander Paul W. Jackson opened the National Conven-tion saying he reached an “important milestone” in his life when member-ship this year reached his goal of one million fully paid life members. “This was a momentous year in my life, and the DAV,” he said.

“This milestone shows to Congress and the administration that we are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to disabled veterans and their families,” said Jackson. “It is especially important for today’s and tomorrow’s disabled veterans because so many of our young men and women are fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places around the world. They deserve nothing but our best.”

Thanking the membership for their generous support during his year as National Commander, Jackson said

the DAV’s emphasis on service and advocacy in action for fellow disabled veterans made his term a really great year.

“You have given me a great opportu-nity to work on behalf of our disabled veterans and their families,” he said. I have seen a glimpse of the future, and I can tell you that there is much to of-fer.”

Sharing memories of his year as National Commander, Jackson noted his trip to Iraq where he witnessed first hand the courage and sacrifice of today’s service members.

“I was immediately impressed with the spirit of the young men and women who are putting their lives on the line in a war against a ruthless enemy,” he said. “I believe each new generation is the Greatest Generation. I can report to you that this generation serving in Iraq is among the finest in a long line of Greatest Generations.”

“I saw the confidence and dedication in each of them,” said Jackson. “And I told them that if they ever need us, the

DAV is here to help.”“There were some great speeches at

the National Convention,” said Clyde C. Hishok, a delegate from Chapter 60 in Warren, Mich. “Paul Jackson is a great speaker. I think he really got the point across.”

Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson praised the delegates as those who have “a unity of mission to those who serve in uniform.”

“It’s abundantly clear that the mem-bers of the DAV are devoted to one’s highest calling—helping your fellow veteran,” he said. “I think the most prized segment of our society is our veterans. While there is disagreement on the [Iraq] war, there is no disagree-ment about the warriors.”

Secretary Nicholson said the VA is facing the challenges of increasing claims and providing medical services to veterans. He said the VA is trying to be more timely and more accurate in deciding claims and working with more than one million VA patient ap-pointments each week.

Above National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson, left, and then-National Commander Paul W. Jackson pause for a few minutes before the start of the 85th National Convention. Center, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund president Jan Scruggs tells National Convention delegates about the proposed Vietnam Memorial Museum addition.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson addresses delegates to the National Conven-tion.


One of the greatest challenges accord-ing to Nicholson is the management of veterans’ personal computerized infor-mation which was inadvertently com-promised this summer when a laptop computer containing data on 26 mil-lion veterans and active duty military personnel was stolen from the home of a VA employee. An investigation ultimately determined the personal in-formation was not accessed, but the VA realized there was a dangerous risk of personal identity theft as a result. “We are making top to bottom changes, he said. “We are changing the culture of this organization.”

Auxiliary National Commander Judy M. Steinhouse told the National Convention she was ending a year of service that was “filled with many wonderful experiences.”

She said the Auxiliary fulfills its mis-sion of service to disabled veterans bet-ter than ever before. “We’re there to step up to the plate whenever needed,” she said. “The Auxiliary will always be there to honor, serve and protect our disabled veterans.”

Ford Motor Company Fund contin-ued its long history of supporting the DAV when it donated 11 new vans to the Transportation Network and $50,000 to the Jesse Brown Memo-rial Youth Scholarship Program, which each year awards 12 scholarships to deserving young men and women who have generously donated their time and compassion to the disabled veterans in their community.

“Your work helps build better communities for all of us,” said Fund Contribution Manager Sandra Nicholls. “Ford knows what you do is extremely important. The DAV has always stood up for America and those who serve liberty and so will Ford Motor Com-pany.”

The vans, valued at more than $250,000 and donated without cost to the DAV, continue more than 80 years of partnership between Ford and the DAV. The DAV has purchased 1,795 vans, at a cost of nearly $37 million, that have been donated to VA medical centers nationwide since the transpor-tation program began in 1987. The

vans are used in the DAV’s Transporta-tion Network to take sick and disabled veterans to VA medical centers and return them safely home. Since 1996, Ford Motor Co. has donated 117 vans to the Transportation Network.

Life-long veterans’ advocate and Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon H. Mansfield was honored as the Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year for 2006 during the opening session.

Mansfield, a decorated, combat-wounded Vietnam veteran, has dedicated his life to helping disabled veterans and their families by serving in many leadership roles in private and government agencies. He also became involved with forming a DAV Chapter in Marion County, Fla., and is a life member of the DAV.

“Gordon Mansfield has exhibited a lifetime of outstanding determina-tion to serve the needs of our nation’s disabled veterans,” said Commander Jackson. “This is the DAV’s most


National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson, right, and then-National Commander Jackson accept a ceremonial key from Ford Motor Company Fund Contribution Manager Sandra Nicholls, center, for the donation of 11 new vans to the Transportation Network.

Above, then-National Commander Paul W. Jackson congratulates then-Auxiliary National Commander Judy M. Steinhouse who summed her year of service as “filled with many wonderful experiences.” Above right, Golden Corral Marketing Manager Dolly Mercer thanks the DAV for its part-nership on “Military Appreciation Monday” hosted by the restaurant chain each November.

10 DAV MAGAZINE

Today a new generation of Ameri-cans knows the hardships and

horror of war, the loneliness and sac-rifice of serving our country at home or abroad and the meaning of duty and honor. Those men and women and their families will join millions of other proud Americans in honoring all our nation’s veterans for their service and sacrifice in solemn ceremonies on Veterans Day.

“On Veterans Day we remember the sacrifices of the men and women who have worn — and continue to wear — the uniforms of our armed forces,” said National Commander Bradley S. Barton. “All of us owe a great debt to those who stand on the ramparts, defending our freedom and keeping America a bright beacon of hope in the world.”

The focal point for official, national ceremonies for Veterans Day continues to be the memorial amphitheater built around the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. At 11 a.m. on Nov. 11—the historic moment

on Nov. 11, 1918, that marked the end of World War I — a combined color guard representing all military services executes “Present Arms” at the tomb. The nation’s tribute to its war dead is symbolized by the laying of a presiden-tial wreath. The bugler plays “Taps.” The rest of the ceremony takes place in the amphitheater.

Veterans Day ceremonies at Arling-ton and elsewhere are coordinated by the President’s Veterans Day National Committee. Chaired by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the committee repre-sents national veterans organizations. The DAV is among the 25 members of the committee. A number of other organizations are associate members of the committee.

Governors of states and U.S. territo-ries appoint Veterans Day chairpersons who, in cooperation with the Veterans Day National Committee and the Department of Defense, arrange and promote local ceremonies.

Many Department of Veterans Af-fairs facilities will also host local observations of Veterans Day at that hour, often serving as the focal point

of commemorative events within their communities. A number of communi-ties hold parades and other special commemorative events, which often involve DAV Departments local Chap-ters as well as other veterans service organizations.

Although World War I officially end-ed on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the actual fight-ing between the Allies and Germany had ended seven months earlier with the armistice, which went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918.

Armistice Day, as Nov. 11 became known, officially became a holiday in the United States in 1926, and a national holiday 12 years later. On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to honor all U.S. veterans.

In 1968, new legislation changed the national commemoration of Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. It soon became apparent, however, that Nov. 11 was a date of historic signifi-cance to many Americans. Therefore, in 1978 Congress returned the obser-vance to its traditional date.

Wounded U.S. Marine and Navy servicemen attending a ceremony on the Na-tional Mall in Washington, D.C. Above, returning doughboys march past the New York City public library in 1919.

Veterans Day


By Dave Autry

Replacing monthly disability compensation payments with a one-time, lump sum payout, as some have

suggested, might save the Department of Veterans Affairs money and reduce the claims backlog, but would it be good for veterans?

That is the fundamental question the Veterans’ Disability Benefits Commission must keep in mind as it weighs vari-ous options for reforming veterans benefits. “That really is the bottom line, whether those reforms will actually benefit veterans,” said National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson. “We’ve seen in the past that proposals for overhauling veterans benefits have focused on cutting costs and easing the VA’s workload with little regard for the potential adverse impact on disabled veterans. And because of those concerns, the DAV has consis-tently opposed lump sum payments for nearly a decade.”

Adjutant Wilson also noted that a long-standing resolution opposing lump sum payments for service-con-nected disability compensation was again adopted by the delegates to the DAV’s 2006 National Convention in Chicago.

The issue is again being debated as the Veterans’ Dis-ability Benefits Commission has asked its contractor, the CNA Corporation, to study the issues involved in offering a one-time lump sum payment instead of the current lifetime monthly compensation payments. A draft report presented to the commission at its Sept. 13-15 meeting in Washington, D.C., noted that despite the potential advantages of a lump sum program, there are some possible negative effects on veterans’ financial welfare.

The CNA report said the VA’s costs associated with monthly payments would be reduced simply from having fewer veterans in the system. In addition, the costs of pro-cessing those applications would be eliminated or reduced if lump sum recipients were not allowed to re-open claims when their service-connected disability worsens, or if the circumstances for re-opening claims were restricted.

One concern CNA found is that the lump sum should be “fair” in comparison with lifetime monthly compensation payments.

“The fairness issue is very troubling,” said National Ad-jutant Wilson. “In order for the VA to save money, the lump sum buyout would have to be less than the total of a veteran’s lifetime monthly compensation payments. What the commis-sion is being asked to consider is a one-time payment that could be about half of what the veteran would receive in a lifetime under the current compensation system.”

The CNA report looked at potential savings from lump sum payments to certain veterans with 10 percent or 20 percent disability ratings. One-time payments would be based on the veteran’s life expectancy and would be a fraction of the current

value of lifetime monthly payments. For example, a 25-year-old veteran rated 20 percent disabled who now gets $218 a month in compensa-tion would receive $65,127 over his lifetime. By offering that veteran a one-time payment of $21,329 to $32,691, the VA could save between 44 percent and 67 percent of its compensation costs.

“Related to the fairness issue, are questions of how veterans who re-ceive one-time payments would be treated if their disability gets worse, and whether they would still be able

to get VA health care for their service-connected disability,” said Wilson. “The current benefits program allows a veteran to apply for an increased rating when a service-connected condition deteriorates. So any change that does not allow lump sum recipients to re-open their claims certainly is not in the best interests of veterans.”

“Another concern is that some veterans’ might not use their lump sums wisely, which could jeopardize their basic financial welfare,” said Wilson. “Some veterans, especially those who already are in financial need or who lack ad-equate money management skills, might spend the money rather than invest it.”

“From a veterans advocacy standpoint, there are just too many potential drawbacks to lump sum payments,” Wilson said. “The DAV strongly opposes the government’s using lump sum settlements to entice veterans to give up their fu-ture compensation entitlement. In the final analysis, a lump sum program would be a reduction in veterans’ benefits to save the government money. And that would be a bad bargain for disabled veterans.”

Lump Sum: Buy-Out or Sell-Out?

D I R E C T O R ’ S C O M M E N T A R Y

Edward E. Hartman, National Director of Voluntary Services

DAV MAGAZINE��

When the youth scholarship program began in 2000, the

DAV had high hopes that, in honor-ing one of our most fabled leaders, we’d establish a legacy of voluntary service for sick and disabled veter-ans and VA hospitals.

We could not have predicted at the time the impact this scholar-ship would have on the lives of thousands.

Time and again we’ve heard that volunteerism is a thing of the past.People don’t have time. They won’t take the time. They don’t care.

Popular culture calls our young people the “Me Generation”—peo-ple who believe the world revolves around them.

When it comes to the Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship recipients and candidates, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Through Department of Veterans Affairs Voluntary Service (VAVS) programs across the country, Amer-ica’s youth are reaching out in re-cord numbers to give their time and

energy to our disabled veterans.While the scholarship may provide

the initial incentive for these young folks to volunteer, they’re consis-tently exceeding—often doubling, and sometimes tripling—scholar-ship requirements and going above and beyond the call of duty.

The relationship they build in high school with America’s vet-erans regularly extends into their college careers and adult lives.

In less than a decade, the Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship has built bonds between tomorrow’s leaders and those who’ve sacrificed to make a bright future possible for our nation.

Let the pundits say what they will about our youth, but you won’t hear any complaints at VA medical centers where these generous souls are making a difference for disabled veterans.

If anything, let our future leaders be an example for the rest of us.

While they are giving their time after school and during their sum-

mer breaks, we find ourselves in constant need of help at hospitals.

The hallmark volunteerism we enjoyed from the Greatest Genera-tion has ebbed as many of our fine senior volunteers are aging and passing on.

While our youth scholars are back to school, off to college or establishing themselves profession-ally, we need more great volunteers to lead the way.

The opportunities to help are endless. And, like our generous young folks, most people who volunteer for sick and disabled veterans find themselves return-ing again and again.

It’s inspiring for us to see young people in hospitals. It gives us hope as a new generation returns from battle with wounds and illnesses that will require lifelong care.

It would be great if more of us could take more of our time to ensure all of our veterans get the care, attention and respect they’ve earned.

Future Leaders, Today’s Role Models


By D. Clare

On Nov. 14, 2004, Marines were fight-ing house-to-house in Fallujah, Iraq.

First Sgt. Bradley A. Kasal, a Weapons Company first sergeant for 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, was assisting in the fight when intense gunfire broke out in a nearby Iraqi home.

Several Marines were able to escape the house—which was later given the moni-ker “Hell House”—but others were pinned down inside. Kasal said there wasn’t time to think about the consequences.

“I’m not going to leave Marines be-hind in the hands of insurgents at any cost,” said Kasal. “I was told they were wounded. I was afraid of them ending up on television being beheaded later. I knew we had to get in there fast, we had to get in and get them.”

The house was a death trap. Upon en-tering, Kasal killed one insurgent at extreme close range. AK-47 gunfire was erupting from all directions, and he took his first hit from behind.

To pull one Marine—Lance Cpl. Alex Nichol—out of the line of fire, Kasal exposed himself to repeated enemy fire. Under cover, he and the young Marine assessed their wounds.

“There weren’t enough bandages. I thought it’s either one of us lives or both of us die. So I wanted my bandages to go to him,” Kasal re-called. “I never think I’m done. But realistically, the thought crossed my mind that I would bleed to death. I thought it was better to treat him.”

While Kasal was treating Nichol for his wounds, insurgents lobbed a grenade within two feet of the men. Kasal covered the young Marine, protecting him from shrapnel.

Help was on enroute. As Marines fought their way into the house, the first sergeant ordered them to treat the lance corporal. He took a fighting position to protect them as they treated and evacuated Nichol.

In the battle, Kasal was shot seven times by the enemy and sustained more than 40 shrapnel wounds.

As Kasal left the house, civilian photographer Lucian M. Read captured an image of Lance Corporals Chris Marquez and Dan Shaffer helping the first sergeant finally evacuate to safety.

The photograph, which has been displayed at Marine Corps installations all over the world, is considered to be

one of the Iraq war’s iconic images.The road to recovery for Kasal has been a long

and continuing struggle.After refusing medical care initially, he was

evacuated to a field hospital in Iraq.According to the Marine Corps, he lost more

than 60 percent of his blood from the wounds. Ini-tial surgery only cleaned out the wound. He was given transfusions and sent to the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.

Kasal lost four and a half inches of leg, and underwent more than 20 surgeries.

He spent Christmas at Bethesda Naval Medical Center near Washington, D.C. It was a low point for the single man who considered his Marines his family. As soon as he was able, he was in a wheelchair, visiting his fellow battle wounded troops.

Marine Sgt. Maj. Bradley A. Kasal

Honoring the Brave:

Navy Cross

Still holding his 9mm Beretta, a seriously injured First Sgt. Brad Kabal is carried from a house by Lance Cpls. Chris Marquez and Dan Shaffer on Nov. 13, 2004. Though Kasal has yet to be recognized for his deeds, they have already become the stuff of legend for this generation of Marines.


Imag

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ghts

don

ated

by

phot

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pher

Luc

ian

Rea

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14 DAV MAGAZINE

The motorcycle growls to a stop in the lane next to you waiting for

the light to turn green. You glance left. The man straddling the bike is square-jawed, weathered-looking, and his short cropped black hair is streaked with grey. He isn’t huge, but he is square shoul-dered and appears solid.

At first glance, you might think him a longshoreman at the nearby Long Beach Docks, or possibly a former boxer or football player, or a retired noncom from one of the Marine Corps bases farther south along the Southern California coast.

The man is actually William R. Mimiaga (a.k.a. Monsoon, Baseball Bill, Gunny Mims, Wild William and Bill), a disabled veteran and retired U.S. Marine Corps major with 31 years of service. He is also one of the most enthusiastic and outstanding teachers in the state of California.

After being nominated the second time by Diane Brown the principal at William Logan Stephens Middle School,

part of the Long Beach Unified School District, in Long Beach, Calif., Mimiaga was honored in a special ceremony in San Diego as the California Troops to Teachers Middle School Teacher of the Year on April 29, 2006.

Introduced through the Defense Au-thorization Bill in 1993, Troops to Teach-ers is a U.S. Department of Education and Department of Defense program helping eligible military personnel be-gin a new career as teachers in public schools where their skills, knowledge and experience are most needed. Troops to Teachers provides referral assistance and placement services to interested military personnel and veterans. The program is managed by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES). The DANTES Troops to Teachers office helps applicants iden-tify teacher certification requirements, programs leading to certification and employment opportunities.

Few meet the criteria of being mili-tary personnel more than Mimiaga. He

enlisted in the Marine Corps as a private in 1964 and retired wearing the golden oak leaves of a Marine Corps major 31 years later. His career included two combat tours in Vietnam that included a combat promotion to staff sergeant, a stint as a drill instructor that earned him a promotion to gunnery sergeant and other tours of duty throughout the world, including Southwest Asia in preparation and execution of Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In 1975, he was selected, attended special training and became a warrant officer. In 1978, he was promoted to first lieutenant as a Transportation Limited Duty Officer (LDO (T)), better known affectionately as a “Mustanger.”

The Mustanger would have probably never shed his uniform had arthritis not caught up with him. When his knees went, so did his career. But, it’s hard to keep a Mustanger down.

Mimiaga is a life member of DAV Chapter 23 in Long Beach and numer-ous other organizations. He knows well

By Jim Hall

Troops To Teachers

William R. Mimiaga as a U.S. Marine Corps major prior to his retirement in 1994. Mimiaga was named the 2006 Middle School Teacher of the Year by the California Troops to Teachers Program.

Retired Marine Corps major and disabled veteran William R. Mimiaga teaches young people at William Logan Stephens Middle School in Long Beach, Calif.


how much others benefit from the community service such organizations provide. That, coupled with his career of train-ing, teaching, counseling and leading young Marines, has left him determined to help others.

Some of the Marines he served with did not survive the Vietnam War. Many were undereducated and came from broken homes and poverty. Mimiaga wanted their children to have a better chance.

“I served with good people who sacrificed so much for our country,” Mimiaga said. “I promised myself I would find a way to help them some day. What better way than to help their kids and the kids some of them would never have a chance to have? Teaching lets me do that.”

When he learned about Troops to Teachers Mimiaga saw a way to keep his promise, and he set to the task.

Eligibility for the Troops to Teachers program is open to a variety of retired, separated, active duty and transitioning military members and veterans, including disabled veterans.

Troops to Teachers requires a bachelor’s or advanced de-gree when applying for elementary and secondary education positions. And vocational or technical education teaching positions require an associate’s degree or at least one year of college and six years of work experience in a technical or vocational field. The program also requires the last period of military service to be honorable.

Mimiaga used his GI benefits to earn a bachelor and master’s degrees, and he came with several footlockers jammed full of life experiences. The California Troops to Teachers program counseled and placed him at Stephens Middle School as a special education teacher. His students are the hard cases, the disruptive ones, kids from broken homes and gangs, kids with emotional challenges and short tempers—younger, but not too far removed from some of the recruits Mimiaga trained to be Marines. To Mimiaga they are kids ready to learn, and he is ready to take on all the “whys” they can throw at him, because answering the “whys” is when the teaching begins.

Armed with enthusiasm, knowledge, determination and a huge smile, Mimiaga traded in his camouflage uniform for a sport coat and tie, and his rifle for a projector and pointer, and started teaching. He hasn’t slowed down since.

With seven percent of the nation’s teaching force leaving the profession every year, highly qualified teachers are needed and specific kinds of teachers are especially needed. There is a need for more male teachers, teachers for inner city schools, special edu-cation, mathematics and science teachers, and cultur-ally diverse teachers. The Troops to Teachers program is meeting this need with teachers like Mimiaga.

Being disabled is no drawback to being a good

teacher as far as Mimiaga is concerned.“Disabled veterans walk the walk,” Mimiaga said. “They

have met the challenges of recuperation and lead meaningful lives. What better example to teach and lead children into a successful future.

“Think of disabled veterans’ life experiences. They can transform those life experiences into meaningful teaching tools in the classroom. That’s the way you win hearts and imaginations. It’s a win-win for veterans, children and the community.

“That’s part of why being a teacher is such a great job.”Coming to teaching may seem a bit unusual for a tough-

ened former Marine, and at 61 golfing in the afternoon might seem more the menu than a sixth, seventh or eighth grade classroom of energetic young people constantly ready to chal-lenge your abilities.

But for Mimiaga, teaching is more or less a family tradition. His mother worked for the Head Start Program for 35 years, his brother was a sociology professor at the University of Colorado and two of his sisters were teachers. So, after teach-ing troops for 31 years, it was a natural transition to teaching children for Mimiaga.

If you think teaching might be a “great job” for you, check out their Web site www.proudtoserveagain.com. You can also write Troops to Teachers for more information at: DANTES, Code 02, 6490 Saufley Field Rd., Pensacola, FL 32508-5243; or telephone, toll-free: 1-800-231-6242.

William R. Mimiaga, a special education teacher, joins Diane Brown, principal at Stephens Middle School in Long Beach, Calif., during a special ceremony honor-ing his selection as the California Troops to Teachers 2006 Middle School Teacher of the Year.

16 DAV MAGAZINE

Thomas W. Kressler, an 82-year-old veteran disabled in combat during World War II

came to the DAV seeking assistance for hearing difficulties. Unfortunately, after a review of the claimed condition, it was determined Kressler was properly rated for his hearing loss at 0 per-cent. The story might well have ended there but for the professional training and dogged determi-nation of an observant National Service Officer.

Kressler joined the U.S. Army in April 1943 and soon found himself in combat against German forces in Europe. He was attached to Headquarters Company from Company “C” of the Fourth Infantry Division’s 22nd Infantry Regi-ment.

“They picked out certain ones of us to go out at night to locate enemy positions and report them so they could be destroyed the next day,” Kressler said. “I think they picked me because I was Pennsylvania Dutch and could speak a little German. If the position wasn’t destroyed using the in-formation we gave our guys, we would go back out at night to destroy the position.”

On Nov. 19, 1944, before the soldiers moved out into the dark searching for targets, they were cautioned to be back before 8 a.m. Artillery was scheduled to begin a bombardment in the outly-ing area at that time the next morning. The patrol didn’t make it back in time.

Kressler was among the soldiers wounded in the bombardment. He took shrapnel in the left

shoulder blade, right forearm and left thigh. He was treated and later returned to duty with some of the shrap-nel still in him. It would not be the last time he would be wounded or his last brush with death.

In April 1945 he tangled with an enemy grenade. A piece of shrapnel flew inside his helmet and bounced around leaving him with a head wound. It was treated in the field by a medic, and the rangy Browning Automatic Rifleman returned to duty again. This time he finished out the war and returned to the States. He was sent to Baltimore, where the young private went to the hospital to get the shrapnel he was still carrying extracted.

Kressler grew tired of the way he was being treated in

Claim Review Helps Disabled World War II Veteran

By Jim HallSERVICE

Thomas Kressler, center, a World War II veteran who received DAV assistance with his claim for service-con-nected disability, enjoys a warm afternoon with his nieces Elizabeth Wires, left, and Tammy Correll, right, at his Milton, Fla. home.


regard to his disability by the VA and decided to do something about it.

“I spotted a DAV newspaper and tore the address and membership form out of it,” he said. “I sent the form in with my membership payment.”

That’s as far as Kressler’s DAV in-volvement went at the time. He was discharged from Camp Meade, Mary-land on March 2, 1946.

In a rating decision dated May 24, 1946, Kressler was granted service connection for wounds to the left scapula (shoulder) muscle group at 30 percent disabling, the right forearm at 20 percent disabling and muscle group XV (thigh) at 20 percent disabling for a combined rating of 60 percent. Less than four months later his benefits were reduced to a combined rating of 40 percent.

Kressler filed for an increase in com-pensation for his service-connected disabilities in December 1949, but a January 1950 rating decision confirmed and continued the previously reduced 40 percent combined rating. Unknown to Kressler, a clear and unmistakable

error (CUE) had now occurred in his case and would not be discovered for 57 years.

Following World War II the world began to change and the U.S. military downsized. Members of the military, mostly men, returned to the civilian workforce and the country began to build and grow.

Kressler left high school to go into the military. He had wanted to be an architect, but his lack of education and disabled forearm kept him from that career. He still wanted to build things and got into the construction trades, where he spent a career until retiring in 2005.

In 1984 Kressler became a life member of the DAV. He is currently a member of Chapter 23 in Pensacola, Fla. Through the years he had followed the organization through its publica-tion and has grown to trust it. After a claim for service-connected disability for a hearing loss was denied, Kressler contacted the DAV National Service Of-fice in St. Petersburg to file an appeal.

NSO Michael A. Michelotti received

Kressler’s claims file to review and as-sist with the appeal for entitlement to an increased rating for bilateral hearing loss. Unfortunately, after a review of the claimed condition, NSO Michelotti determined Kressler was properly rated for his hearing loss at 0 percent, end of story? Not when you have a profes-sionally trained DAV NSO on the job.

“During my training as a National Service Officer, my mentor/trainer Sam Sabino (former Assistant National Service Director and Assistant Supervi-sor at the St. Petersburg Office) would always tell me, ‘When you review a file containing ratings for gunshot wounds, which includes shrapnel, take a few minutes to review the past rating his-tory. This is where clear and unmis-takable errors are possibly found.’ Sam also said the VA either rated muscle group injuries too low, or did not apply the bilateral factor properly.”

The review of Kressler’s file left NSO Michelotti feeling something wasn’t right.

“Mr. Kressler received two gunshot wounds in service, one to his right

Thomas Kressler touches a brick bearing his name at the Santa Rosa County Veterans Memorial Park located along the Blackwater River in Milton Fla.

18 DAV MAGAZINE

forearm, and one to the left scapula, both rated 20 percent disabling,” NSO Michelotti said. “He also had an injury to his thigh, rated as 10 percent disabling, for a combined evaluation of 40 percent. Using the VA’s combined ratings table for disabilities, this would have been the correct rating if the veteran did not sustain injuries to both upper extremities. It

appeared that the VA had failed to apply the ‘bilateral factor.’”

Simply put, the bilateral factor results when an indi-vidual has one extremity with a service-connected disability and another extremity with a service-connected disability. When this occurs, a math-ematical 10 percent can be factored into the combined rating.

“Once I realized the error, I needed to determine how far back they failed to apply the bilateral factor. Mr. Kressler was originally granted service connection on March 3, 1946. The bilateral factor was es-tablished in the 1945 Schedule for Rating Disabilities.” At the time, the interpretation of how to apply the bilateral fac-tor was left up to the rater’s interpretation of the regulation, but on Aug. 23, 1948, the VA amended the 1945 Schedule for Rating Disabilities defining the terms and procedures on how to properly apply the bilateral factor.

After Kressler filed for an increase in compensation for his service-connected disabilities on Dec. 29, 1949, the VA should have applied the bilateral factor as required by the amended Schedule for Rating Disabilities, in its rating deci-sion dated Jan. 18, 1950, but failed to do so.

NSO Michelotti submitted a claim on Kressler’s behalf based on the CUE on Apr. 24, 2006. The VA denied the claim for CUE on May 22, 2006.

NSO Michelotti tried again. He met and talked to the VA Decision Team Coach who agreed with the

decision of the rating board members continuing the denial. Three years of training and work on behalf of disabled vet-erans had steeled the NSO. He wasn’t ready to take no for an answer.

“I went to the Assistant Service Center Manager, who sent the file to a Decision Review Officer (DRO) for review and a second opinion. The DRO concurred with our claim that the VA should have applied the bilateral factor to Mr. Kressler’s claim in its Jan. 18, 1950 rating decision.”

A new decision was rendered on July 21, 2006. It stated, “A clear and unmistakable error was found in rating deci-sion dated Jan. 18, 1950, because the bilateral factor was not correctly applied from Dec. 27, 1949, to provide a combined evaluation of 50 percent.” The old soldier had won his ap-peal.

Alhough Kressler and NSO Michelotti had only dealt with each other via telephone and letters, they formed a lasting bond and respect for each other.

“I appreciate what Mike and the DAV have done,” Kressler said. I went to the DAV about my hearing, but Mike went over my records anyway and found something I wasn’t even aware of in them. I think the DAV did a heck of a job for me. I won’t forget it.”

“There is no greater thrill or joy than notifying a Word War II veteran that an injustice has been corrected and a retroactive payment will be made,” NSO Michelotti said. “Veterans helping veterans is why I became an NSO when I retired from active duty. I could not have found a more rewarding profession. Building better lives for America’s disabled veterans and their families is not just a motto for me, it’s now a way of life.”

NSO Michael A. Michelotti at his work center in the DAV National Service Office at St. Petersburg, Fla. While conducting a thorough review Thomas W. Kressler’s VA claim files, NSO Michelotti discovered a decades old error and rectified it for the World War II veteran.

Sabino


By design, the system is

expected to reduce the

administrative workload

of NSOs by 25 percent,

vastly improving their

productivity and giving

them more time to serve

more veterans.

By D. Clare

The DAV must keep pace with ad-vances in information technology in or-der to maintain its preeminent position as an advocate for America’s disabled veterans. — DAV Strategic Plan

When the DAV leadership initi-ated the organization’s Strategic

Plan, the emphasis on information technology (IT) was as ambitious as it was necessary.

According to the organization’s se-nior leaders, the drive to evolve through technology has positioned the DAV to provide improved service for today’s veterans, while remaining relevant for decades to come.

“We’re keeping pace. In fact, we’re getting ahead. When it comes to our mission, DAV is the preeminent leader in information technology,” said Greg Nichols, Director of IT. “We set out to transform the way our organization thinks about technology and how we use it. Along the way we benchmarked our progress against other nonprofits, governmental agencies and for profit organizations; and to date, we can’t find a comparable organization that does as much and spends as little as the DAV. We are actually spending less than we did 10 years ago in IT—and each year we spend less.”

Moving at the speed of information “Although this revolutionary trans-

formation didn’t happen overnight, it did happen quickly. In 2003, the DAV replaced the mainframe technology that had been in place for four decades with a server-based architecture,” said National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson.

“The IT Department team was re-organized and retrained in several dif-ferent technologies. At the same time, work began on a customized Web-based Member Management System that would make personal access to the system a reality for our 1.3 million members, Chapters, Departments and the entire supporting staff,” said Wil-son.

“Transforming our IT infrastructure while building a $2.8 million dollar custom application was the equivalent

of rewiring a 747 jumbo jet while in flight,” said Nichols. “Statistically the cards were stacked against us. We knew that 82 percent of IT projects come in over budget and not on time. We had no desire to follow that trend.” The membership project was completed six weeks ahead of schedule and within budget.

Even before the membership sys-tem was complete, work began on a customized, Web-based National Fundraising System that ties together the DAV’s fund raising entities into a unified system. This project—which is already online and will be completed by March—is on time and on budget.

“Each of these systems has revo-lutionized the way we do business,” said National Headquarters Executive Director Richard E. Patterson. “I can’t think of a single part of the DAV that hasn’t benefited from the technological improvements made in the last few years.”

NSO Case Management SystemBolstered by the success of these

projects, IT launched its most ambi-tious project to date. And, instead of hiring consultants to work on the proj-ect, the vast majority of the work was completed in-house.

On Aug. 16, following the National Convention in Chicago, National Ser-

Information Technology:Getting More Bang for the Buck

Greg Nichols

20 DAV MAGAZINE

vice Officers met and were trained on the new NSO Case Management System.

By design, the system is expected to reduce the administrative workload of NSOs by 25 percent, vastly improv-ing their productivity and giving them more time to serve more veterans. Ad-ditionally, the new system streamlines the recruiting process for NSOs and is expected to increase requests for mem-bership by 10 percent.

One National Service Officer, five National Service Office Supervisors and one National Service Staff member worked with the IT team to ensure the system would meet the needs of the users in the field.

“This system is the future of service to veterans for the DAV,” said Assis-tant National Service Director Barry A. Jesinoski, who was a driving force behind the project. “And we know it’s just the start of many more good things to come. This system improves nearly every facet of our operations and will help us to go further towards building better lives for more disabled veterans and their families.”

This integral project, which could have cost an estimated $1.8 million in the hands of another firm, was finished by DAV IT staff members on time.

The system’s development cost, including hardware and software, was $185,000—saving the organization more than $1.6 million.

Making DAV more efficientAside from these high profile

successes, the IT Department has implemented technological efficiencies throughout the organization.

Through a joint effort with the U.S. Postal Service, the process of handling return mail was modernized through automation. Instead of physically re-turning in excess of 200,000 pieces of undeliverable mail each year, the post office now sends an electronic copy of each undelivered recipient’s name and

address so the DAV can efficiently up-date its databases electronically.

Annually, this saves $167,000 in re-turned postage costs alone, not includ-ing the manpower savings involved in the old process of handling and keying information manually.

In June of last year, the IT De-partment put the DAV Store online, enabling members and supporters to make purchases through the Internet. In its first year, the store generated 4,754 orders, exceeding the project’s three-year goal.

By the end of February 2006, the IT Department launched a completely redesigned version of the DAV’s na-tional Web site. The site is accessible for people of all disabilities, and with its more modern look, users are find-ing it easier to quickly find items of interest.

“The first month the new site was launched, we saw a 16 to 20 percent increase in the average number of visitors per day,” said National Adju-tant Arthur H. Wilson. “At the same time, we saw a 33 percent increase in the number of repeat visitors. Our organization’s site now contains over 4,700 pages of content and continues to grow and improve. It has become an amazingly effective tool that enables us to quickly inform the public about our organization and our positions on the important issues facing our nation’s

disabled veterans.”In addition to implementing systems

and taking on new projects, the IT Department continues to expand the services it provides in an increasingly challenging field. They provide secu-rity audits and upgrades, increase au-tomated services and support an e-mail system that handles 22,000 messages each month.

Monthly, IT blocks more than 3,500 viruses, worms and other threats to DAV systems and computers, responds to 500 Help Desk requests, processes 5.41 million addresses for mailings, maintains and supports 55 servers, 822 personal computers and keeps nearly 5,000 Web pages current.

A site for each ChapterAt the 2006 National Convention in

Chicago, DAV announced a project that would enable every Department and Chapter to have its own Web portal.

The IT staff is designing and devel-oping more than 2,000 custom Share-Point portals so that each Department and Chapter can have its own Web presence. They will be able to publish local information while receiving up-dated information from the National Organization about issues of local and national significance.

“A project of this size would nor-mally be cost prohibitive, but given the expertise we now have in-house, we can accomplish this task for a fraction of the cost that outside consultants would charge us,” noted Nichols. “All associated costs for hosting and devel-opment will be paid for by the National Organization.”

“We see a new future on the horizon, and we’re looking ahead and evolving ev-ery day,” said National Adjutant Wilson. “Thanks in large part to our terrific IT Department, we’ve been able to exceed our own high expectations in regard to technology. And already, our organiza-tion and America’s disabled veterans are reaping the benefits.”


prestigious award, and Deputy Secretary Mansfield’s life of service only adds to its distinction.”

“The opening Business Session was great,” said Gregory K. Lyle, a member of Chapter 11 in Mt. Vernon, Va. “The whole package was just great. We got everything we wanted to know about the DAV and our mission.”

National Adjutant Wilson opened the National Conven-tion’s Aug. 12 afternoon session with his report on the activities of the DAV. Introducing an informative video pre-sentation about the work of the DAV, Wilson said that the fall elections are greatly important to the future of veterans. “We have the right and obligation to inform our members how elected officials vote on issues affecting disabled veter-ans and their families.”

“There are some very big challenges up ahead,” said Wilson.” We must stand shoulder to shoulder on every-thing we do to help disabled veterans and their families.”

National Membership Director An-thony L. Baskerville in his report to the National Convention praised DAV recruiters for reaching the goal of one million fully paid Life Members among the rapidly changing veteran population.

“We closed the membership year ahead of our goals, bringing DAV’s total membership to nearly 1.4 million members,” Baskerville said. “With 1,006,935 fully paid life members, our membership continues to flourish because of the tireless efforts put forth by our recruiters.”

Assessing the current generation of veterans, Baskerville said that “modern disabled veterans have less in common with Vietnam veterans than Vietnam veterans had with World War II and Korean War veterans.”

“We’re going to have to recognize the needs of this younger, dynamic generation,” he said. “If we’re going to remain relevant, and truly build better lives for disabled vet-erans and their families, we’re going to have to evolve and be willing to change to meet new realities.”

Baskerville said that while Vietnam veterans now make up the largest percentage of DAV membership, they do re-main only a part of the organization. “We cannot afford to be divided by the periods of time in which we volunteered to fight for our nation,” he said. “For the evolution we must make in the coming years may be the most critical period of time in our history.”

Baskerville recognized Samuel C. Bordeaux of Chapter 5 in Gulfport, Miss., who recruited the one-millionth fully paid DAV life member, Brian K. Thomas of Pascagoula, Miss. Also recognized as the Recruiter of the Year was Department of California Adjutant Kenneth G. Musselmann for signing up 346 new mem-bers.

A powerful report on the status of veterans’ legislation in Washington was delivered by

Washington Headquarters Executive Director David W. Gor-man during the second day of the National Convention.

Gorman warned veterans that the very core and future of veterans health care and benefits were threatened by legislation pending in Congress. “Some members of Con-gress advocate programs and policies that are insulting,

National Convention(Continued from page 9)

Left, Washington Headquarters Executive Director David W. Gorman delivers a powerful report on the status of veterans’ legislation to the National Convention. Center, then-National Commander Paul W. Jackson, left, and National Membership Director Anthony L. Baskerville, right, recognize Samuel C. Bordeaux, of Chapter 5 in Gulfport, Miss., who recruited the one-millionth fully paid DAV life member, Brian K. Thomas of Pascagoula, Miss. Right, National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson presents his report on the activities of the DAV to build better lives for disabled veterans and their families.

22 DAV MAGAZINE

disrespectful and a slap in the face to disabled veterans,” he said.

“Today, veterans’ benefits and health care are viewed by many as a vast re-source that some in Congress hope to loot for other purposes,” Gorman said. “Veterans programs are under assault at unprecedented levels, and only you can prevent it.”

Urging National Convention del-egates and guests to vote in the No-vember elections, Gorman said a vote for those who don’t support veterans programs is a vote against veterans.

He said that legislation allowing attorneys to represent veterans with disability claims would “dramatically increase VA spending and not benefit veterans. It will guarantee taking real dollars out of the pockets of disabled veterans and surviving spouses.”

Gorman said legislative attempts to shift the burden of responsibility from Congress to unelected, appointed commissions would abandon the con-stitutional guarantees of representative government. “It shifts congressional powers to the President and unelected commissions,” he said. “Congress would have to do nothing.”

“We see no justification to subject veterans programs to the whims of un-elected, uninformed commissions that may not fully appreciate our nation’s obligation to care for its veterans,” he said. “Make no mistake about it, it’s money out of your pocket and it’s medical care denied when you and your family most need it.”

Gorman warned that the trend to merge VA medical centers and military hospitals could cost veterans their identity in health care. “Will veterans be absorbed into the military health care system?” Gorman asked. “The next logical step would be to absorb veterans into the Medicare system.”

“We cannot allow the wave of the future to be fewer benefits and inad-equate health care,” he said. “We must do our best to communicate the needs of veterans to our elected representa-tives and to withhold our votes from those who seek to take away our right-ful benefits.”

“Dave Gorman’s report was truthful and bold,” said Kent A. Hoffman, a member of Chapter 5 in San Antonio, Texas. “He was articulate and left no questions unanswered. We need to tell

it like it is, and Dave Gorman did.”After the recess of business sessions,

convention delegates were treated to a series of informative and educational seminars which sparkled lively discus-sions of the issues affecting disabled veterans and their families.

The Service and Legislative Seminar was highlighted with an appearance by U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, who thanked disabled vet-erans for their sacrifice and reassured them that the Justice Department will enforce all laws protecting the employ-ment rights of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We feel it is an honor to serve those veterans this way,” he said. “I hope that knowledge of these laws will become universal. Federal law prohibits discrim-ination against these returning soldiers.”

The seminar continued with pre-sentations by officials from VA, other government departments and key staff members from the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees discuss-ing a variety of veterans issues, includ-ing allowing attorneys to represent veterans’ claim cases.

“We disagree that attorneys will

Left, National Headquarters Executive Director Richard E. Patterson updates the Board of Directors on DAV’s successful fundraising activities. Right, new DAV National Blind Chapter leaders are sworn in.


increase claims case backlogs,” said Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Professional Staff Member Jonathan A. Towers. “It’s a right that should not be denied to veterans.”

But House Veterans’ Affairs Commit-tee Majority Counsel Director Kingston E. Smith opposed paying the earned benefits of veterans to attorneys for representation. “Veterans should not have to spend a dime of their money on getting their benefits,” he said.

The final day of the National Con-vention began with the annual reports of the National Service Foundation and the Charitable Service Trust. National Service Foundation President Gary Burns reported a new high in contribu-tions last year, and Charitable Service Trust Chairman Richard Marbes report-ed Internet donations had increased 95 percent. Marbes said income from do-nor advised funds had increased by 74 percent and unsolicited gifts increased by 82 percent from last year.

Following the introduction of the National Order of the Trench Rats of-ficers, DAV members, Chapters and Departments made their traditional donations to DAV’s programs, contrib-

uting $74,852 to the National Service Foundation; $40,500 to the Colorado Trust; $13,250 to the Disabled Veterans Life Memorial Foudation and $1,000 to the Charitable Service Trust.

During the afternoon business ses-sion the rousing election of National Of-ficers showed the pride and confidence of the delegates in their elected leaders. Stirred by rounds of applause, the new officers were unanimously elected by the enthusiastic membership.

National Senior Vice Commander Robert T. Reynolds looked forward to a “banner year” under National Com-mander Barton. “There is no better organization than the DAV,” he said. Meanwhile, National First Junior Vice Commander Raymond E. Dempsey praised the “extraordinary leadership” of National Adjutant Wilson and the DAV management.

During the Executive Committee meeting following the election, National Adjutant Wilson reminded the new Na-tional Officers that they were beginning “a momentous period of service—a year in which each of you will leave a mark on the legacy of the DAV.”

“Your term of office will be challeng-

ing, rewarding and gratifying,” he said. “You have an obligation given to you by our membership to lead—and you are proven leaders.”

“We once again stand at the begin-ning of a year of challenges and pos-sibilities—seasoned with responsibil-ity and duty—to fulfill our mission of service to disabled veterans and their families,” Wilson said. “As we embark on this mission, let us remain constant in our purpose to always seek excel-lence in service.”

“I think the mission of the DAV is very important,” said Lawton before returning home to Michigan. “With-out the DAV in the future, we all could lose our rights. We need to join with the newest generation of veterans re-turning home from the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.”

Left, Department of Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) Senior Intelligence Officer Dian Corneliussen-James, right, joins POW/MIA Committee member Frank C. Tracy in addressing the POW-MIA Seminar at the National Convention. Right, noted actor Gary Sinise entertains DAV delegates with his Lt. Dan Band during the National Convention’s Fun Night.

24 DAV MAGAZINE

“I am humbled by those who have served this country. Thank you for your deep unwavering commitment to disabled veterans.” -- Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Gordon H. MansfieldOutstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year for 2006

“In all of the stories I have ever covered, none are as inspiring as the Winter Sports Clinic. You are an inspiration. You never give up.” –– MSNBC reporter David Shuster and producer Kristina Weischadle2nd Annual Bugle Award

“I promise with all my heart to continue to serve veterans. I will continue to do the things that are pleasing in your eyes. My heart is filled with joy.” -- Mary Burns-Michael of Unit 128 in San Antonio, TexasDAV Auxiliary Past National Com-mander Outstanding Member of Year.

“It is always a privilege to serve as a source of comfort and support to those brave veterans. I want to use my skills to help.” -- Vincent D. Senegar, 2006 Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Volunteer Scholarship winner.

Awards


Joan Antonaccio of Islip, N.Y.2006 DAV Auxiliary George H. Seal Memorial Trophy.

Awards The three recipients of the 2006 National Commander’s Out-standing VA Employee of the Year awards proudly show off their plaques. From the left, William H. Francis of the Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Mich., Michael Bucolo, Supervisor Veterans Service Representative at the VA Regional Office in New York City, and James W. Kidwell, a social worker with the Togus VA Medical Center in Augusta, Maine.

Right, Past National Commander Kenneth G. Musselmann, center, accepts a bomber jacket in recognition for being the Recruiter of the Year from then-National Commander Paul W. Jackson, left, and National Membership Director Anthony L. Baskerville.

Above, the recipients of the National Commander’s Employment Awards include, from the left, Shawn Deabay, Texas Work-force Center, Lufkin, Texas, the Outstanding Local Veterans’ Employment Representative; Charles W. Eldridge, Tennessee Depart-ment of Labor and Workforce Development, Nashville, Tenn., the Outstanding Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialist of the Year; and Mike Busque, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, accepting the Out-standing Large Employer of the Year Award for The Home Dept.

Alfred Faticoni of Newington, Conn.,2006 George H. Seal Memorial Trophy

26 DAV MAGAZINE

National Officers 2006-2007

National CommanderBradley S. Barton, Tualatin, OR Senior Vice Commander Robert T. Reynolds, Alexandria, VA 1st Jr. Vice Commander Raymond E. Dempsey, Des Plaines, IL 2nd Jr. Vice Commander Bobby Barrera, Del Rio, TX 3rd Jr. Vice Commander Wallace E. Tyson, Raleigh, NC 4th Jr. Vice Commander Jerome G. Krejci, East Grand Forks, MN National Judge Advocate Michael E. Dobmeier, Grand Forks, ND National Chaplain Rev. Edward Bastille, Gilford, NH Past National CommanderPaul W. Jackson, Colorado Springs, CO

NEC 1st District James H. Tanner, , Lynn, MA Alternate Joseph A. Costa, North Attleboro, MA NEC 2nd District Anthony L. Mirando, Wantagh, NY Alternate Ronald D. Tears, Roch, NY NEC 3rd District Anthony T. Karam, Manchester, NH Alternate Ronald W. Brodeur, Chelsea, ME NEC 4th District Paul V. Lardizzone, Dover, DE Alternate Alfred Faticoni, Newington, CT NEC 5th District John E. Ogozaly, Simpson, PA Alternate Darlene Bielecki, Erie, PA NEC 6th District German Bravo-Perez, San Juan, PR Alternate Wilbert B. Forbes, Fort Washington, MD NEC 7th DistrictEdward S. Barnshaw, Bradenton, FL Alternate Roger Sullivan, Lady Lake, FL NEC 8th District G. Eddie Figueron, Alexandria, LA Alternate Kevin Wenthe, Anucoco, LA NEC 9th District William L. Coward, Leesburg, GA Alternate Julius Small, Jr., Riverdale, GA

NEC 10th District J. Dave Boozer, Adrian, MI Alternate Donald R. Crull, Garden City, MI NEC 11th District Harlan F. Plummer, Peebles, OH Alternate Frank D. Williams, South Vienna, OH NEC 12th District Henry E. Williams, Stevens Point, WI Alternate Laveral R. Pieper, Green Bay, WI NEC 13th District James S. Huff, Fordsville, KY Alternate James Balmer, Smithfield, KY NEC 14th District Keith E. Beach, Ekalaka, MT Alternate Kevin R. Grantier, Helena, MT NEC 15th District Franklin C. Bergquist, Wichita, KS Alternate John H. Bickerton, Manchester, MO

NEC 16th District James C. Bogan, Seaside, CA Alternate Gary A. Crossland, La Mesa, LA NEC 17th District Floyd Watson, Jr., Cheyenne, WY Alternate Frank Maughan, Ogden, UT NEC 18th District Harold Minami, Pearl City, HI Alternate Gary Nakamura, Honolulu, HI NEC 19th District Albert H. Buster, Bremerton, WA Alternate Ernest E. Hume, Olympia, WA NEC 20th District Gerald J. Cowan, Garland, TX Alternate Vincent C. Morrison, Houston, TX NEC 21st District Irvin D. Eddy Custer City, OK Alternate Timothy D. Hedgecock, Lawton, OK

Front to back, National Commander Bradley S. Barton, Senior Vice Com-mander Robert T. Reynolds, 1st Jr. Vice Commander Raymond E. Dempsey, 2nd Jr. Vice Com-mander Bobby Barrera, 3rd Jr. Vice Com-mander Wal-lace E. Tyson, 4th Jr. Vice Commander Jerome G. Kre-jci, National Judge Advo-cate Michael E. Dobmeier, Na-tional Chaplain Rev. Edward Bastille, Past National Com-mander Paul W. Jackson.


Auxiliary National Officers 2006-2007

National Commander Donna M. Tanner, Lynn, MASr. Vice Commander

Kathryn A. Wiley, Soap Lake, WA 1st Jr. Vice Commander Sandra J. Dobmeier, Grand Forks, ND 2nd Jr. Vice Commander Kay Egan, Lehigh Acres, FL 3rd Jr. Vice Commander Susan M. Henry, Memphis, TN 4th Jr. Vice Commander Patrice Rapisand, Fort Worth, TX National Judge Advocate Carol A. Gray, Grand Rapids, MI National Chaplain

Judy Uetterling, Defiance, OH Imm. Past National Commander Judy M. Steinhouse, Fargo, ND

NEC 1st District Ellen M. Drogo, Braintree, MA

Alternate Susan M. Stulsky, Centerville, MA

NEC 2nd DistrictAnita A. Ingram, Brooklyn, NY Alternate Frances J. Ortiz, Otisville, NY NEC 3rd District

Wanda L. Furbish, Portsmouth, NH Alternate

Sylvia Heath, Mechanic Falls, ME NEC 4th District

Sandra Schulman, Trenton, NJ

Alternate Doris Martelli, Washington, NJ

NEC 5th District Marian A. Sawdey, Erie, PA

Alternate Catherine F. Watkins, Middletown, PA

NEC 6th District Mildred Velazquez, Caguas, PR

AlternateBarbara Forbes, Ft. Washington, MD NEC 7th District

Bernadette M. Sorrentino, Palm Bay, FL AlternateMarna Barnshaw, Bradenton, FL NEC 8th DistrictAngela Stewart, Fulton, KY Alternate

Carolyn Johnson, Millington, TN NEC 9th DistrictBarbara A. Williams, Hephzibah, GA AlternateHarriett M. Hudson, Summerville, SC NEC 10th District

Peggy A. Smith, Davison, MI Alternate

Carol Lee, Farwell, MI NEC 11th District

Ellen M. Keller, Jackson, OH AlternateMarjorie J. Davies, Alliance, OH NEC 12th DistrictKathy L. Hicke, Milton, WI AlternateBetty J. Wimmer, Wausau, WI NEC 13th DistrictGeneva Walker, Tram, KY

Alternate Arveeda Y. Gordon, Radcliff, KY

NEC 14th District Mary Lou Weber, Valley City, ND

Alternate Faye Litzinger, Grand Forks, ND

NEC 15th DistrictRose Marie Schilpp, Independence, MO Alternate

Lei K. Dean, Dunkerton, IA NEC 16th DistrictJune C. Adema, Sacramento, CA Alternate

Leona Galloway, Chino, CA NEC 17th District

Susan K. Miller, Las Animas, CO Alternate Olive R. Tomlin, Las Animas, CO NEC 18th DistrictLorna Kakesako, Mililani, HI Alternate

Ramona M. Williams, Belleair, FL NEC 19th DistrictJeanette M. Carulli, Columbia City, OR AlternateG. Ruth Hammer, Richland, WA NEC 20th DistrictTeresa M. Herrle, Seguin, TX AlternateMary Choate-Patterson, Irving, TX NEC 21st District

Linda S. Stake, Heber Springs, AR Alternate Debra Huddleston, Tushka, OK

Left to right, 3rd Jr. Vice Com-mander Susan M. Henry, 2nd Jr. Vice Commander Kay Egan, Sr. Vice Commander Kathryn A. Wiley, National Judge Advocate Carol A. Gray, National Chaplain Judy Uetterling, 1st Jr. Vice Commander Sandra J. Dobmeier, 4th Jr. Vice Commander Patrice Rapisand, seated, National Com-mander Donna M. Tanner.

28 DAV MAGAZINE

Former NSO Martin T. Sofie Dies

Martin T. Sofie, a former DAV National Service Officer (NSO) died in Everett, Wash., on Aug. 18, 2006, the day of his 92nd birthday.

“Martin Sofie was employed as an NSO assisting dis-abled veterans and their families for a decade,” National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson said. “Martin was a retired Navy veteran who combined exceptional military professional-

ism with his veterans service officer training to be a highly skilled NSO. He was an active supporter of legislation to improve the quality of life for dis-abled veterans and their families and a tenacious advocate for their benefits and services.

“An untold number of veterans and their families lead better lives today

thanks to Martin’s service work. We are saddened at his passing and extend condolences to his loved ones.”

Sofie was born in Port Townsend, Wash. He attended local schools and excelled at sports. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1935 and served until retiring in August 1958. His navy career included combat service aboard the USS Trenton in the Pacific during World War II. He was also a military pioneer in data processing.

He joined the professional staff of the DAV as an NSO in 1970 at the National Service Office in Seattle, Wash., where he served until January 1980.

He was a life member of DAV Chapter 13 in Marysville, Wash.

He is survived by Rose Marie, his wife of 65 years; daugh-ter, Carolyn Sofie-Barkley; and son, Michael.

Former NSO William Stralo Dies

William E. Stralo, Sr., 71, a former DAV National Service Officer (NSO) died in California on June 13, 2006.

“Bill was an exemplary National Service Officer who was dedicated to helping disabled veterans and their families,” National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson said. “He was a disabled veteran who saw combat duty in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. No stranger to challenge, Bill became a highly skilled

NSO who diligently strived to better the lives of disabled veterans and their fami-lies through his assistance and advocacy

“Through his efforts and knowledge of veterans’ benefits and programs, he ben-efited countless veterans and their fam-ily members with his willing assistance. We are glad to have counted him as our comrade and saddened at his passing.”

A native of Lewiston, Pa., Stralo entered the U.S. Navy in April 1952, advancing from the rank of seaman to chief warrant officer before he was medically retired because of service-connected disabilities in 1976. During his military career he was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals.

Stralo was a graduate of National University, San Diego, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in accounting.

Prior to being employed as an NSO, he served as a Depart-ment of California Service Officer. He joined the professional staff of the DAV in 1985 at the National Service Office in San Diego and served there until his retirement in 1997.

He was a life member of DAV Chapter 2 in San Diego. Survivors include Mabel, his wife of 51 years; sons, Wil-

liam and Glen; daughters, Melody Foulk, Myona Olney and Juli Bauer.

NJ Veteran of the Year …National Commander Brad-ley S. Barton, right, joins Department of New Jersey Commander Joseph Harris to Present Past Department Commander Mary Bencivenga with the Department of New Jersey Veteran of the Year Award for 2006. The presentation was made at the Department Convention in June 2006, while Commander Barton was serving as National Senior Vice Com-mander.

Sofie Stralo


Auxiliary Past National Commander Florence Valgardson Dies

Florence Marie Valgardson, 87, died Monday, July 24, 2006 in Provo, Utah.

She served as Auxiliary National Commander for the 1978-79 membership year. She was a life member of DAV Auxiliary Unit 1 in Provo.

During her 54 years as a devoted member of the Aux-iliary, Ms. Valgardson held all elected and appointed offices in her Unit and the Department of Utah. She also served as chairman on various Auxiliary Na-tional Committees, including National

Executive Committeewoman for the 11th District.

“A life as rich as that of Past Na-tional Commander Valgardson is extraordinary and a legacy to all,” DAV Auxiliary National Commander Donna M. Tanner said. “She dem-onstrated time and again how much

one person can positively impact the lives of so many. Her lifetime of service and dedication and love are a testament to all, and espe-cially to DAV and Auxiliary members who strive to build better lives for America’s disabled veterans and their

families. We shall miss her dearly.” A native of Salem, Utah, Ms. Val-

gardson attended local schools and

later graduated from Brigham Young University. She served a Church of Lat-ter Day Saints mission and, following her mission, taught school in Utah for four years.

Ms. Valgardson was married and widowed twice. Her first husband Veloy Vest was killed in World War II. She later married Paul Valgardson, a boy she had met in high school. The couple was reacquainted while Paul was home on medical leave after being wounded on Saipan, during World War II. They married on March 9, 1946.

The Valgardsons started their own moving and contracting business, and Florence did bookkeeping and office work in the business.

Sons, Richard, Ray, Bill, David, and Don survive Ms. Valgardson.

Valgardson

30 DAV MAGAZINE

Roy McCoy didn’t come to golf easily, but once he got started, he never looked back.

A life member of DAV Chapter 2, Texas, Roy continued to hone his golf skills, and through the years, his skill and love of the game grew, as did his competitive spirit.

This year the combination of skill, love of the game and competitive spirit, along with his sportsmanship and will-ingness to help others earned Roy the 2006 DAV National Commander’s Trophy during the 58th National Amputee Golf Association (NAGA) Invitational Championships & 7th Robinson Cup Matches on Sept. 14 at Onion Creek Club in Austin, Texas. National Commander Bradley S. Barton made the award presentation at the tournament awards banquet, his first major public event since being elected National Commander.

DAV support of the NAGA is made possible by a grant from the DAV Charitable Service Trust and reflects the DAV’s continuing commitment to rehabilitation of disabled veterans through sports and recreation. The National Commander’s Trophy is awarded annually to a disabled veteran who best represents the credo “Ability not Disability” and recognizes the individual’s community contributions in furthering op-portunities for disabled veterans.

The road to being an exemplary amputee golfer began when Roy was severely wounded by an enemy land mine during the Vietnam War on Jan. 19, 1966.

It was right after lunch in the early afternoon on a mostly sunny day when the nine men in Roy’s squad moved off down the hill they were on. They had been set up in an ambush all the night before with no contact. Roy was the second man in the squad behind the point man.

“The point man said he thought he heard a click,” Roy recalled. “It didn’t go off right away, and it was my job to clear the mines. As I started to move up searching for the mine, it went off.”

The point man took the initial blast in his hips and pelvis, and Roy, just behind, nearly had both of his legs torn off by the explosion.

“Both of my legs were held on by strips of skin,” Roy said. My right leg was under my shoulder and my left was under my hip. I thought I was lying on rocks. Then, I realized it was my legs.”

Other squad members quickly went to work on the wounded. They applied tourniquets to Roy’s legs and used

flares to signal a helicopter which soon had the point man and Roy on the way to the hospital at Da Nang. The point man died during the flight.

As he was being treated, Roy asked a doctor for something for his pain. The doctor was amazed he had not already been given something and administered a medication. It put Roy to sleep. He didn’t wake up for several days.

By Jan. 24, the Texan was back in his native state at the Naval Hospital at Corpus Christi where he would spend the next 22 months, 12 of which were spent in a full body cast while his reattached legs healed.

“They told me I might never walk,” Roy said. “But I was determined to walk and I went home in long leg braces.”

Roy went home to his wife, Charlotte. The couple had been married on Aug. 5, 1965, just four days before Roy’s unit was secured on base. Soon after, he and other members of the 1st Marine Division’s 2nd Battalion left for Vietnam.

Roy and Charlotte celebrated their 46th wedding anni-versary this year. During their marriage they raised three children; Brent, Rebecca and Joseph. Tragically, Joseph was killed in 1995 in a mid-air collision during a commercial training flight landing.

Sgt. McCoy was medically retired from the Marine Corps in December 1972. At the time, Roy was enrolled in the VA Vocational Rehabilitation Program and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas A&M Univer-sity the same year. As he was getting on with his life, he was also getting into golf.

“One of the doctors in Corpus Christi advised me to go to the golf range and hit some golf balls to improve my balance and stamina,” Roy said. “I took his advice and an old metal fold-ing chair with me to the range. I turned the chair around and

Roy McCoy Receives National

Commander’s Trophy

DAV life member Roy McCoy, right, accepts the DAV National Commander’s Trophy from Na-tional Commander Bradley S. Barton.


balanced myself against the back of it so I could hit the balls without falling over. My wife and son, about two years old at the time, went along with me. They would gather up the balls and place them on the tee for me. That’s how I got started.”

About four years after leaving the hospital a bone infection made it necessary for Roy’s right leg to be amputated above the knee. A bone fusion saved his left leg, but it continues to deteriorate and may eventually have to be removed. None of these challenges has dampened Roy’s enthusiasm for life,

especially where golf is concerned.In the late 1970s, Roy and some other men who were

amputees got together to play golf. The group evolved into

the Texas Amputee Golf Association, of which Roy is the current president. He later learned about NAGA and became a member in the early 1980s.

For more than a decade Roy has worked for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), as Manager of Conges-tion and Renewable Credits. Whether on the job promoting clean air and energy through renewable resource generation and grid congestion management or on the golf course sink-ing a birdie putt on a beautiful Lone Star day, Roy’s philoso-phy is simple and effective: “Everybody has a different level of disability, but everyone can do something.”

“I use a cane to get around, but I can still work with handicapped kids who love to get out, get exercise and have fun,” Roy said. “I use golf to show people you can still have fun, get exercise, be competitive and enjoy life. The competi-tion is there—the fire is always burning.

“I was very pleased to receive the National Commander’s Award this year. You don’t get many awards in your life —this ranks right up there with the highest I’ve received. I was honored. The award being from the DAV makes it even more special to me.

“The first guy I saw in the Corpus Christi hospital who was interested in me and there to help me get back on the right path was a DAV representative who came in to help me with my claim. He even beat the preacher there. I’m proud to be a member of the DAV and honored with this award.”

At 62, Roy knows the day may come when he loses his other leg, but it doesn’t dampen his enthusiasm or his deter-mination to play golf.

“If I lose the other leg, I’ll just have to learn to swing from a chair or a single rider golf cart, but one thing is certain,” he said, “I’ll be golfing.”

National Commander Bradley S. Barton enjoys some golfing at the Onion Creek Club in Austin, Texas. He was on hand to present the DAV National Command-er’s Trophy to an amputee golfer participating in the 58th National Amputee Golf Association Invitational Championships held at the club in September.

Left, The Family that Serves Together ... James Smith, member of DAV Chapter 1, Portland, Ore., presents his granddaughter, Cadet Master Chief Petty Officer Brianna Smith, Junior ROTC, Oak Harbor High School, Widby Island, Wash., with her Junior ROTC Medal and DAV Cer-tificate of Appreciation. Right, Cornhusker Volunteer... Crystal Overgaard receives the DAV Auxiliary Junior Activities Award from Tom Marchese, Commander, DAV Chapter 2, Omaha, Neb., and Auxiliary Commander Joane McGlade.

32 DAV MAGAZINE

It’s not every day you see your pic-ture on the cover of a magazine,

but Duane Parks is used to surprises. For Parks, a retired machine operator, maintenance man and milk company manager, it all started in 1942. While on leave after basic training, Private First Class Parks returned home to the Arlington, Vt., area. There, he at-tended a square dance in his Marine Corps dress uniform.

He was picked out of the crowd and offered $10 to have his photograph taken the next day. It was there, in a garage, where he met painter Nor-mal Rockwell. He sat with several mechanics holding a grease rag while Rockwell took the picture.

Under Rockwell’s artistry, that grease rag became a Japanese flag. PFC Duane Parks became “Duane Peters,” the suddenly decorated subject of his neighbors’ interest for Rockwell’s famous painting “Home-coming Marine.” In the background, a newspaper appeared acknowledg-ing “Garageman a Hero.”

Unlike “Peters,” Parks said his Marine Corps career was fairly com-mon for the times. As a .50 caliber machinegun operator, he fought in the Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal, New Hebrides and Guam. He was honorably discharged in 1945.

“My family thought it was great, but I haven’t spent a whole lot of time thinking about it over the years,” said Parks, who was reminded of the painting again early this year when his Pawlet, Vt., neighbor, DAV life member Steve Leach, showed Parks the November/December 2005 cover of DAV Magazine.

“I guess I was pretty surprised to see that painting again,” laughed Parks. “Then I had to get more copies of the magazine for my family.”

DAV Discovers Rockwell’s ‘Homecoming Marine’

Duane Parks holds the Veterans Day poster depicting him as the home-coming Marine by famed artist Norman Rockwell. In 1942 Parks, just out of boot camp, posed for the famous illustrator. Below, today Mr. Parks and wife Luella, tend their Pawlet, Vt. garden.

Donna M. Tanner

f r o m t h e A U X I L I A R Y N AT I O N A L C O M M A N D E R

33November/December 2006

Thank you for placing your confidence in me and elect-ing me to serve as National Commander of our great

Auxiliary. This is a journey no one takes alone. Our lives are touched by the members we meet along the way. It is up to us to share with others that which they shared with us. The DAV and Auxiliary become an extended family, and the bigger the family, the better. I believe working together as a team makes us stronger and more effective. As individuals we sparkle, but together we shine.

Our membership eligibility has been extended to include male family members. This alone should have grown our Auxiliary by leaps and bounds, but our growth has been slow. The DAV has reached one million fully paid life members, yet our ranks have not yet reached 175,000. We must work to change this.

Life membership in the Auxiliary can be started for as little as $40 and paid over three years. We also offer annual memberships determined by your local Unit as well as annual memberships for eligible children under 17 for $3 per year.

This year our three Auxiliary outstanding junior members were all young men. It was the first year they were eligible to receive this award. They were all so very proud of their veteran family members and worked hard on their behalf. These young men are excellent examples to note when you are encouraging other male family members to join our DAVA family and become active members. Ask them to show their love and pride for their veteran and shine with us.

There are so many outstanding benefits of membership in the Auxiliary. First and foremost, the lasting friendships you make. Our rewarding programs offer something of inter-est for everyone, including community service, legislation, hospital and voluntary service at VA medical centers, and activities for our junior members. We also offer interest free education loans to fully paid life members who meet spe-cific guidelines. Guidelines concerning these loans may be obtained through Auxiliary national headquarters.

It is important for all family members of disabled veterans to become active members. In this time of war with many

men and women returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom wounded, physically and mentally, the families of all disabled veterans need to unite and ensure our veterans are protected from eroding benefits. Today’s veterans may have advanced medical technology and a society more accepting of the disabled, but they and their families still face uncertainty. As Auxiliary members we have faced these same fears and uncertainties, and we can help those who now face them.

Today, the faces in VA medical centers are changing. In ad-dition to the veterans we are accustomed to, many are young families seeking medical treatment; young women veterans, often with children of their own; some are male spouses seeking treatment for themselves or their children while the female veteran is deployed; and the number of elderly veter-ans seeking treatment is at an all-time high. Together we will shine as we provide the help and support they need.

The mission of the DAV and Auxiliary is to build better lives for disabled veterans and their families. A better life is a benefit we all can use and something you can help make possible through your Auxiliary membership.

The rewards of membership are great, and greatest of all are the smiles on the faces of veterans when they see an Auxiliary member. We need all eligible members to join us. I am asking you, if you are a member please ask your eligible family members to join this great organization, you are the best spokesperson we have. If no one has asked you to join, I am, right now. America’s disabled veterans need you. Please complete a membership application and return it as soon as possible. If you need extra applications or want to learn more about our Auxiliary be sure to visit the DAV National Web site at www.dav.org.

When we work together in our Units, in our communities, with our legislators, with the VA hospitals for the betterment of America’s veterans, we shine … we shine brilliantly.

God bless America and let our veterans return home to a grateful nation.

As Individuals We Sparkle, but Together We Shine

34 DAV MAGAZINE

Vietnam veterans who served in the waters off Vietnam can now claim disability benefits for diseases caused

by exposure to Agent Orange, a federal appeals court has ruled. The Aug. 16 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims reversed a VA policy that arbitrarily in-terpreted “service in the Republic of Vietnam” to mean only service on land areas of Vietnam and not waters offshore within its national boundaries.

The case involved a former U.S. Navy sailor who served on an ammunition ship during the war but never actually set foot on Vietnamese soil. The veteran, Jonathan Haas, blamed his diabetes, nerve damage and loss of eyesight on exposure to clouds of the toxic defoli-ate, which the United States sprayed on Vietnamese jungles, that drifted out to sea, engulfing his ship and landing on his skin. The VA denied his claim, saying that to qualify for disability benefits, Haas was required to have come ashore in Vietnam, and that decision was later upheld by the Board of Veterans’ Appeals (BVA).

“A long-standing DAV resolution has sought to extend the presumption of herbicide exposure to include veterans who

served in waters offshore of Vietnam,” said National Legisla-tive Director Joseph A. Violante. “Veterans who served on vessels in nearby waters had the same risk of exposure to Agent Orange as those who served on adjacent land,” he said. “They certainly were at greater risk of exposure than veterans who may have been on land in Vietnam only briefly.”

The three-judge panel said VA regulations governing the benefits were unclear. The court said it made no sense for vet-erans who patrolled Vietnam’s inland waterways and those

simply passing through the country to receive Agent Orange related benefits while those serving at sea do not.

In issuing its ruling, the court did not actually award a disability to Haas, but sent his case back to the BVA for

that determination.“Veterans who served offshore but did not set foot in Viet-

nam and who suffer from conditions they believe are caused by exposure to Agent Orange should consider filing a claim for disability. Veterans who have had such claims denied may wish to re-file based on the court’s decision. Veterans are encouraged to seek the advice and assistance of a DAV National Service Officer,” said National Service Director Randy Reese.

Court Rules VA Must Pay for Offshore Exposure toAGENT ORANGE

NSO Abnathey Joins Service Headquarters Staff

National Adjutant Arthur H. Wil-son, with the approval of National

Commander Bradley S. Barton, ap-pointed National Service Officer Isaac J. Abnathey as Associate National

Service Director.“We offer Mr.

Abnathey sincere congratulat ions and best wishes in his new position,” said National Ad-jutant Arthur H. Wilson. “He will continue to carry

out his new responsibilities with the same sense of dedication and profes-sionalism that have marked his career with DAV.”

“As Associate National Service Di-rector, Mr. Abnathey will play a key role in the day-to-day operation and

oversight of the DAV’s National Service Program,” said Wilson.

The DAV National Service Program employs some 250 National Service Officers, 25 Transition Service Officers and approximately 140 support person-nel in more than 80 offices throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.

Isaac Abnathey, a service-con-nected disabled Air Force veteran, began his DAV career as a National Service Officer at the St. Petersburg, Fla., National Service Office in 1994. He joined the National Appeals Office staff in Washington, D.C., in 1996 and was later admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. In 1998, he was promoted to Assistant Supervisor at the DAV’s Na-tional Appeals Office.

In 2000 he was promoted and as-signed as Supervisor at the National Service Office in Columbia, S.C., where he served until his current appointment at National Service and Legislative Headquarters.

A native of Newberry, S.C., Ab-nathey is a life member of DAV Chapter 60 in South Carolina and Chapter 53 in Maryland. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1987 and served as a Medical Service Specialist attaining the rank of Sergeant. He was honorably discharged in 1992.

While serving in the Air Force, Ab-nathey earned an Associate of Applied Science Degree through the Commu-nity College of the Air Force. He later earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from Benedict College in Co-lumbia, S.C., and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Paralegal Sciences through the University of Maryland University College. He is also a graduate of the DAV’s Management and Leadership Training Program.

“As Mr. Abnathey assumes his new duties and responsibilities, we know that he will continue to meet success in his chosen career as an advocate for disabled veterans and their families,” said Wilson.

Abnathey


By Thom Wilborn

The Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs have worked out

a compromise plan to pay about $500 million in back retirement pay to more than 100,000 military retirees who receive compensation for service-con-nected disabilities.

“This is an important first step in more fairly compensating military longevity retirees who qualify for service-connected disability com-pensation,” said National Legislative Director Joseph A. Violante. “It may take some time to pay all 100,000 of these veterans—which shows the weakness of Congress’ piecemeal ap-proach to concurrent receipt legislation.”

The retroactive payments are owed to nearly half of all recipients of Com-bat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC) and Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP).

The problem of deciding what pay-ments veterans should receive when they qualified under the two compen-

sation programs created a struggle for the Defense Finance and Accounting System which oversees the payments. The issue has now been cleared up, and accountants are trying to figure how much is already owed to military retirees with disabilities.

Retroactive payments would average between $4,000 and $5,000, depending on rank, level of disability and the

period covered by retroac-tivity. Some retirees could receive payments from both departments, but of-ficials hope to synchronize the process to limit confu-sion for retirees. The VA says retirees will receive a letter explaining the back payments.

A streamlined computer process making the com-plex calculations of back

pay involving CRSC and CRDP has been developed, which will significant-ly reduce the six-month to one-year estimate for payments.

For nearly 100 years, military retirees saw their military longevity retirement pay reduced by the amount of tax-free VA disability compensation they re-

ceived. They were the only government employees to have their retirement pay reduced by disability compensation. In an effort to grant fairness to military retirees, Congress enacted CRSC and CRDP to end the discrimination against those who served a lifetime defending their country.

However, Congress limited CRSC to active duty retirees who were deemed to have combat-related disabilities rated at least 60 percent or disabilities for which they received the Purple Heart. Eligibility was later expanded to include any retiree with a compensable combat-related disability, including reservists.

When CRDP took effect Jan. 1, 2004, it applied to retirees with 20 or more years of service and non-combat re-lated disabilities of 50 percent or more. CRDP payments are phased in over several years, based on degree of dis-ability. By 2014, all retirees rated at 50 percent or above will receive both their longevity retirement pay and disability compensation.

The retroactive payments will affect those retirees who qualified for pay-ments when the laws took affect to the point their payments begin.

Some Disabled Retirees to Receive Back Pay

Forget Them Not ... John R. Cowan, Sr., Commander, DAV Chapter 142, White-hall, Ohio, presents a Junior ROTC Medal and DAV Certificate of Appreciation to a JROTC cadet. Through JROTC participation, the Chapter collected more than $3,300 in its Forget Me Not drive to support local service programs for disabled veterans.

36 DAV MAGAZINE

Although veterans of the first Gulf War report signifi-cantly more symptoms of illness than soldiers of the

same period who were not deployed, a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) finds no set of symptoms that constitute a syndrome unique to Gulf War veterans. However, the study sponsored by the VA found evidence that Gulf War veterans could be at greater risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and brain tumors.

“It is important to note that even though researchers haven’t been able to put a label on those symptoms, the IOM study recognizes that veterans are suffering from illnesses and disabilities related to their service in the Gulf War,” said National Service Director Randy Reese. “This new report also notes that researchers do not have the data needed to determine whether long-term health problems for many veterans are associated with service in the Gulf War. Because there were inadequate screen-ings and medical examinations before and after deployment, some veterans have difficulties with their claims for service-connected dis-ability compensation.”

The IOM report said pre-deployment screenings would have established a baseline for comparing the health status of veterans after deployment. The report also calls for better monitoring of exposure to contaminants in the field. There was almost no direct monitoring of Gulf War soldiers’ expo-sures to contaminants, and therefore it might never be pos-sible to pinpoint if an exposure during their service might be associated with an illness, the panel noted.

The committee reviewed 850 relevant studies, some of which relied on self-reporting of symptoms from veterans, and others that used objective measures of symptoms and exposures. The cumulative evidence from studies that relied on veterans’ self-reports indicates that almost 30 percent of Gulf War veterans have experienced a multi-symptom ill-ness compared with 16 percent of non-deployed personnel, according to the report.

A number of reports have indicated that troops were potentially exposed to sarin gas, pesticides, air pollutants, vaccines, solvents and pharmaceuticals.

“Gulf War veterans consistently report experiencing a wide range of symptoms, and this the case for both Ameri-can veterans and military personnel from Canada, Australia, and other countries who served in the Persian Gulf,” said committee chair Lynn Goldman, a professor of occupational and environmental health at Johns Hopkins University. “But because the symptoms vary greatly among individuals, they do not point to a syndrome unique to these veterans. Un-fortunately, because of the lack of objective pre-deployment health information, we do not have the baseline data needed to draw more definitive conclusions about many aspects of these veterans’ long-term health.”

The committee identified three studies that point to a possible link between Gulf War service and increased risk

for developing ALS, a rare disorder that occurs in five of every 100,000 people in the general population. To date there is no evidence that overall rates of can-cer are increased in Gulf War veterans, but some evidence points to a possible association between service and brain cancer.

“Because ALS occurs so rarely, any individual veteran’s chances of developing the disease are still gener-ally low,” Goldman said. “Although the reports linking Gulf War service to ALS and brain cancer are inconclusive

at this time, we do recommend follow-up studies to monitor rates of these diseases in Gulf War veterans,” she added.

In addition to increased chances of experiencing a psy-chological condition such as depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Gulf War veterans also were more likely to sustain transportation-related injuries or deaths in the first few years upon return from the war, but not in later years, the committee found. These findings are consistent with studies of personnel who served in other armed conflicts in which higher rates of PTSD and motor ve-hicle fatalities were reported in the years following service.

The new report details the many sources of chemicals that could have harmed the health of the veterans. Among them are the smoke from oil-well fires that were set by Iraqis as they retreated at the end of the war and the potential exposures arising from the U.S. military bombing of a poi-son-gas munitions dump at Khamisiyah.

“Veterans who believe their disabilities may be related to their service in the Gulf War are urged to contact the nearest DAV Na-tional Service Office for information and assistance with filing a claim for service-connected disability,” said Reese.

Study Finds No ‘Syndrome’ for Ailing Gulf War Vets


Salute to Diamondback Leadership ...Then-National Third Junior Vice Com-mander Roberto “Bobby” Barrera, center, presents the National Commander’s Award to Arizona Diamondbacks President Rich Dozer, left, during pre-game ceremonies July 23 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz. Phoenix National Service Office Supervisor Aunjel L. Anderson, right, assisted in the presentation honoring the team’s contribu-tions and support for the DAV and disabled veterans.

Creative Veterans ...DAV member Michael Cruse, Sr., of Alma, Ark., stands aside his original porcelain china painting. Cruse, a disabled Vietnam War veteran, was among ap-proximately 130 veterans who participated in the National Veterans Cre-ative Arts Festival in Rapid City, S.D., Oct. 16. The event, scheduled to be broadcast nationally on PBS the week of Veterans Day, highlights the VA’s recreation therapy programs. National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson, left, and National

Headquarters Executive Director Richard E. Patterson, right, present a certificate of recognition and apprecia-tion to Executive Assistant Sandra “Sandy” L. Buchanan on the occasion of her retirement after a DAV career of 42 years.

DAV Executive Assistant Sandra Buchanan Retires

Sandy Buchanan’s phone rang off the hook all day on Thurs-day and Friday, the 12th and 13th of October. Well-wishers

from throughout the DAV were calling to wish her a wonderful retirement, as the career of Executive Assistant to the National Adjutant and the Executive Director National Headquarters came to a close after 42 successful years of devoted service to the DAV.

Sandra “Sandy” L. Buchanan began her career with the DAV on Oct. 12, 1964 at the age of 18. William Dwyer was the National Commander, and the National Headquarters was still located at 1425 E. McMillan Street in Cincinnati. It was the same month that DAV Magazine announced the death of World War I hero Alvin C. York, and the DAV Idento-Tag Service was still in operation.

From the beginning, Sandy worked to build better lives for America’s disabled veterans and their families. With commitment, compassion, intelligence and hard work, she advanced steadily in the organization, ultimately achieving the organization’s highest administrative assistant position. Along the way she gained the con-fidence and respect of all with whom she worked and had contact.

“Words can hardly express the devotion Sandy brought to the DAV,” National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson said. “Sandy lived the values of service, quality, integrity and leadership to which all members of the DAV and its professional staff aspire. The DAV is the world’s greatest veterans service organization because Sandy Buchanan and people like her made it so.”

38 DAV MAGAZINE

Injured Soldiers “Go Navy” at Naval Academy Game ...Injured soldiers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center, their families and escorts arrive at the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., for the season opening football game against the University of Massachusetts. The soldiers and their families were the guests of Annapolis alumni and were transported to the game on the DAV coach. Navy won the game 21-20.

U.S. Navy D-Day Monument

n The Naval Order of the United States is leading a cam-paign to erect a monument to commemorate the Navy’s participation in the June 6, 1944, invasion of France during World War II. Although all other U.S. armed services and those of participating allies are memorialized at Normandy, the U.S. Navy is not. The monument will stand near the Utah Beach Landing Museum on the Normandy Coast. The monument will be entirely privately financed, with no gov-ernment funding. Visit the Naval Order’s Web site at www.navalorder.org for more information.

Chemical Warfare Experiments

n The Veterans Benefits Administration has released the first in a series of notification letters to Department of Defense-identified veterans who were exposed to chemical warfare and related agents as test subjects in military experiments. These experiments took place primarily at military facilities in Edgewood, Md., from 1955 to 1975. The letter informs veterans of benefits they may be entitled to receive and advises them to discuss any health concerns they may have with their VA health care providers.

The Edgewood-Aberdeen experiments involved at least 6,700 “soldier volunteers” exposed to more than 250 differ-ent agents. The agents tested involved about half a dozen pharmacological classes, including common approved phar-

maceuticals, nerve agents, nerve agent antidotes, psychoac-tive compounds and irritants such as tear gases. Although records are poor and often incomplete, some veterans were exposed only to placebos such as saline, or other common substances such as alcohol or caffeine.

Veterans Warned About Prescription Scam

n The VA is telling veterans to be on the alert for telephone calls from someone claiming to be from the “VA pharmacy” who ask for personal information and a list of medications.“There have been some reports of veterans receiving such phone calls, which the VA warns are a complete scam,” said Washington Headquarters Executive Director David W. Gor-man. “Disabled veterans may be the targets of those phony calls because they are frequent users of the VA health care system.”

According to the VA, some veterans received phone calls from a man indicating he was from the “VA pharmacy” who asked veterans for their Social Security number and a list of medications because of “new co-pay regulations.” Officials said the caller told the veterans they owe $800 because of a co-pay change at the VA and asked for credit card informa-tion to pay the bills.

The VA stresses there has been no change in regulations and that it does not contact patients by telephone for pre-scription renewals. Officials urge veterans to be very careful about giving out personal information over the phone to people they do not know.

News Briefs


The reunion of Pearl Harbor survi-vors on Dec. 7 is the last official

gathering by the organization as the generation who lived the day of infamy passes into history.

“The youngest of the living Pearl Harbor survivors, those who were in their teens and early twenties in

1941, are now in their early-to-mid eighties,” said USS Arizona Memorial Association Executive Director George Sullivan. “Given the age of survivors and their limited ability to travel, the 65th anniversary will mark the last planned Survivors Summit, a reunion of survivors in Hawaii.”

The Pearl Harbor Survivors National Reunion, conducted every five years since the end of World War II, is ex-pected to attract more than 300 living survivors of the attack against Hawai-ian military installations on Dec. 7, 1941. Including family members, Sul-livan expects more than 1,200 with a direct link to the attack. Another 1,800 visitors are expected.

“In the past we have had ceremo-nies recognizing those who gave their lives at Pearl Harbor,” he said. “But this year we want to recognize the last survivors as well.”

All Battle of Pearl Harbor survivors are invited to attend the last reunion which runs from Dec. 2-8 in Honolulu. Sullivan estimated there were 70,000 service members on Oahu when the attack took place.

More than 1.5 million visitors tour the USS Arizona memorial each year. On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy attacked military airfields and the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored in Pearl Harbor. When the two-hour attack ended, 21 ships were damaged or sunk, and the death toll reached 2,403.

Last Hurrah for Pearl Harbor Survivors

Medal of Honor recipient and Pearl Harbor survivor John Finn of San Diego, talks with sailors as he arrives for the USS Arizona Memorial 60th anniversary commemoration of the Pearl Harbor attacks.Above, Finn as a chief petty officer in 1942.

Smoke and flames on Battleship Row, December 7, 1941.

40 DAV MAGAZINE

DAV’s NFL player autograph cards are the perfect product several

teams are handing out to football fans this season. Dozens of NFL players are signing the cards for fans, who also get information about the DAV’s service to disabled veterans and their families.

“This is a significant outreach pro-gram that carries the DAV message to hundreds of thousands of professional football fans across our nation,” said National Adjutant Arthur H. Wilson. “Through it we are reaching out to more disabled veterans and their fami-

lies offering our program of service.”So far, more than 312,000 player

autograph cards have been printed for the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, In-dianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans. At least 13 other teams are considering using the cards as part of their community outreach programs.

Team executives have said the cards are their perfect product to reach out to their fans, including the young-

est generation, and NFL players are excited about the design of the cards. Fans eagerly snap them up at player appearances.

Meanwhile, the inspiring DAV video “GIs of the Gridiron,” which features the contributions made by NFL players in defense of our nation, continues to be shown on stadium scoreboards. The program about the service and sacrifice of NFL veterans, which was produced last season, has been applauded by teams and fans alike, and has become a regular part of the games.

DAV Autograph Cards a Big Hit in the NFL

Right page, Green Bay Packers quarter-back Aaron Rodgers signs his DAV player autograph cards for students during an appearance at Webster Stanley Elementary School.Left, Keith Bulluck Tennessee Titans linebacker signs his DAV autograph card for youngsters at Titans training camp practice.


A veteran’s disability touches every aspect of your life. It’s the same with us. That’s why we formed the Auxiliary. We know the fami-lies of disabled veterans need to stick together, because dangerthreatens the benefits our families depend on.

As the number of veterans declines day by day, our families must pick up the torch of justice. Our membership must be large enough to convince Congress to respect surviving disabled vets and the survivors of disabled veterans who have passed away. Spouses, surviving spouses, parents, siblings, children, grandparents,grandchildren and great grandchildren are all eligible for the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary.

Stand up for yourself, your veteran, and your family!Senior members – return the form below today with your $15 dues

Junior members – children 17 or under - $3 NameDisabled vet’s nameVet’s code number

Address

Send to: DAV Auxiliary, 3725 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, KY 41076

Life Membership can save money over the years, covering all dues and fees for your lifetime.

Because we need each other...You and the DAV Auxiliary

Life dues are based on age: 18-30, $250; 31-45, $230; 46-60, $200; 61-70, $180; and 71 and up, $140. A down

payment of $40 is all that is required to start a life membership with three full membership years to pay it in full.

(see address on back cover)

Wide receiver Eddie Drummond of the Detroit Lions signs his DAV player autograph cards for a group of gleeful kids during the team’s Tailgate Tour.Below, Kicker Robbie Gould of the Chicago Bears signs his new DAV player autograph cards for eager fans.

Disabled American Veterans National HeadquartersUnaudited Statement of Financial Position • June 30, 2006

Unrestricted AssetsCurrent AssetsInvestments, at MarketLand, Buildings and Equipment,

Net of Depreciation

Total Unrestricted Assets

Life Membership AssetsCurrent AssetsInvestments, at Market

Total Life Membership Assets

$ 31,959,157266,495,41611,215,09911,044,238

$ 309,498,811

$ 5,291,10157,873,934

$ 63,165,035

Unrestricted LiabilitiesCurrent Liabilities

Total Liabilities

Unrestricted Net AssetsGeneral and Net Assets

Designated by the NationalBoard of DirectorsTotal Unrestricted Net Assets

Total Liabilities and Unrestricted Net Assets

Life Membership LiabilitiesCurrent LiabilitiesReserve for Future Distribution

of Life Membership DuesTotal Life Membership Liabilities

and Reserve for Future Distribution of Life Membership Dues

$ 60,302,90960,302,909

249,195,902249,195,902

309,498,811

67,99

$

$-

$

343,384

62,821,651

63,165,035

42 DAV MAGAZINE

admiration of our fellow students for our efforts. They be-gan to realize that we wanted the same things from life as they did. We were able to show them that veterans were not responsible for our government’s policy in Vietnam and that veterans deserved be admired for their service to our country, not hated or discriminated against for it.

It was veterans helping veterans, just like when the DAV was founded. And that certainly helped me as I earned a degree that I felt sure would lead to a good job when I graduated.

I thought it would be easy finding a good job since I had a degree in business administration. I thought it was a sure-fire path to success.

But, I soon learned that some employers shared many of the attitudes that some of the professors at college had. They felt the war and the warrior were the same.

Plus, I had to deal with the prejudices some people had about the disabled. Some employers thought I just could do the job because I was in a wheelchair. I believe some people may look at a person in a wheelchair and they see themselves, and that frightens them.

So, it was very difficult for me to get a job. But when I did get my first job in accounting I had a supervisor who didn’t think I could not do the job because I was in a wheelchair.

Well, needless to say, that job did not last long. But that experience did inspire me to get a different type of job.

Back then, the National Alliance of Businessmen had a program to assist Vietnam veterans—and particularly dis-abled veterans—in obtaining employment. So I took a job with them as a Jobs for Veterans Manager. My job was to encourage local employers to hire returning Vietnam vet-erans—especially disabled veterans. It was when I went to Washington, D.C., to train for that position that I learned about the DAV’s service and advocacy on veterans’ employ-ment and education issues.

Thanks is part to DAV’s efforts, Congress recognized the problems Vietnam veterans were having when they returned and enacted a program within the VA to hire 2,500 Veteran Representatives on Campus to assist veterans with certifica-tion of their educational benefits. They also helped veterans in filing claims and getting their benefits.

Then, I took a job with the VA as a Veterans Representa-tive on Campus at the Purdue University in Indiana. I was promoted to a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist, working with disabled veterans in various training programs through-out the northwestern part of Indiana.

Then I met Gregory Reed who was also a VA Vocational

Rehabilitation Specialist at the time. And, as you know, he is a life member of the DAV and went on to become our National Commander a few years ago.

Greg’s friendship and support have meant a great deal to me over the years. He has been my mentor in this organiza-tion and has helped me in everything I have accomplished working at the VA.

I also met former National Service Director Kenneth Wolfe in those days, when he was the assistant supervisor of the DAV National Service Office in Indianapolis. Greg and Ken signed me up for the DAV with Dr. Worthington Chapter 3 in Indianapolis. So began my affiliation with this great organization.

And let me tell you, it has been one of the most rewarding and satisfying experiences of my life.

My personal connection with the DAV is just one example of the many thousands of other disabled veterans who have been touched by our fine organization and its members. It is a legacy that we can all be very proud of. Thanks to you, the DAV is still a vital force in the lives of disabled veterans and their families.

And as I think about this new generation of Americans serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and all around the world, I am more convinced than ever that the DAV needs to be there for them, just as it was for you and me.

The brave men and women who are wounded and dis-abled serving our country today will face many of the same challenges that we have faced. And that’s why it is so impor-tant that we reach out to them—for today and tomorrow.

We’ve got a number of outreach efforts underway to spread our mission of service and hope. They are the result of the outstanding forward-thinking leadership of National Adjutant Wilson and his excellent professional staff.

Over the past several years we have fine-tuned—and in some cases retooled—our service programs to meet the needs of our nation’s disabled veterans.

We’ve replenished the ranks of our National Service Of-ficer corps with veterans of our nation’s more recent wars and armed conflicts—including the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan. And their professional training has benefited from the expertise and long-time experience of our NSOs from previous eras.

The DAV’s Transition Service Program has been very im-portant to the men and women leaving active duty.

We are providing them with expert benefits counseling and assistance very early on. The aim is to help the claims process work smoother and more efficiently so disabled veterans can begin receiving their earned benefits as soon as possible.

National Commander(Continued from page 1)


We also have been reaching out to the injured troops at military hospitals, like Walter Reed Army Medical Center, to help them as they begin their long road to recovery and rehabilitation. It is important for them to know that the DAV is there for them—for today and tomorrow.

We’ve also joined forces with the National Guard in their Family Support Program, which opens up new opportunities for our Departments and Chapters to get involved with com-munity-based service and volunteer programs. Both for the families when their loved ones are deployed, and when they return home as veterans.

With so much reliance on the National Guard in Iraq and Afghanistan, this a great way to show support for the troops and their families—a way for them to connect with the DAV family as well.

And by connecting with the new generation of disabled veterans, we will be able to grow well beyond our historic one million life-member mark. We will continue to build an even stronger, more active membership that truly is the very best veterans service organization on the face of the earth.

That’s important because we have so much more to ac-complish for our fellow disabled veterans and our families. We will need all our strength and resolve as we meet the challenges ahead.

And because our mission is so important, I know we can count on our NSOs and our Department and Chapter Service Officers to continue the outstanding tradition that has been the DAV’s legacy for 86 years. They are dedicated, talented people who always put your interests first.

Of course, our voluntary services programs continue to set new records every year, and we are all very proud of our HSCs and volunteers in the Transportation Network. Every year they continue to donate thousands of hours to make sure sick and disabled veterans get to their medical appointments.

And I am very proud that the DAV still has the very best group of volunteers in VA facilities. They have set the stan-dard for care and compassion for disabled veterans. And they set the very best example for those younger volunteers who will carry on our timeless legacy in the future.

Of course, we all know what a great job National Adjutant Wilson and your National Staff are doing to make sure our organization works efficiently and effectively in fulfilling our mission of service to disabled veterans and their fami-lies. Executive Directors Richard E. Patterson and David W. Gorman and everyone at our headquarters in Cold Spring and Washington are the very best.

Once again, I want to pay special tribute to all the families of disabled veterans for their support and for everything that they do. That’s what really makes it possible for us to live

full and rewarding lives. They really deserve the credit for their personal sacrifices for all of us.

Now that the holiday season is upon us, I am reminded that when loved ones return home from war we share a sense of relief and joy. Celebrations and special meals with family and friends are an American tradition at this time of year.

But coming home is more than just surviving war; it’s also surviving the changes that have happened to your life. That is something disabled veterans and their families know all too well.

The challenges we have faced have made us all truly thankful for our families, our homes, our friends and the comforts we all enjoy living in America. Giving thanks and sharing the warmth of family, of course, are the central themes of the season, regardless of how we each celebrate the holidays.

Across America, however, there are thousands of homes that will have empty seats at the dinner table and gaping holes in the families’ hearts. For those with loved ones serv-ing in harm’s way far from home, the holidays can be a very troubling as well as a joyous time.

So, as many of us celebrate the holidays with family and friends, our thoughts go out to those who will be far from home. Many of you send holiday greetings and special pack-ages of goodies to our troops overseas. And that’s a wonder-ful way to show them that you care and wish them a safe and speedy return.

But I urge you also to open your hearts to the families of our troops, especially those in the National Guard who have been called to active duty. It could be something as simple as paying them a visit to let them know the gratitude you have for what they and their loved ones are going through. Let them know that they are not alone and that the DAV family is there for them.

Time and again, I have seen just how warm-hearted and caring our members are toward the families of those who have served and sacrificed for our nation. It is that capacity for compassion and thoughtfulness that makes the DAV fam-ily such a vital part of the fabric that is America. As I reflect on these qualities, I am filled with a deep sense of humility at the privilege of serving as your National Commander.

So, along with these holiday greetings, I want to thank each of you for your hard work and dedication to our mis-sion of service and hope for our fellow disabled veterans and their families. Because of you, the DAV remains the nation’s foremost veterans service organization, and that is truly a blessing to be thankful for.

We wish you and your families the brightest and most memorable holiday season, and a happy new year.

44 DAV MAGAZINE

Legislated Inadequacy

I am writing in reference to the heat-ed debate about VA benefits and Social Security. One point is being overlooked in the discussion: all Congressmen, Senators and ex-Presidents get a federal retirement and Social Security retire-ment. They are one of the only groups that are allowed to dip full from both wells without a penalty. So while they attempt to erode my Social Security benefits because I receive a disability

check from the VA, I say shame and no thank you. I’ll take the same benefits you vote for yourselves. Mary J. Curtis, Tacoma, WA

Convention Builds Leaders

The 85th National Convention in Chicago was as we expected, filled with sharing information and how-to seminars. National makes it an obligation to keep us informed and encouraged members to pro-vide feedback at the local level on changes and other interests to

veterans as they occur. This sym-biotic relationship has made the DAV the strong service organization it has become, and one of the reasons conventions and conferences remain necessary and effective. We are well aware how membership sustains our organization, National Adjutant Ar-thur Wilson has expressed that “We (the present leaders) are not going to be here forever and there’s a need to identify those with potential to lead from all levels of our organization in the future.” Commander Herman W. Morton, Department of Ohio

Loud & Clear(Continued from page 4)

The doctors wanted to amputate Kasal’s leg. He wanted to stay in the Marine Corps.

“I wanted to be back in Iraq. I wanted to be over there and I was not,” Kasal said. “So, I’d wheel around and ask people how they were doing and take the conversa-tion from there. I’d try to reassure them. We’d just talk about what-ever they wanted to talk about.”

On April 30, Kasal’s father died, one day before the Marine was promoted to sergeant major and awarded the Navy Cross for hero-ism in Iraq. He reenlisted for three years.

Today, Kasal serves as the ser-geant major of a recruiting station in Des Moines, Iowa (he is from nearby Afton).

The pain endures. Kasal suffers from loss of motion, arthritis, back injuries, poor blood circulation and other health problems.

“I’m getting around fairly well. I’m not even close to 100 percent and I probably never will be,” admits the sergeant major. “I have a lot of issues

I’ll have to deal with for the rest of my life.”

“Men like Sgt. Maj. Kasal epitomize the sacrifices our brave men and women in uniform are willing to make for their

brothers in arms and our nation,” said DAV National Service Director Randy Reese. “The least we can do to show our gratitude is to continue the tradi-tion of care and service we’ve provided generations of wounded warriors.”

Despite the trauma Kasal has en-dured, he said the most difficult chal-lenge he’s faced is the pain of being

away from his Marines in Iraq.His goal, he said, is to recover

enough to serve in Iraq again. If he can’t get back to health, he said he’d retire.

Following his road to recov-ery, Kasal said he recognizes the issues Marines and other servicemembers face after be-coming injured or disabled as a result of their service. Medical care for veterans, job placement, disability benefits and other is-sues are close to his heart.

“Some of these people can’t work again. Or they’re limited on what they can do. There are others with loss of limbs,” he said. “It’s paramount that the people who went over and served and gave a part of their health or a part of their body get proper care and benefits for the

rest of their life.”He’s grateful that veterans service

organizations are looking out for the returning warriors.

“I know organizations like DAV are taking care of disabled veterans. It’s a good organization. There can’t be enough help out there for our veter-ans,” Kasal said.

Sgt. Kasal(Continued from page 13)

Sgt. Maj. Kasal being decorated with the Navy Cross.


Chaplain’s Corner

Returning is one of the great words in the English language. I have just returned from a wonderful time with our DAV family gathered in the great city of Chicago to select new leadership for the coming year. We came together to revitalize the organization and make sure we are on course and accomplishing our mission. Let me inform you, who were not able to attend, that “all is well.” Our leadership is solid and dedicated to the mission of caring for and helping disabled veterans.

It was a definite learning experience and it was fun meeting new friends and sharing stories with old friends. But returning is the word I would like to talk with you about. Returning home was also a warm feeling that was comforting. Getting back to my own pillow, my own parking space, my own refrigerator, and all those things that make my life cozy and right. Home is another great word that comforts and gives us a feeling of safety.

But returning is still the word that I need to share with you. At the convention, there was an empty table that in its still silence spoke volumes to us all. There are members of our family who have not returned and it would not speak well for us if we forgot that painful fact.

What does it take to remember? We get so caught up in our daily routines and so involved in our successes and struggles that we simply do not remember the suffering of our POW/MIA brothers and sisters.

This morning is a beautiful day in New Hampshire, the sky is blue. There is a bird singing outside my window. I am tired from the convention, but I have returned to my world and my special things. But in my reflections there is something wrong because there are POW/MIA families that are not at peace. I need to remember that and honor them for their daily pain. For if we can’t take time to remember, how on earth, can we expect non-family members to remember.

I, as your National Chaplain, believe in the power and comfort of prayer. If you do, and even if you don’t, maybe a POW/MIA family does. Please join in prayer with me.

Lord God, giver of all solace and provider of comfort in our hour of fear, anger and sorrow, bring your comfort-ing spirit to all those who are missing and help those who suffer the pain of separation to feel the love you have for us all. Give us comfort and help us cope so that all who are lost can return or be found. In the name of the God who loves us all. Amen.

Rev. Ed Bastille, National Chaplain

Last Van Rolls Out …James Leneski, a VA volunteer, and his wife, Beverly Leneski, Ann Arbor VA Medical Center Chief of Voluntary and Chaplain Service, bid farewell as the last of the 127 new DAV Trans-portation Network vans prepares to depart DAV National Headquarters. Mrs. Leneski is also a life member of DAV Chapter 13, Yspilanti, Mich. She was so enthusiastic to get the new van that she asked James to drive her to National Headquarters on her day off so she could drive it back to Michigan.

46 DAV MAGAZINE

1874TH ENGINEER AVN.BN. - April 11-15, 2007, St. Louis, Missouri, Contact Chet Southworth, Phone (254) 634-6000.1ST BN 33RD ARMOR 3RD ARMOR DIVISION & 33RD CAVALRY 101 AIRBORNE DIVISION (ALL YEARS) - June 8-10, 2007, Anderson, Indiana, Contact Larry E. Plummer, Phone (765) 934-3835, Email [email protected] TRANSPORTATION COMPANY - October 4-7, 2007, Fort Eustis, Virginia, Contact Thomas C. Denney, Sr., 402 Maple Avenue, Moorefield, West Virginia 26836., Phone , Email [email protected] INFANTRY DIVISION - 66TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION - September 29-October 1, 2006, Saratoga Springs, New York, Contact Gary Yaple, Phone (315) 635-4320.297TH COMBAT ENGINEER BATTALION - June 5-7, 2007, Owensboro, Kentucky, Contact Hal Miller, Phone (270) 785-4088.517TH PARACHUTE REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM - June 27-July 2, 2007, Washington, D.C., Contact Ben Barrett, Phone (781) 383-0215, Email [email protected], Website www.517prct.org.73RD TANK BATTALION, 73RD ARMOR AND 73RD CAVALRY - May 14-18, 2007, Louisville, Kentucky, Contact Curtis Banker, Phone (518) 643-2302, Email [email protected] BATTALION, 15TH FIELD ARTILLERY-VIETNAM - June 14-17, 2007, Branson, Missouri, Contact Dave Holdorf, Phone (414) 464-2939, Email [email protected], Website www.landscaper.net.A COMPANY, 982ND ENGINEER CONSTRUCTION BATTALION (KOREAN WAR) - October 13-14, 2006, Hickory, North Carolina, Contact Jim Elvington, Phone (864) 232-1452.ARMY COUNTER INTELLIGENCE CORPS VETERANS - April 29-May 2, 2007, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Contact Dick Snyder, Phone (813)

634-4489, Email [email protected] TROOP 2ND 17TH CAVALRY ASSOCIATION - May 6-13, 2007, Galveston, Texas, Contact David C. Martin, Phone (254) 694-5529, Email [email protected] TROOP, 2/17TH CAVALRY - June 28-July 1, 2007, Washington, D.C., Contact Blair Craig, Email [email protected] PLATOON 2/60TH INFANTRY, 9TH INFANTRY DIVISION - June 22-24, 2007, Las Vegas, Nevada, Contact Mark Brockway, Phone (518) 638-8623, Email [email protected], Website www.recon2-60.4t.com.

BAKER CO. 21ST INFANTRY BATTALION USMCR, BAYONNE NAVAL BASE 1947-1950 - 11-Nov-06, , Contact John Sinnicki, Phone (609) 698-7534, Email [email protected] CO 3/7, “BAND OF BROTHERS” 69-70 VIETNAM - November 9-12. 2006, Washington, DC, Contact Roger Villarreal, Phone (281) 930-8161, Email [email protected] OF LONG AGO (1940-75) - April 24-28, 2007, Quantico, Virginia, Contact Don Patterson, Phone (301) 274-0100, Email [email protected] YORK STATE MARINES AND FMF CORPSMEN - June 7-10, 2007, Niagara Falls, New York, Contact Carl Steckler, Phone (607) 844-5168, Email [email protected].

ALL VIETNAM ERA SEABEES - February 2-4, 2007, Hampton, Virginia, Contact Dave Schill, Phone (856) 234-2273, Email [email protected], Website www.vietnam-era-seabees.org.ANZIO BEACHHEAD VETERANS OF 1944, WWII - May 3-7, 2007, Branson, Missouri, Contact Clyde E. Easter, Phone (276) 728-7293.HSL-31 ARCH ANGELS - May-07, San Diego, California, Contact Phillip T. Poisson, Phone (619) 429-4712, Email [email protected] 12 RECONNAISSANCE ATTACK SQUADRON - June 8-10, 2007, Key West, Florida, Contact Alvis Didway, Phone (336) 209-2905, Email [email protected], Website www.rvah12.com.U.S.S. BREMERTON (CA-130/SSN-698) - September 9-14, 2007, Covington, Kentucky, Contact Robert F. Polanowski, Phone (585) 365-2316, Email [email protected]. CONYHNHAM (DD-371/DDG-17) - May 20-24, 2007, Charleston, South Carolina, Contact Richard Greene, Phone (608) 741-0610, Email [email protected], Website www.ussconynghamassoc.org.U.S.S. EPPERSON (DDE/DD-719) - May 13-17, 2007, Louisville, Kentucky, Contact Sam White, Phone (906) 635-5993, Email [email protected]. FOX (DLG/CG-33) - May 31-June 3, 2007,

Charleston, South Carolina, Contact Wes Moore, Phone (360) 692-7207, Email [email protected], Website www.ussfox.com.U.S.S. GENERAL H. W. BUTNER (AP-113) - April 26-30, 2007, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Contact J. Gordon Fowlie, Phone (609) 698-3883, Email [email protected]. GUNSTON HALL (LSD-5) - April 29-May 2, 2007, San Diego, California, Contact Ron Kennedy, Phone (623) 907-3688, Email , Website www.ussgunstonhall.org.U.S.S. MILWAUKEE AOR-2 - October 20-21, 2006, Newport, Rhode Island, Email [email protected], Website www.ussmilwaukee.com.U.S.S. MONTICELLO (LSD-35) - August 1-5, 2007, Branson, Missouri, Contact Robert Behm, Phone (209) 772-0543, Email [email protected], Website www.ussmonticello.com.U.S.S. PERRY (DD-844 AND DMS-17) - March 18-22, 2007, San Antonio, Texas, Contact Mike Stephens, (813) 289-4119, Email [email protected], Website www.ussperry.com.U.S.S. SALT LAKE CITY ASSN. (CA-25) - June 3-8, 2007, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Contact Myron D. Varlard, 51725 Avenida Bermudas, La Quinta, California 92253-3123.U.S.S. SAVANNAH (AOR-4) - May 21-24, 2007, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Contact Dale Ebersold, Phone (812) 886-4252, Email [email protected], Website www.usssavannah.com.U.S.S. SHANGRI-LA (CV-CVA-CVS-38) - June 20-24, 2007, Branson, Missouri, Contact Billy Crump, (618) 498-2712, Email [email protected]. STURTEVANT (DE/DER-239) - May 17-20, 2007, Virginia Beach, Virginia, Contact John Angst, Phone (608) 989-9041, Email [email protected] ABNAKI ATF 96 - September 5-9, 2007, Rosemont, Illinois, Contact Duane Duhigg, Phone (815) 332-5587, Email [email protected] HARRY E. HUBBARD (DD-748) - April 25-29, 2007, Jacksonville, Florida, Contact Richard Oliver, Phone (727) 363-3059, Email [email protected] KNAPP (DD-653) - September 20-22, 2007, East Peoria, Illinois, Contact Pete Smith, Phone (309) 266-9391.USS NASHVILLE (CL-43) - May 16-19, 2007, Tucson, Arizona, Contact Don Hill, Phone (505) 299-4123, Email [email protected] TALBOT (DEG/FFG-4) - May 16-20, 2007, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Contact Jerry Connors, Phone (520) 399-2106, Email [email protected], Website www.usstalbot.org.

446TH BOMB GROUP ASSN. - April 25-29, 2007, Savannah, Georgia, Contact Mary Nell Roos, 5491 Tyshire Park Way, Providence Forge, Virginia 23140.5700TH ALBROOK AIR POLICE (1951-54) - April 24-26, 2007, Nashville, Tennessee, Contact Bob Carlson, Phone (508) 668-1655, Email [email protected].

46 DAV MAGAZINE

Army

Reunions - Because of increasing

number of requests and the space limi-

tations of our magazine, we must limit

publications of unit reunions to one

time only. Send such notices at least

six months in advance to: Reunions,

DAV Magazine, P.O. Box 14301, Cincin-

nati, OH 45250-0301. Thank you...the

Editors.

Marines

Navy

Air Force

Veterans Salute Web site ...Cherie Reid, a member of DAV Auxiliary Unit 20 in Brick, N.J., proudly displays her Web site, “Kids Thank A Veteran” at www.kidsthankavet.com. Reid, a teacher in Howell, N.J., created the Web site to give children around the world the opportunity to learn about and thank veterans for their service and sacrifice. On the site, children learn about veterans and their service and can leave their comments. Veterans can also visit the site to appreciate the tributes left by students.


• Searching for pilot flying sub-patrol out of Quonset Point, Rhode Island in the Spring of 1951 having conformation with a russian submarine. Please contact Roy A. Johnson, 405 S.E. 4th Street, Casey, Illinois 62420, (217) 932-4967.• Searching for Tung Yem Chin or anyone knowing him. Served with him in 1970-71 in the 76th and 79th Engineers in Korea and Germany. Please contact Sgt. Terry L. Baker, 703 State Highway 3, Harrisville, New York 13648.• Searching for any CASU 21 personnel assigned to V6/8 on USS Interpid during 1943-44. Please contact Bill Connolly at (509) 943-0330 or [email protected].• Searching for any member of the 46th Engineering Battalion in Yokohama, Japan during 1946-1947, who remembers a mud slide in Northern Japan. Please contact Rev. Jim Sikes, 28 Middle Road, Collins, Georgia 30421-8537, (912) 557-8994,

email: [email protected].• Searching for anyone of the 22 Air Force personnel from Langley Air Force Base, who were deployed on August 6, 1964 from LAFB to Naha AB, Okinawa. Please contact Normand Marchand, 9252 Woodstork Drive, Lakeland, Florida 33810, email: [email protected].• Searching for anyone who attended College for the Air Force in Columbia, Missouri in 1943. Please contact Lewis Bilotto, 22300 Corning Road, Corning, California 96021, telephone (530) 824-0699.• Searching for anyone who served at Pungo, Virginia field with CASU 21 and on board the USS Intrepid in VF6/8 during 1943/44. Please contact Bill Connolly, 1905 Poplar Street, Richland, Washington 99354, telephone (509) 943-0330, email: [email protected]. • Searching for anyone who served in “A” Company 2nd Battalion, 68th Armor Division, stationed in Bomholder, Germany 1966-1967. Please contact Jerry Moody, 20 Navy Street, Searsport, Maine 04974-3384, telephone (207) 548-2426. • Searching for anyone who served in L Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in Vietnam during 1966-67, especially Jim Marshall. Please contact H. G. Rangel, 3671 Progressive Road, Wapato, Washington 98951, telephone (509) 877-9976. • Searching for anyone who served in Quadalcanel, November 4, 1942 to December 23, 1942, and saw action at Koli Point and Govaga Creek. Our flank was defeated by 164th Infantry Americal Infantry Division, US Army. Please contact Vincent W. Mancini, Sr., 68 Purchase Street, Milford, Massachusetts 01757-1655.• Searching for anyone who served in Quam during 1943-45 with the 28th Squadron, 20th Air Force 19th Bombardment Group. Please contact Arthur Waybright, 340 Eastern Avenue, Apt. 322, Newark, Ohio 43055, telephone (740) 345-7540. • Searching for anyone who served in Vietnam during 1970 and 1971 in HHC Co. 1st Bn 150th Mech Infantry, 25th Infantry Division, Re-Supply Section. Please contact Marvin Hawkins, 5825 N. Terry Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111-6870, (405) 424-3741. • Searching for anyone who served in with the 3rd/11th ACR Bad Hersfeld Germany 1973-1974

unit who remembers April 1974 at Wilflicken combat gunnery range and the command tank that blew up during a combat training session. Please contact Don Casey, 6779 M75 Road, Escanaba, Michigan 49829-9516, email: [email protected]• Searching for anyone who served on the U.S.S. Stanton DE-247 from July 1943 to April 1944. Please contact Paul W. Phillips, 4103 Lotus Street, Texarkana, Texas 75503-2106.• Searching for anyone who served with A Co. 36th Engineers on Anzio front. Please contact John Bearish, 1823 W. Whitehall Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania 18104-4147.• Searching for anyone who served with Co. B 76th Heavy Tank Battalion 11th Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, from May 1948 to February 1950. Please contact Ralph Engles, P.O. Box 937, Olive Hill, Kentucky 41164, phone (606) 286-5994.• Searching for anyone who served with PFC Reno Lamania on December 22, 1969 who saw attack at checkpoint outside KY Khuong Village Headquarters. Please contact Don Kramer, Commander, M.O.P.H. Lamaroux Chapter #91, 231 50th Street, S.W., Wyoming, Michigan.• Searching for anyone who was attached to the 613th Squadron (Helicopter), VNAF, during the period July 1964 - July, 1965. Please contact Walter A. Brandenburg, P.O. Box 973, Mesquite, Nevada 89024, telephone (435) 215-5444.• Searching for anyone who witnessed an incident happening at Tan Son Nhut, Saigon R.V. Nam 1969 to the USAF fire chief who suffered injuries to his left hand when a claymore mine detonated in the fire. Please contact W. F. Ryan, 7629 51st Avenue, West, Lakewood, Washington 98499-3153, (253) 582-2480, or by email [email protected].• Searching for fellow torpedoman mates who served aboard the following ships: USS Puffer (SSN-652) 1976-77; USS Swordfish (SSN-579) 1977-78; USS Daniel Boone (SSN-629) April 1980-April 1982; USS Bluefish (SS-675) 1982-84. Please contact Michael McCallister, P.O. Box 1392, Hannibal, Missouri 63401.• Searching for Lt. Kauffman with the 2nd 506 Vietnam station at Phou-Vinh with the 101st Airborne Division. Please contact Abraham Warren, 527 Walden Street, Ft. Valley, Georgia 31030, (478) 825-2681.

Inquires...This Column is for inqui-ries submitted to DAV members and other interested persons attempting to locate persons to substantiate a claim for service-connected inju-ries. Your request will be processed through various means in an effort to find the person you are attempting ro locate. Requests to locate persons will be published if all other attempts have failed. Thank you...the Editors.

Inquiries

Isotopes Game Enchantment ...Manuel Quintana, Commander of Chapter 15 in Albquer-que, N.M., raises the first-pitch baseball into the air as he and other Department of New Mexico leaders are introduced prior to the July 29 Albuquerque Isotopes DAV Day at the Ballpark game. On the field are, from left, Past Chapter 32 Commander Thomas Boutwell, Quintana, Department of New Mexico Adjutant Julian Hernandez, Department of New Mexico Commander Danny Roberts and Chapter 33 Commander Alfred Sena. More than 1,000 DAV members and their guests from VA medical facilities attended the game.

Essay Contest Winners...Left, second place winner Erica Vernor, DAV Aux-iliary Unit 57, Crestview, Fla., Americanism Chari-man Merallyn McDonald, first place winner Britney Matherne, Unit Commander Frances Ferguson, and third place winner Vincent Gabriel.

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48 DAV MAGAZINE

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THE OFFICIAL VOICE OF THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS …

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