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10/11/2016 - More than 150 VFW Posts held events Oct. 8 to help kick off VFW’s national mental wellness campaign. “A Day to Change Direction” is part of the overarching initiative, launched by Give an Hour, to “change the greater culture” surrounding mental health. VFW’s goal for the day, which included 179 Posts nationwide, was to make the public “aware of the five signs” of emotional suffering – Personality change, agitation, withdrawal, poor self-care and hopelessness. Posts hos...

1/6/2017 - This article was originally featured in the January 2017 issue of VFW magazine. Carol Bakke knows what veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder are going through. She’s been there. An Iraq War veteran, Bakke served from 2010 to 2011 with the 778th transportation company with the Army National Guard as a heavy equipment transporter. An explosively formed projectile hit her team on July 18, 2011. When she returned stateside, the dreams and nightmares started — dr...

3/16/2017 - 3/17/2017 UPDATE: Because of overwhelming support by advocates like yourself and bipartisan support from members of the House of Representatives, this bill was passed. It now heads to the Senate for consideration. We thank you for your support and encourage you to follow the VFW Action Corps for more information. The VFW needs you to immediately contact your elected representatives to urge their support of H.R. 1181, a bill which will help protect veterans' 2nd Amend...

12/3/2010 - If the ban on homosexuals serving openly in the military is repealed, it could be partly due to a flawed survey instrument that focused more on implementation and not on whether servicemembers wanted the law lifted. On Tuesday, the Department of Defense released a highly anticipated report after nine months of surveying nearly 160,000 military members and their families, and conducting more than 230 town hall meetings and smaller focus groups at dozens of U.S. military ...

5/3/2009 - WASHINGTON — In the Thursday Washington Times opinion editorial "Who Speaks for Veterans," Vets for Freedom member Gabe Ledeen maliciously impugned the 110-year-old reputation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. because he disagreed with the VFW response to a Department of Homeland Security threat assessment on radical extremist groups. Had Mr. Ledeen actually read the report for what it was – and not for what he thought it meant – he would have discovered it wa...

7/11/2023 - The following is the text of a letter sent today from VFW Washington Office Executive Director Ryan Gallucci to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. See the official letter. Dear Majority Leader Schumer and Minority Leader McConnell: On behalf of the 1.5 million members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) and its Auxiliary, I write to convey our sincere concern over the continued hold on military promotio...

4/29/2019 - Statement of Carlos Fuentes, Director National Legislative Service Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States For the Record United States House of Representatives Committee on Veterans’ Affairs With Respect To “Tragic Trends: Suicide Prevention Among Veterans” WASHINGTON, D.C. Chairman Takano, Ranking Member Roe, and members of the committee, on behalf of the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) and its Auxiliary, thank y...

12/19/2018 - Statement of Kayda Keleher, Associate Director National Legislative Service Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States For the Record Joint Hearing Committees on Veterans’ Affairs United States Senate and United States House of Representatives With Respect To “Tracking Transformation: VA MISSION Act Implementation” WASHINGTON, DC After four years of tireless work and development, the VA MISSION Act of 2018 was signed into law on June 6, 2018. The main prerogati...

6/7/2017 - Statement of Kayda Keleher, Associate Director National Legislative Service Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States For the Record Committee on Veterans' Affairs United States House of Representatives With Respect to “Overcoming PTSD: Assessing VA’s Efforts to Promote Wellness and Healing” WASHINGTON, D.C. Chairman Roe, Ranking Member Walz and members of the Committee, on behalf of the men and women of ...

4/27/2017 - Statement of Carlos Fuentes, Director National Legislative Service Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States For the Record United States Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies With Respect To Preventing Veteran Suicide WASHINGTON, DC Chairman Moran, Ranking Member Schatz and members of the Subcommittee, on behalf of the men and women of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United Sta...