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4/13/2023 - Ever since I was 8 years old, I wanted to be a Marine. On my 18th birthday, I went into the local recruiting station and tried to enlist in the Marine Corps. They took one look at me, laughed, and sent me away. At 4’11-3/4” I was too short. Heartbroken, I forgot about military service and went on with my life, getting married at age 19 and starting a career in administration. Besides, the attitude of the time among the general population was that a woman who enlisted in ...

8/24/2015 - KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) has appointed a 13-year Army and Desert Storm veteran as the first female Assistant Quartermaster General for the nation’s largest combat veteran service organization. Debra Anderson was sworn in on August 23, 2015, before the VFW’s National Council of Administration. The announcement comes just days after a historical change to extend VFW Auxiliary membership eligibility to male spouses and male...

7/26/2017 - KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Brian Duffy was appointed adjutant general of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. yesterday at the 118th VFW National Convention in New Orleans, La. His appointment comes immediately following a year-long term as the national commander of the more than 1.2 million-member organization. He also becomes the first Desert Storm veteran to hold the position, which is similar in duties to any corporate chief executive officer. Duffy retired from a succe...

10/25/2012 - BACKGROUND: The Budget Control Act of 2011 raised the federal debt ceiling on an agreement to offset the increase with a corresponding decrease in discretionary spending over a 10-year period. A bipartisan Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction was created to identify what federal accounts to reduce. As an added incentive, an automatic 10 percent across-the-board sequester—or seizure of property (money)—would kick in at the beginning of the next Congress should th...

8/14/2013 - If you received a Purple Heart for being wounded in Vietnam, you could be one of 9* lucky vets to win VFW’s “Return to Vietnam” trip. This in-country tour from April 3-16, 2014, will include Hanoi, Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Khe Sanh, Hue, Da Nang, Hoi An, Marble Mountain, Cu Chi and Tay Ninh. Airfare, accommodations and meals are included. Don’t miss this chance to revisit battle sites and to share your experiences with fellow Vietnam vets. Entries must be received prio...

7/21/2013 - Bishop Walter A. Jones, Jr., of the Baptized Pentecostal Church of Holiness in Louisville, delivered the memorial address today. The former chief of Chaplain Service at the Louisville VA Medical Center honored the Gold Star families in attendance: “We look to you, thanking God for your presence.” Jones delivered a sermon with a three-part theme, calling for remembrance, recognition and respect of the dead. He selected passages from the Bible and the Gettysburg Address t...

2/3/2015 - WASHINGTON — The national commander of the 1.9 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and its Auxiliaries said Monday’s fiscal 2016 federal budget request for the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense were good starting points to continue an important conversation with Congress and the American people about what it means to properly take care of veterans, service members and their families. However, he said the best budget request would be fo...

4/1/2016 - KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Looking for the best hotel discounts before booking your next trip? VFW members can now save up to 20%* off the best available rate with Wyndham Hotel Group’s 14 different brands and 7,600 locations around the world. Browse all available member offers online to see how you can earn added travel deals on top of the best available rate. Simply login to www.vfw.org and look for Wyndham Hotel Group on the Travel Services page in the Member Benefits section...

8/22/2016 - This article first appeared in the August 2016 issue of the VFW magazine. There’s a new way for veterans to access health care. Mobile apps—programs designed for devices such as smartphones and tablets—can help vets cope with ailments such as PTSD, TBI and general anxiety. Experts say this new frontier will require regulation and careful oversight. But the mental health field may be one area where veterans can use apps in addition to traditional health care to improve...

3/13/2009 - KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The VFW kicked off the 2009 NASCAR season by hosting the Wounded Warrior Transition Battalion from Ft. Benning, Ga., for the first Troop Support hospitality event of the race season. The troops were VIP guests at the American Commercial Lines 200 in Atlanta, Ga., courtesy of the VFW. The 50 troops received a tour of the speedway’s garages and VFW driver Ron Hornaday paid the soldiers a visit in the FedEx suite. Hornaday talked with the troops before th...