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On Feb. 11, members of VFW Post 8692 in Albany, New York, hosted their first arts and crafts day for local VA patients suffering from PTSD. The event welcomed more than 15 veterans and their social workers from the Albany Stratton VA Medical Center to paint birdhouses and American stars, followed by lunch prepared by the Post and its Auxiliary memb...
“Helping veterans isn’t a job for me — it’s a calling,” said Jessica King, 45. After serving four years of active duty and a few years in the Reserve, Marine Corps veteran King was denied her own benefits for a decade. She was determined not to let that happen to her fellow service members. “A VFW Accredited Serv...
“I should be the poster boy for Agent Orange,” Michael Lindop often joked. After serving in Vietnam, Lindop suffered from a laundry list of illnesses. But that did not diminish his pride or love for the Marines. “Like they say, ‘Once a Marine, always a Marine,’” said his widow, Franchesca. “Michael enlisted...
Miguel Rodriguez, 37, served in the Navy for eight years. He had several reasons for enlisting. “A strong desire to give back has always dwelled inside me, especially after 9/11,” he said. “On top of that, the costs of attending college made me realize joining the military was the best thing for me.” Today, Rodriguez lives i...
Jane Smith* served for four years in the military. She began attending college while she was still enlisted to get her degree quicker and is now enrolled at California State University, Northridge. Smith’s life changed after she discovered the VFW’s “Sport Clips Help A Hero Scholarship” during a Google search for scholarship...
Former Staff Sergeant Donna L. Jefferies, 64, lived in constant pain. She lived with limited mobility and dexterity challenges for 44 years after serving in the Air Force and National Guard. “I come from a military family,” Jefferies said. “My father served in the United States Army during World War II. My brother served in the Na...
“I had a career where I left and did everything in the world and then came back here,” Norman Machelor said. “Here” is Lewiston, New York, where Machelor was born 80 years ago and lives now with his wife, Mary. The two met as students at the University of Buffalo and wed before graduation. Machelor joined the Army soon after...
On May 23, a brand new statue was unveiled just a few steps away from the front doors of VFW Post 9186 in San Antonio, Texas. “The Price of Freedom” is a bronze statue depicting three soldiers — two men, who are embraced shoulder-to-shoulder, carrying one another, and a woman, who is providing close support from behind. It stands ...
On April 24, 1966, VFW Post 6069 in Lebanon, Ohio, hosted a meeting with 12 members from four other Posts to discuss the formation of a burial detail. After several names were suggested, all members present voted unanimously to adopt the name “VFW Memorial Team.” For the last 60 years, the Southwest Ohio VFW Memorial Team has worked clo...
Veteran Richard “Rick” Barela, 72, lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with his wife Barbara. He is a Gold Legacy Life member of the VFW and serves as the adjutant of VFW Post 680. Barela enlisted in the 1970s and spent more than two decades in the Army, achieving the rank of master sergeant. He was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame in 20...
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