The US Congress recently approved new service dates for eligibility for Veteran’s Administration (VA) resources and membership in Veteran’s organizations.
NOW, any honorably discharged Veteran since December 7, 1941 is eligible to join the American Legion. Also, any of those Veterans who also earned a campaign medal for serving overseas during wartime is eligible to join the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Further any of those Veterans who have a service-related disability may be eligible to join the Disabled American Veterans (DAV).
Benefits of membership include:
All of these organizations lobby the US Congress to obtain and maintain benefits for ALL Veterans.
Assist Veterans with getting their due medical care
Assist Veterans with getting their education benefits
Assist Veterans with employment opportunities to match your skills with a civilian employer
Assist Veterans with applying for disability benefits
Membership at the local level offers fellowship with people who understand your background and experiences you had while in uniform
Post 28, Perrysburg American Legion and Post 6170, Perrysburg VFW need Veterans to participate at many levels. Many nearby Posts are unable to host Military Funeral Color Guards. The members who are participating in Perrysburg range from 62 to 91 years of age. The weapons are heavy and some of the Veterans have balance issues or are unable to stand for long periods of time.
We need your experience and leadership skills to lead committees and meetings and to host projects like annual Memorial Day activities, Feather Party, Veteran’s Day Dinner, Holiday Parades, etc. Many Posts host youth sports teams, Legion Baseball, Boys and Girls State leadership conferences, scholarships, and other activities.
You need not attend every meeting. We need any amount of your time to continue our mission to serve those who have served in the past and who are still serving. Dues are inexpensive, Camaraderie is priceless.
The biggest thing I miss from my time in the Air Force is the camaraderie. Few of my coworkers in any of my civilian jobs through the years were people I felt I could count on when the chips are down or when the times are tough; they just don’t know what Veterans have done and do.
If you don’t live in or near Perrysburg, there are other local American Legion and VFW Posts with which you can belong. Bowling Green, Portage, Tontogany, Pemberville, Luckey, Maumee, N. Baltimore, Bradner, Rossford, Custar, and all over the Toledo area. There are also AmVets Posts in Bowling Green and Findlay. There are auxiliary groups for spouses and Sons of the Legion (SAL) for those who had relatives who are Veterans.
For more information, please contact Craig Gauger at 419-350-4345 or gcgauger@hotmail.com. He will get you in touch with a group that will fit your time schedule and your needs. Again, we need you to keep up the tradition of Veterans helping Veterans!
Craig Gauger
Maumee
