Do you know a WWII Veteran who stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944?
Honor Flight South Florida was recently contacted by one of its partners to invite WWII Veterans to go on a very special flight to Normandy for the 75th Anniversary. This trip is scheduled for June, 2019. “This is pretty far away, but it will give these boys something to look forward to want to make that trip”.
This partner of Honor Flight needs a specific group of WWII Veterans who stormed the… beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944.
If you know any WWII Veterans that will fit this criteria, please call Ryan Paton at 954-445-4285.
The 12th District was greatly honored when Congressman Bill Posey reached out for their assistance welcoming home a deceased 82nd Airborne Vietnam Era veteran.
12 members of the 12th District, throughout 4 posts, volunteered to join the Army Honor Guard, and a family friend on the flight line. The 12th District, a large group of riders, and flag waivers lined outside the gate demonstrating the strong bond the American Legion has with its veterans.
The American Legion Family has called upon Congress to designate May 26, 2017, as National Poppy Day to expand awareness and provide support everywhere for all who have served and sacrificed in the U.S. armed forces.
“The American Legion is pleased to bring Poppy Day to the United States, joining countries around the world who use the symbolic flower to remember our fallen and support the living,” American Legion National Commander Charles E. Schmidt said.
This year, the Boeing Company is premier sponsor to help The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, Sons of The American Legion and American Legion Riders increase public understanding of the poppy, its meaning and the ways in which it can be used to help veterans today and remember those who have served in the past.
The American Legion Auxiliary has been conducting a Poppy Program for many years and their members’ raise over $6 million annually to provide support for veterans, military servicemembers and their families.
“By wearing poppies on May 26, we honor every U.S. servicemember who has given his or her life in the name of liberty, freedom and democracy,” Schmidt wrote in the May issue of The American Legion Magazine. “At the same time, by wearing this simple red flower, we show our support for veterans of generations to come.”
A new website at www.legion.org/poppyday offers multiple ways The American Legion Family can expand awareness locally and regionally. Included on the site are media tools, message points, sample proclamations for elected officials and easy access to the American Legion Emblem Sales “Poppy Shop,” which offers an assortment of affordable items including the new National Poppy Day pin, kits for making lapel poppies for distribution, fundraising containers, charms, scarves and more.
Also through the website, National Poppy Day donors can make safe, secure contributions with their credit cards and dedicate their gifts to personally honor veterans now living or in memory of those who have passed. All donations directly support military veterans and families through American Legion programs.
The site also provides, under the heading “Get Involved,” a new set of media tools and promotions that can be modified for local use, including press releases, sample social media posts and downloadable high-resolution graphics. The “History” section of the site has a full-color, downloadable poster featuring the poem “In Flanders Fields,” which led to the red poppy’s emergence as an international symbol of military sacrifice.
American Legion Family members who plan poppy distributions and similar commemorations around May 26 and the week leading into Memorial Day are urged to use the hashtags #PoppyDay and #LegionFamily so activities can be shared on Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels.
American Legion Riders participating in their annual Run to Thunder event in Washington, D.C., as well as chapters conducting local rides heading into Memorial Day weekend, are also planning to make the red poppy a visible symbol of sacrifice and encouraging the public to wear or otherwise display poppies to honor those who have served.
The American Legion designated the red poppy as its official flower at the organization’s second national convention, Sept. 27, 1920. Since then, members of The American Legion Family have raised awareness in communities, inspired by the 1915 poem of Canadian Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D., who saw firsthand from the front lines of World War I the emergence of red poppies around the graves and in the battle zones where blood was shed to protect freedom and democracy. He put that image into words:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
A video from the Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball in January 2017 features Korean War veteran, California Legionnaire and actor James McEachin onstage reciting the complete poem, which was written in May 1915 and published on Dec. 8 of that year.
Dave Miller assists homeless Veterans and those at risk during a Stand Down for Homeless Veterans event at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center
By Hans Petersen
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
David Miller is VA’s Male Volunteer of the Year. A Marine Corp Veteran, Miller served in Vietnam during the TET II offensive with 3rd Marine Division (9th Marines).
Miller says he got involved in volunteering, “Due to the fact that the Vietnam Veterans were ignored and mistreated and misdiagnosed for years after they returned home. I just wanted to make positive experiences to help all Veterans and also to help them with their issues for health and benefits.
“I speak to youth about how important it is to honor all our Veterans.”
“And after I was diagnosed with my cancer and in a wheelchair for five years, I kept volunteering to not think about my illnesses as well as to help other Veterans with the same problems. This was self medication for me as well.”
The National American Legion Hospital Representative at the Bay Pines VA Medical Center, Miller has volunteered for 27 years and finds the most emotional part of his volunteering is the interest he takes in the hospice and the really sick and disabled Veterans. “It made me thankful for my life, being a cancer survivor.’
He and his wife Kathy Ann live in Largo, Florida. His two grown sons, Jeremiah and Adam, live in Orlando. “They have accomplished so much in their lives.”
Miller says his only real hobby is, “Speaking to children and youth about the importance of patriotism and how important it is to honor all our Veterans. They provide the protection that allows them to enjoy the freedoms that they take for granted.”
And he encourages them to volunteer. “I would hope we can start getting more younger people and younger Veterans to volunteer at our VA hospitals and in the community. They would get so much satisfaction from helping our heroes from the past, present and future. Our Veterans are the life blood of this great country of ours. We must make sure that is never forgotten in all our future generations.”
Marine Veteran and Volunteer David Miller
As part of his volunteer duties, Miller visit patients daily and meets several times a week with Veterans them with their claims and benefits. “I also am an advocate for all Veterans who need help with appointments or any other issues at the hospital or in the community.” He also speaks with young Veterans at MacDill Air Force Base who need guidance or help with any VA issues when they leave the service.
Miller adds, “I would just like to say that I am honored and humbled to accept this great accolade as National Volunteer of the Year. With all the service organizations that are involved, there are so many deserving people that should have won this award. I love to help Veterans in all facets of their lives both at the VA and in the community. It gives me great satisfaction to be able to donate my time for such a worthy cause! God Bless our Veterans and God Bless our great country.”
Veterans town hall scheduled at the Lee County Healthcare Center on April 12
March 23, 2017
BAY PINES, FL. – The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System (VAHCS) will host a Veterans town hall meeting on Wednesday, April 12 from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the Lee County Healthcare Center located at 2489 Diplomat Parkway East, Cape Coral, FL 33909. The event will take place in the main lobby located on the first floor of the building.
VA outreach services and program representatives will be available prior to the event starting at 3:00 p.m. to assist Veterans. Services available will include VA health care enrollment and eligibility; VA benefits assistance; and patient advocate services.
Veterans and their families, congressional stakeholders, Veteran Service Organizations and other community partners are invited to attend.
During the town hall, VA officials will provide updates on VA operations and improvement initiatives regarding VA health care operations across the Bay Pines VAHCS. Veterans and their families will have an opportunity to comment publicly about VA programs and services.
For updated information about the Veterans town hall meeting or to learn more about the Bay Pines VAHCS, please visit www.baypines.va.gov.
I was extremely dismayed to learn that the HB 1375 / SB 1374 would demolish our highly successful specialty plate program, which includes our Florida Legion specialty plate.
If this legislation passes, the Florida Legion specialty plate, and other Florida specialty plates, will no longer be available. More to the point, the funds raised from the sale of Florida specialty plates will no longer be available.
For the Florida Legion, this would devastate our programs that depend on this critical funding. Our veterans, families, and communities would suffer without the assistance of these funds.
Florida specialty plates in general provide a safety net for tens of thousands of our children, elderly, disabled, veterans, the list is nearly endless, this is a safety net that the Legislature does not have to fund. Over $600 million has been raised by voluntary donations through the specialty plate program since its inception.
Each Florida specialty plate funds a 501c3 non-profit organization within the State of Florida. Any attempt to move funds out of the state is a turnabout of 40 years of Legislative intent.
We strongly urge you to contact your legislators immediately and tell them to vote NO on these two bills.
Please vote NO on the two bills.
This legislation will hurt tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of your constituents.
The Department of Highway Safety license plate brochure shows the STANDARD LICENSE PLATE is the one with the oranges in the middle. So you will get a little unnoticeable footnote at the bottom under the proposed legislation.
To do this, they misrepresented to these legislators that your plate does little good and is inconvenient and costly for them to administer. This is not true because you paid a great deal of money to create your plate and the current statute allows them to withhold all of their operating costs for handling your plate.
Here are the emails for the legislators in the committees that will hear this legislation starting tomorrow morning at 8.00am –
The Florida Department of The American Legion staff would like to wish The American Legion and it’s members, a very “Happy 98th Birthday”! Please follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/floridalegion and share your videos, photos and celebrations!
Need your house or Post painted? The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades is looking to help 3 to 4 veterans in Central Florida. The homes must be owned and occupied by veterans, and be located in the same general vicinity in the Central Florida area. Work will be done by professional painters at absolutely no charge to the veteran! For more information contact our Assistant Adjutant, Bruce Comer at bcomer@floridalegion.org or (407) 295-2631. Hurry and don’t delay! Painting begins mid-April!
By Tim Oberle, USACE Mobile Public Affairs ~ MOBILE, Ala. – When the National Cemetery Administration (NCA) originally approached the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District (USACE), regarding a project to construct approximately 2,500 columbarium at the Barrancas National Cemetery (BNC) in Pensacola, Fl., there was a major caveat. They needed the project complete as soon as possible.
“Over the last few years, our burial numbers increased more than our projections showed, which moved our timeline forward,” said BNC Director Craig LaChance. “So we were up against a wall of potentially having to suspend burial operations for our veteran community. That really left us with no room for error on this project.”
Undeterred by the tight window for completion, USACE Hurlburt Field Office Project Engineer Brian Hilton and his team got right to work with one mission in mind. To make sure our Nation’s veterans and their families received the dignified burial that their service and sacrifice demands.
“No one wanted to be the reason that you had to tell a veteran or family that they couldn’t use the facility because we weren’t done,” said Hilton.
With this motivation looming in the backdrop, Hilton and his team analyzed the project for issues that could potentially delay their target date for completion.
“We started at the beginning of January 2016 and had 365 days to complete the entire project,” Hilton said. “But we only had until April 30th to complete Phase A, so it gave us four months to build around 700 columbarium. I have to admit every day during those first four months, I was worried that we weren’t going to meet our deadline.”
“To ensure that we never fell behind and completed the project on time, we basically camped at the construction site and took every precaution to mitigate potential delays,” he continued. “Randy Blessinger, who was the Quality Assurance [Officer] on the project, came here every single day and
spent a lot of time making sure that little issues never turned into big issues. Then I would come by multiple times a week and… if need be I would get [my boss] to come out. Through that layered approach we were able to identify potential issues, correct them, and move forward in a very short period of time. That was probably the key and it really is a testament to partnering.”
Hilton and his team finished Phase A of the project with three days to spare, and were able to finish the rest of the project almost four months ahead of schedule. Finishing both phases of the project early gave LaChance a much needed sigh of relief.
“You can never project when something might go wrong that puts a construction project off schedule,” said LaChance. “Fortunately, we didn’t have any of those. Once the Corps turned over the early set of columbarium walls it took a lot of the pressure off not only them, but us too.”
In addition to time restraints, the NCA also required the project to be done within the high standards for which their organization is known.
“We have a list of standards that we have to maintain,” explained LaChance. “Whether it is the quality of the turf, the alignment of the headstones, damage to headstones, the way our facilities look, or the accessibility of our facilities. The requirements are very high because we want our visitors to have the best experience possible, during the most difficult times in their lives.”
This presented some unique challenges for Hilton’s team, while trying to get the work done as quickly as possible.
“One of the challenges that we had was the NCA had very exact specifications for how things needed to look,” explained Hilton. “There were bumps in the road, but because everyone was working together we were able to get it done. When it was finished the [renovations] looked great and the end result is something you can be really proud of.”
In addition to the columbarium, the USACE repaved roads and rebuilt curbs throughout the oldest part of the cemetery. The area is one that has a high impact on visitors, so this part of the construction required a delicate approach.
“Any kind of prolonged delay could have produced a really bad result for us,” said LaChance. “But with the Corps’ help we were able to have minimal disruptions to our visitors.”
This was never more evident for LaChance then Memorial Day weekend, which happens to be one of the busiest times of the year for the BNC.
“During Memorial Day they were able to come up with a plan where they built us safe entrance and exit ways in and out of the cemetery,” said LaChance. “[That] really stood out more than the rest of the time because there was such a minimal disruption to our veterans and families.”
“From the start of the project, the priorities that the Corps put out were in-line with what we needed,” he continued. “Even down to the smallest details, they made sure everything was up to standard and far exceeded our expectations. It truly is a beautiful complex.”
While Hilton and his team appreciated the compliments from LaChance, it was something else that motivated them to do their best work.
“Our best compliment is when veterans and families go there and they don’t notice any issues,” said Hilton. “That is when you know you’ve done your job right.”
The daughter of Chief Master Sgt. Arthur Arehart Sr., U.S. Air Force, pays respect to her late father at the Barrancas National Cemetery at the Naval Air Station-Pensacola, Fl., Feb. 14. The final resting place for Arehart is in a section of columbarium that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, constructed last year. (Photo by Tim Oberle, USACE Mobile Public Affairs)
UCF is conducting a study to determine the effect of scents and memory on presence within virtual environments.
Scents are currently being used in conjunction with virtual reality to assist treatment of anxiety and stressor-related disorders. This study will explore whether scents and memory influence how much people feel they are “really there” when engaged with a virtual environment.
SONA credits will be awarded for participation in this study. Approximate duration of participation is 1.5 hours. Nonstudents are eligible for a $20 gift card.
If you are a veteran, student-veteran, or combat-veteran, ages 18+, and are interested in participating, please contact Benson Munyan at: benson.munyan@knights.usf.edu, (407) 823-3910.
Orlando Rocks Benefit, Inc proudly announces two benefits to support Sgt. Kirstie Ennis, USMC. Ennis’s story and journey as an veteran and amputee is inspirational. She was recently featured on the cover of PTSD Journal, click here to read her amazing story.
The first benefit takes place on Saturday, February 18, 2017. Orlando Rocks Benefit, Inc will be holding a “Warrior Ride” in Ennis’s honor. The ride will start at American Legion Post 183 in Fern Park, with 4 stops along the way, riders will also end back at Post 183 for a Luau. Complete details and a flyer can be found on our Event Calendar.
The second benefit will be sponsored by Orlando Rocks Benefit, Inc and Booyah Bus Project, hosted by The City of Kissimmee. Complete details for this event can also be found on our Event Calendar.
The American Legion, Department of Florida will be hosting a March on Tallahassee on Tuesday, February 7, 2017. The purpose of this march is to lobby lawmakers to pass legislation that protects veterans’ rights and to discuss key veterans’ legislative issues. Included among these issues are:
Gaming machines in our posts homes
Free tolls for paralyzed veterans
We are requesting that each post sponsor two representatives to attend this march. Please note, the Department will be unable to provide reimbursement for any incurred expenses, each individual post will be responsible for covering the costs of the representatives they elect to send. The event will begin with a Legislative Briefing to be held at Post 13, 229 Lake Ella Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32303 at 9:00 am. Coffee and doughnuts will be served during the briefing. The Legislative Briefing session will inform attendees, in full detail, of each legislative priority, prior to visiting Florida Legislators. Therefore, attendees will be uniformed and more easily able to articulate the legislative agenda.
It is of the upmost importance, that attendees schedule an appointment with their Florida Legislators in advance. Appointment times should be scheduled after 10:30 am on February 7th, following the Legislative Briefing. We encourage you to schedule appointments immediately, and avoid waiting until the last minute. The Department of Florida requests, that all confirmed appointments be reported to the Department headquarters office, to avoid duplicating our efforts. A list of confirmed appointments will be made available to all attendees as they are provided.
Here are a few resources to help you identify your House Representatives and Senators:
The Department is hoping for a large attendance from our veteran advocates, and urges you to make room reservations in advance. Below is an area hotel, that has agreed to a special rate of $99:
Phone Reservations: (850) 201-2028 reservation code: “The American Legion”
The American Legion, Department of Florida thanks you for your continued dedication and Americanism. Together, we will drive the engine of change to ensure our veterans receive the proper care and respect that they deserve. Together, we will make a difference for ourselves, our comrades, our families and our communities. Join us February 7, 2017, and let our voices be heard.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Executive Assistant, Rachel Castleberry, (407) 295-2631 or by email to rcastleberry@floridalegion.org.
For God and Country,
Michael McDaniel
Department Adjutant
The American Legion, Department of Florida
L-R: Jack Kump, Bruce Comer (Assistant Dept Adjutant), Joan Wheeler
Orlando, January 4, 2017 – Jack Kump and his wife, Joan Wheeler, have personally donated ten (10) brand new mobility scooters to The American Legion, Department of Florida. Inspired by their commitment to our veterans, SpinLife has also added an additional scooter free of charge, for a total of eleven (11) brand new mobility scooters from scooter sleuth to be given away to Florida Veterans. Mobility scooters have helped a lot of people with disabilities to move around and sometimes even save their lives. Though there are a lot of options out there especially on ScooterAdviser, there are different types that will cater to different needs. Technology has certainly helped society live better lives.
Florida is home to approximately 1.5 million veterans, 22% of those veterans have claimed some level of disability. Jack and Joan have asked that these mobility scooters be distributed to disabled veterans who are in need and lack the funds or insurance to cover the costs on their own. They have entrusted The American Legion, Department of Florida, with the distribution of this remarkable act of kindness.
We asked Jack and Joan what prompted such a noble act. “The scooters are being donated in memory of two WWII vets very special in our lives, Joan’s late father, Robert I. Wheeler, and Jack’s late mentor, Leonard F. Wedge.” Jack also would like to honor Randolph-Macon Academy in Front Royal, Virginia where he attended high school. According to Jack, “Without the military influence, discipline, Espirit de Corps, and direction the school provided, my life would have probably taken a much less productive path”. Jack and Joan believe that all vets are very special people and should be recognized and shown compassion, especially our disabled, fallen on hard times.
If you are a Disabled Florida Veteran, who could greatly benefit from one of these mobility scooters, we would like to hear from you. The mobility scooter must be for the use of the veteran applying, the veteran must be a Florida Resident, provide proof of military service, and have the capability to arrange pick up of the scooter at our Orlando, Florida
Joan Wheeler
Department Headquarters. The American Legion, Department of Florida ask that you write a letter or email explaining why you should receive one of these scooters. Briefly discuss why you feel you should be chosen, include a copy of your DD214 form to verify your veteran service, and be sure to include contact information. All letters and DD214 forms must be received in our office no later than January 28, 2017 for consideration. Late and incomplete submissions will not be considered. Please do not call for inquiries, recipients will be decided by a Department Committee based on the written entries received by the deadline. All entries should be mailed to: The American Legion, Department of Florida, Mobility for Veterans, PO Box 547859; Orlando, FL 32854-7859 or via emailed to mail@floridalegion.org.
Selected recipients will be notified in February to start arranging pickup of their mobility scooters.
The American Legion, Department of Florida would like to extend a debt of gratitude to Jack and Joan, on behalf of all Florida Veterans. It is this type of compassion and kindness that we wish for all of our veterans.
Gov. Rick Scott has signed the annual Battle of the Bulge Day Proclamation, commemorating the 72nd anniversary of one of the most important battles of World War II. (See attached in two versions.)
The last major German offensive on the Western Front began on Dec. 16, 1944 and lasted until Jan. 25, 1945, resulting in an Allied victory.
Our Associate Director, Kalautie S. JangDhari, has accepted a position as the Medical Center Director of the West Texas Veterans Health Care System effective December 11,2016. As many of you know, Ms. JangDhari has been serving as the Interim Director at West Texas since November 2015. Ivan Itebejac our Chief of Pharmacy has been our Acting Associate Director and will remain in this position until we hire a new Associate Director.
Also you may have seen the story about the Orlando VA in the news related to a story that ran in USA Today. Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) is an internal guide to identify and focus on areas for improvement. We use quarterly SAIL data to ensure that we have a comprehensive assessment of all aspects of health care services.
The article in USA Today sites older data but our recent SAIL metrics show a significant improvement in individual metrics as well as a change in our rating to a 4 Star in FY16 QTR3 (this is a 5 star program). Many program efforts have contributed to our rating increase. This includes addressing access concerns with a variety of modalities, such as direct scheduling in our audiology and optometry clinics, our 24 hour Urgent Care Center, and increasing same day access.
We have also focused on preventive health measures, including the recent development of a clinic for complex heart failure patients who require frequent monitoring, medication adjustments, and hospitalizations. The Orlando VA Medical Center was the first VA entity in Florida to insert a Cardio MEMS device to support our care of patients with these special cardiac needs.
This year’s addition of acute care hospital beds serve our Veterans well while positively impacting our SAIL measures as we direct attention to keeping patients safe from infections and other harm. The plan to incrementally phase in active hospital beds is showing success even in the limited inpatient hospital data we currently have, reflecting lower mortality rates, fewer central line, urinary catheter, and MRSA infections, and shorter than average lengths of stay.
~ Heather Frebe
Public Affairs Officer, Orlando VA Medical Center
In accordance with United States Code Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 7(m), the president of the United States has issued a proclamation for the United States Flag to be displayed at half-staff to honor the memory of former NASA astronaut and Senator John Glenn beginning today and continuing until sunset on the day of interment .
In accordance with United States Code Title 36, Chapter 1, Section 129, the president of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation (per Flag Code section 7(m)) for the United States Flag to be displayed at half-staff for the entire day (sunrise to sunset) for National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, Wednesday, December 7.
When issued, the proclamation will be found on the White House website, it can be read by clicking here.
American Legion supports flag-desecration penalty, as decided by Congress, after amendment
WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2016 — The American Legion supports President-elect Donald Trump’s position that there should be some penalty for U.S. flag desecration, which would be decided by Congress if it chooses to enact such legislation, after the flag-protection constitutional amendment is ratified.
“In our campaign to restore the power of Congress to protect the American flag – a power taken away by a 5-4 Supreme Court decision – we’ve been told that no one burns the flag anymore,” said Richard Parker, Harvard law professor and chairman of the Citizens Flag Alliance. In fact, says Parker, flag desecration occurs on a frequent basis nationwide.
Parker is available to speak with reporters about flag protection. Those interested should contact American Legion national media liaison Stacy Gault at 202-705-8319 or sgault@legion.org.
Flag protection has been a cornerstone of The American Legion since its founding. The organization held the first Flag Conference in 1923 that laid the groundwork for U.S. Flag Code, which still provides guidelines for flag respect.
In June 1990, the Supreme Court upheld that the Flag Protection Act was unconstitutional. Subsequently, The American Legion and other groups formed the Citizens Flag Alliance, which now includes more than 140 organizations campaigning together an effort to pass a flag-protection amendment.
The Citizens Flag Alliance has pushed legislation in nearly every session of Congress since 1990 stating, “Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.”
The American Legion is the largest wartime veterans service organization with 2.2 million members in more than 13,000 posts in communities worldwide. The Legion, established by an act of Congress in 1919, was instrumental in creation of the Department of Veterans Affairs and passage of the GI Bill.
Veterans and Family Members:
Starting January 7, 2016, join the Bay Pines VA and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. for the NAMI Family-to-Family program. The meetings will take place in building 1, room B214 at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center.
The program is offered at no cost and is intended to educate participants on how to support a loved one with mental illness and or substance abuse conditions.
