1. health and fitness
2. exercise

February 2015
Call to Action: Volunteer & Help Our Veterans Today!
Volume 39 • No. 2
Making the Front Page
District IV Commander Darrel Tucker submitted an article to the
Clinton Journal on behalf of his post home. The Clinton Journal not
only published it but also put it right on the front page. When your post
does great work don’t hesitate to brag about it. An article like this is great
publicity for AMVETs and can be used to recruit new members. Today
most newspapers take article submissions online. So in a manner of a few
clicks you can get your article in the Illinois AMVETS and your local
newspaper. Remember submission to the Illinois AMVETS paper are due
the 10th of the month. To read the entire article from the Clinton Journal
go to page 8.
AMVETS State Headquarters
2200 South 6th Street
Springfield, IL 62703
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Peoria, IL
Permit No. 174
IN THIS ISSUE
Physical Activity & Diabetes
Wreaths Across America
Membership Report
AMVETS-February-2015.indd 1
1/28/15 4:21 PM
From the
Commander
From District 3
Commander
Dear AMVETS,
Dear AMVETS,
I hope everyone is was able to brave the cold
weather we had in January. What a difference it
was from December’s weather. I guess welcome to Illinois if you don’t like
the weather just wait five minutes and it will change.
On December 28, 2014 the war in Afghanistan, fought for thirteen
bloody years came to a formal end even though there is still fighting going
on with the Taliban. This was the longest war in American history. The
U.S. military lost 2200 service members and over 19,000 were wounded
in combat. There is still going to be at least 10,000 service members in
Afghanistan providing training and support to Afghanistan’s military. I
was doing some reading about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and I found this fact that over 2.5 million Americans have served in these wars
some of them on numerous tours.
One of the great programs that is available to high school seniors every
year is the AMVETS Service Foundation scholarships. These are one
year scholarships and are for $1,000.00. The application to be filled out
is online at WWW.ILAMVETS.ORG. You just go to the what we do tab
and scroll down to programs and then move over to scholarships and click
on it. It will open the page with all of the scholarships available and the
application is there also. Besides the Service Foundation scholarships there
are other scholarships available also ones for trade school students, and
Junior ROTC, the Sad Sacks give out nursing scholarships, and the Ladies
Auxiliary gives out scholarships. The scholarships have to be post marked
by March 1, 2015 and are sent to state headquarters. If you know of any
senior high school students attending college in the fall please encourage
them to fill out this application.
As I talked about last month I want to remind everyone we moved the
February SEC up one week, to February 20, 21, and 22 at the President
Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Springfield. Hopefully, the weather will be
good and I look forward to seeing many of you at the SEC.
As always if you would like me to attend any of your post functions do not
hesitate to give me a call or send an email. I would be more than happy to
visit and help your post out any way that I can.
It is so very hard to believe another year has passed by, I am not sure
if time speeds up as we age or what, all I do know is that I eat during the
early bird dinners and request the senior discount wherever I may be.
District III has been so busy this past year helping Veterans and
raising monies to continue to provide assistance to those in need, Most
all Posts struggle with membership as it seems the younger men and
women are understandably busy with young children, jobs and careers.
Even though many Posts try to explain that it is only a few hours a month,
describe all the good that they do, it still does not attract the younger
generation.
Posts have been in local parades celebrating Veterans Day
and Christmas Day, D Day Memorial Services, participated in numerous
food banks and food drives across the state, built wheelchair ramps,
hosted Thanksgiving dinners, delivered meals to shut ins, fundraisers have
included Wing Dings, Soup suppers, and Tenderloin dinners, white clover
drives.
Yours in Service,
Chris Studebaker
Department Commander
Upcoming events include:
• Post 77 in Chillicothe in conjunction with multiple other military
organizations are constructing a Veterans Park and are seeking
donations for this project.
• Post 76 in Ursa is hosting a soup supper in February
• Post 100 in Jacksonville will be participating in a Bar Classic
Miniature Golf and will also be hosting the travelling Vietnam Wall
in June • Post 235 will host a Veterans Information Seminar in the Spring
It sounds as if those New Years Resolutions will have to be put off for
another few months.
Those of us in District III hope to see many of you at the February
SEC.
To all you, we thank you for your continued service to our Veterans
and also for your service to help maintain the freedoms that we have come
to enjoy.
Sincerely,
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AMVETS-February-2015.indd 2
www.ILAMVETS.org
Commander District III Teresa Pickle
1st Vice Jim Miller
2nd Vice AliceTowers
February 2015
1/28/15 4:21 PM
1st Vice for
Membership
Membership
Director
Dear AMVETS,
It’s not too late to recruit 5 new members and
receive a challenge coin. With 5 new members you
are entered into a drawing for cell phones or a weeks’ vacation in California
as the grand prize. The end of this is July 31, 2015. Membership is the
backbone of the organization. We need to keep recruiting new members. Our voice is greater the more members we have. There is many veteran’s
out their to recruit.
Along with recruiting new members, we need to keep our annual
members in the field. We need to go calling on them instead of sitting
back and letting them send in their renewals. Just don’t recruit members
and turn your back on them. Listen to them as they may have ideas that
will help your post on the organization. Get them involved as we all need
more help in the post with all aspects. See how we can help them with
adjustments or other things they are dealing with in their lives.
The American Veteran magazine will come out in February. National
will send extra copies to the departments, use these to put out with
information on the organization in the copies and place them in local
businesses. Place contact information in there so they can contact
somebody. Barbershops and doctor’s offices would be a good place to leave
them. After you read your copy could put it out someplace to be seen and
a way to recycle.
Posts that have not revalidated are getting close to having their
Charters pulled in the future.
Do you or somebody in your post know somebody serving overseas. Get their name and unit and give it to Regis Task Force DVD. He will
send out CD’s magazines and other items with AMVETS literature to
show them that they are not forgotten. This is a good way to show our
service men and women we care about them.
The Boomers (Vietnam Era Vets) are running the organization today. This group is one area we need to be recruiting. Let’s get them involved. Generation X (The Gulf Warriors) are in the workforce networking
and career enhancing opportunities. They have run businesses or still
running them and have valuable contacts. Help the ones businesses and
support veteran owned businesses. Hopefully they will see AMVETS
as an asset. Establish networks in different fields and get some members
there. Generation Y (current soldiers, Afghanistan Vets) are looking for
knowledge. We are not expert in fields but experts are available. One
field is VA Loans and why it puts the vet ahead. Colleges have outreach
programs or a vet club. This is keeping our statement of helping veterans. Don’t forget the Career Centers we have. This came from Harry Neal,
Membership Director per Stewart Hickey, National Executive Director.
Yours in Service
Richard VanNatta
1st Vice Commander, Membership
Membership for Illinois Amvets has been a little
behind as compared to 2014, 2013, and 2012. The
beginning of the membership year started really
strong however things seem to have slowed down
quite a bit. Here is a February comparison for the last three years.
FEBRUARY 1st
NEW
RENEWED NEW LIFE
LIFE
TOTAL
LAST YEAR
DEPT %
2015
290
826
29
7949
9094
9662
94%
2014
362
962
33
7937
9292
9752
95%
2013
313
1185
26
7912
9436
10045
94%
2012
298
1289
61
7955
9603
10164
83%
As you see the biggest disparity between the previous years and with
our current year is the number of renewals. One contributing factor
is there has only been one renewal notification sent out by National
Headquarters. However, it is also the posts’ responsibility to reach
out to their renewal members and remind them that their dues are up.
Furthermore, National Headquarters has stated that a second renewal
notification is being mailed out in the near future. Moreover, if you have
a member that you would like for the department to specifically send a
renewal notification to please call or email me and I will personally send
one.
We are very proud of all the efforts and programs our posts are
producing in Illinois Amvets. Please keep in mind that new membership
is directly correlated with the success of our programs. Don’t be afraid
to advertise all the great things you and your post are doing, this will
result in more new members. Moreover, if you are in need of promotional,
recruitment or public relations’ materials please contact State Headquarters
and we will be glad to assist.
As always thank you all for your help, this is a great organization and I
am proud to be a part of it. If anyone needs a roster, membership forms, or
any other membership materials please call or email me at 1-800-638-8387
or keith@ilamvets.org.
Thanks for reading,
Keith Wetherell
Illinois Amvets
IT’S EASY TO
JOIN AMVETS
Visit Us ONLINE at
www.ILAMVETS.org
CALL Us at
217-528-4713
Contact Us by E-MAIL
keith@ilamvets.org
February 2015
AMVETS-February-2015.indd 3
www.ILAMVETS.org
3
1/28/15 4:21 PM
Physical Activity
and Diabetes
Physical activity usually means any movement
that increases energy expenditure above basal
levels. Exercise is a type of physical activity that is
more structured and has a purpose of improving or
maintaining physical fitness. You need your muscles
for both types of activity. And your muscles need energy.
Glucose in the blood, glycogen (a storage form of glucose), and fatty acids
are sources of energy for muscles. Exercise improves glucose metabolism in
skeletal muscles in several ways by helping to get the glucose into the muscle to
use as energy.
This may cause a decrease in blood glucose during exercise for people with
diabetes. How much the blood glucose decreases depends on the intensity and
duration of the activity. Blood glucose will rise again after the exercise.
Before you start an exercise program, it is recommended that persons with
type 2 diabetes talk to their doctor about their blood glucose control, heart
status, physical limitations, and the presence or severity of complications of
diabetes, such as neuropathy, retinopathy, and nephropathy.
If blood glucose levels before exercise are very high or very low, the person
probably shouldn’t exercise until this is under control. Talk to your doctor
about which guidelines you should follow for when not to exercise and how
often to check your blood glucose before and after exercising.
Contact Us
Aerobic activity uses arms and legs in motion to increase the heart’s and
lungs’ work and make them stronger. Aerobic activity includes bicycling, brisk
walking, dancing, housework, jogging, lawn work, running, and swimming.
Most of these activities can also be done without much effort and without
working the heart or lungs much at all. This is called intensity. The intensity
you should exercise at partly depends on your overall fitness.
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AMVETS-February-2015.indd 4
How long a person should exercise, commonly called duration, also
depends on the fitness of the individual. Individuals just beginning a program
may be told to reach a goal of 10 minutes, whereas others may reach 60
minutes of activity. How much, for how long, and at what intensity depends
on the individual’s health and medical status, age, and their own goals.
However, the American Diabetes Association recommends 150 minutes per
week of moderate intensity aerobic activity for those with diabetes. These
minutes should be spread over at least 3 days per weeks with no more than 2
consecutive days without exercise (American Diabetes Association, 2014).
Resistance training or strength training is also called anaerobic exercise.
This type of activity tones muscles but does not work the heart and lungs as
much as aerobic activity does. People who have certain types of heart disease
should not participate in resistance training. The American Heart Association
and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend participation in an
aerobic exercise program for two to four weeks before beginning a resistance
training program. Resistance training includes activities like curl-ups, leg lifts,
machine workouts, and weight lifting. However, strength training has been
shown to have a positive effect on the general fitness of those with diabetes.
Most people do not lose weight just by physical activity or an exercise
program, unless it is very intense and of long duration. However, exercise
may affect your blood glucose, and your meal plan may need to be changed.
Checking your blood glucose before and after exercise will help guide your
snack frequency and choices. Talk to your health care team about when
you should snack before or after exercise, depending on your blood glucose.
Often these snacks are recommended in terms of 15 grams of carbohydrate.
Foods with 15 grams of carbohydrate include: ½ cup juice, 17 grapes, 7 Ritz
crackers, 43 wholegrain goldfish crackers, 15 vanilla wafer cookies, or 1/2 cup
applesauce.
Make each day a healthy day with what you eat and how you move.
Headquarters Staff:
Service Department:
Illinois Office Locations
Executive Director:
Jim King
National AMVETS
Illinois Office
Membership Director:
Keith Wetherell
Located at the Chicago VA
Regional Office
312.980.4256
Mike Ragusa
Deputy Service Director
309.235.5090
George Sebastian
Bob Michel Peoria CBOC
217.494.1454
Ronique Heard
Danville VAMC
217.554.4838
Moline Vet Center
309.762.6954
Programs Director:
Nicole Edwards
Public Relations Director:
Lynn Carter
Illinois AMVETS HQ
2200 South Sixth St.
Springfield, IL 62703
217.528.4713
NSO: Richard Miller
Harold Dukala
Captain Lovell FHCC
847.688.1900 ext. 84138
NSO: Jose Garcia
Accredited VSO: Connie Deleonardis
www.ILAMVETS.org
Ed Humphrey
VAMC Marion
618.997.5311 ext. 54743
Joel Valera
Hines VA Hospital
708.202.2564
Auburn Greshem Clinic
773.651.7459
February 2015
1/28/15 4:21 PM
Wreaths Across America From the
Executive Director
Back in the 50’s (for those of us who can remember) a common piece of graffiti
written on walls, fences, signs, etc. stated “Beware of Creeping Communism.” In
this era, for AMVETS and other Veteran Service Organizations, that could now be
paraphrased “Beware of Creeping Apathy.” Many of our posts have had the same
members performing the same functions for so long they are getting tired of doing
everything. The obvious cure for this is getting the newer members involved. I
realize that this is not an easy task. There is so much competition for people’s time
and they have to pick and choose how they want to spend it.
One way to get a member involved is to ask for help in a small way for one
of your post projects. “We’re planning a family picnic, could you help set it up?”
If you can get the member to spend a little time on one project you may receive
increased effort on the next. At any rate, it never hurts to ask. It is up to us older
vets to bring along the newer ones in order to sustain this great organization.
OK, off the soapbox.
As we are approaching the midpoint of the year, it is a good time to reflect on
what we have accomplished and review our plans for the remainder of the year. I
know that many of our posts and Auxiliaries and Sons Squadrons have been busy
with projects to improve their communities and the status of veterans. It is often
said that membership is the lifeblood of AMVETS and programs is the heart that
keeps it pumping. This is true in so m any ways. As those veterans who are not yet
among us see and hear of the good work being done they may be inspired to join.
And, of course, they have to be asked.
Our State Executive Committee will be meeting on February 20 and 21. On
Friday evening a testimonial dinner will be held for Department Commander
Studebaker, Auxiliary President Shea, Sons Commander Cook and Saddest Sad
Sack Sedivec (boo) and the SEC wil meet on Saturday. I would invite any and all
to attend whether you are a member of the Executive Committee or not. Much can
be learned and you will have an opportunity to observe what takes place at these
gatherings. This is where we report on what has transpired and plans are made for
the future.
And, even more importantly, the Illinois AMVETS State Convention will be
held June 5th, 6th and 7th. This is where everyone has a voice in the proceedings
and next year’s leaders are selected. Again, I would invite any and all to attend.
And AMVETS National Convention will be held in Birmingham, Alabama,
August 15th through the 23rd. Make your plans now to attend.
Commander Studebaker at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery
for Wreaths Across America
AMVETS GOODSTUFF PROGRAM
Donate your unwanted clothing
and household items to
AMVETS’ GoodStuff program!
Your donated items, in turn,
will be sold, with proceeds
benefitting our veterans.
For More Information, or to schedule a pickup, visit www.ILAMVETS.org
February 2015
AMVETS-February-2015.indd 5
Jim King, PNC
Department Executive Director
Illinois AMVETS
Need Your Support
They were willing to give all for you.
What are you willing to give to them?
It’s quick easy to make a monetary donation on our website:
www.ILAMVETS.org
www.ILAMVETS.org
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1/28/15 4:22 PM
21 reasons why VA is heading
in the right direction for 2015
By Reynaldo Leal
6. GI Bill turned 70, continues to change lives
2014 was a roller coaster year for VA. The early months of 2014, saw VA chugging
upward hacking away at the claims backlog, improving access for mental health care,
home loans and providing record benefits to Veterans and their family members. In
March, the Department celebrated 25 years as a cabinet-level agency.
VA celebrated the 70th anniversary of the GI Bill of Rights in 2014. In FY 2014,
VA provided more than $10.8 billion in Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to Servicemembers,
Veterans, and their families to enhance their economic opportunities. Since the
inception of the program in 2009, more than $47 billion has been paid to more than 1.3
million Post-9/11 GI Bill participants (as of Dec. 1, 2014).
But in May, the Phoenix scandal overshadowed all of those accomplishments.
Acting Secretary Sloan Gibson took the helm and immediately ordered for VA to
come clean, providing full disclosure to the public about any and all discrepancies it
uncovered.
Secretary Bob McDonald continued that level of transparency and began a push
to regain the trust of Veterans – visiting with Veterans from coast-to-coast – listening to
their needs, their complaints and their ideas for improvement. He orders accountability
and immediate action and, through our MyVA initiative, is helping VA work to ensure
Veterans are in control of how, when andwhere they want to be served.
The VA’s biggest success of 2014 may arguably be the wakeup call that is leading
the much needed change well into the new year; however, we cannot overlook what
was accomplished by the vast majority of employees and volunteers that embody
VA’s I CARE core values and their sense of duty to our nation’s Veterans. Their top
accomplishments follow:
1. I CARE
Sec. Bob McDonald asked all VA employees and volunteers to recommit
themselves to the principles of I CARE. These values — Integrity, Commitment,
Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence — define our culture and strengthen our dedication
to those we serve. They provide a baseline for the standards of behavior expected of all
VA employees.
2. Medical appointments on track
In FY14, as part of the GI Bill of Rights, VA guaranteed 440,000 home
loans totaling $100 billion, while also assisting 80,000 Veterans in avoiding foreclosure,
saving taxpayers over $2.7 billion. VBA has maintained the lowest foreclosure rate for
25 consecutive quarters when compared to all other types of home loans.
7. More benefits for families and survivors
VA expanded the eligibility criteria for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David
Fry Scholarship to include the surviving spouses of Servicemembers who died in the
line of duty after Sept. 10, 2001. VA began accepting applications by mail for the Fry
Scholarship under the newly expanded eligibility criteria on Nov. 3, 2014.
8. VA Cemeteries tops in customer satisfaction
For the fifth consecutive time, VA’s National Cemetery Administration topped
the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s (ACSI) independent survey of customer
satisfaction. NCA achieved a customer satisfaction index of 96, the highest ACSI score
in either the private or public sector in the history of the survey.
9. VA employees continue to work on the claims backlog
In FY 2014, VA decided a record-breaking 1,320,870 disability compensation and
pension (rating) claims for Veterans and Survivors – the highest in VA history.
Nationally, VA has completed 24 million appointments between June 1, 2014 and
Oct. 31, 2014, which is a 1.4 million increase over the same time period in 2013.
Veterans waited, on average, 119 fewer days to receive a decision on their claims
compared to the previous year. The claims backlog (any claim older than 125 days) has
also been reduced from the peak of 611,000 in March 2013 to 239,000 as of Nov. 30,
2014 – a 61 percent reduction and lowest number of backlogged claims in four years.
3. Private-sector care for Veterans
10. Fully Developed Claims exceeding goals
VA made nearly 1.2 million authorizations for Veterans to receive care in the
private sector from June 1, 2014 through Oct. 31, 2014, nearly doubling (48 percent
increase) the authorizations made during the same period in 2013.
VA continues to exceed goals with regard to Fully Developed Claims. In FY 2014,
39 percent of claims received were submitted as Fully Developed Claims, up from three
percent at initiative start in 2012.
4. Building for the future
11. More Veterans and families sign up for eBenefits
In 2014, VA activated 93 buildings, which resulted in 1,420,884 additional square
feet for clinical, mental health, long-term care facilities, and administrative space.
By the end of FY2014, VA had registered 4.2 million Servicemembers, Veterans,
and family members in eBenefits. In addition, approximately 2,000 VSO representatives
have credentials for accessing eBenefits through VBA’s new Stakeholder Enterprise
Portal, which enables them to file online compensation claims on behalf of Veterans.
5. Excellence in Service
For the fourth consecutive year, VA’s Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy
received the highest customer satisfaction score among the nation’s public and private
mail-order pharmacies, according to a J.D. Power study.
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AMVETS-February-2015.indd 6
12. VA goes digital
Under VA’s technology initiatives, one major achievement has been its
transition from an outmoded paper-intensive process to a fully electronic processing
system, the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS).
www.ILAMVETS.org
February 2015
1/28/15 4:22 PM
Previously VA processed 5,000 tons of paper per year; now it is processing 93 percent of
the disability claims inventory electronically. VA has converted over 1 billion documents
to digital images that are being maintained in Veterans’ electronic claim folders. In FY
2014, 1.4 million rating decisions and 820,000 claims were completed using VBMS.
13. VA keeps reducing the number of homeless Veterans
VA, together with federal, state, and local partners, reduced the estimated number
of homeless Veterans by 33 percent as noted in the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) 2014 Point-in-Time (PIT) Estimate of Homelessness.
In FY 2014 alone, VA provided services to more than 260,000 homeless or at-risk
Veterans in VHA’s homeless programs. Not all Veterans required an intensive homeless
program intervention, but for those that did, nearly 71,500 Veterans were either placed
in permanent housing or prevented from becoming homeless.
14. VA hires more mental healthcare professionals
VA hired 782 psychologists and psychiatrists in 2014 as well as 257 other mental
health providers, such as social workers, nurses and licensed professional counselors, and
45 mental health administrative support employees. These professionals are filling new
positions and existing vacancies to meet the growing requirements for mental health
services.
a part of the MyVA initiative and is designed to provide Veterans with a seamless,
integrated, and responsive customer service experience.
The Department developed the Blue Print for Excellence- a detailed vision of how
VA will evolve as a model national health care provider delivering both excellent health
care and an excellent experience of care to all Veterans served.
19. Enhancing accountability
In 2014, VA established the Office of Accountability Review to ensure leadership
accountability for improprieties related to patient scheduling and access to care,
whistleblower retaliation, and related matters that impact public trust in VA.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) certified VA under their Whistleblower
Protection Certification Program after VA worked to achieve compliance and protect
employees who identify or report problems from unlawful retaliation. VA also worked
closely with OSC to successfully resolve whistleblower retaliation complaints filed by
three individuals from the VA Phoenix Health Care System.
In 2014, VA also began posting regular data updates that show progress in efforts
to accelerate access to quality health care for Veterans who have been waiting for
appointments. This data includes both pending and completed appointments at the
facility level.
15. Veterans Crisis Line is expanded to help more Veterans
20. VA looks to recruit the best and brightest in the medical field
In response to the President’s Executive Order, VA expanded the capacity of the
Veterans Crisis Line by 50 percent, and enhanced its partnerships with community
mental health providers.
VA faces a competitive market to recruit and retain highly skilled health care
providers, particularly mental health specialists, given the growing demand for
these jobs in the private sector. Complex hiring processes for clinicians, to include
requirements for boarding, credentialing, privileging, physicals, security/backgrounds,
add to the department’s challenge. We are working to close the pay gap between VA
and private sector clinicians to make VA an employer of choice.
In FY 2014, the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) answered 374,050 phone calls,
assisted 64,593 people through chat services and 13,463 people through text services.
VCL responders assisted in sending emergency services (rescue) to 9,719 Veterans. Call
volume answered by VCL in 2014 increased by 30 percent. Chat contacts increased by
18 percent, and Text contacts increased by 19 percent.
16. VA expands care for Veterans with military sexual trauma
Under authority from VACAA, VA expanded eligibility for Veterans in need
of mental health care due to military sexual trauma (MST) that occurred during
their military service. The expansion primarily pertains to Reservists and National
Guard members participating in weekend drill, gives the authority to offer Veterans
the appropriate care and services needed to treat conditions resulting from MST that
occurred during a period of inactive duty training.
17. More healthcare options for women Veterans
VA has enhanced provision of care to women Veterans by focusing on the goal of
developing Designated Women’s Health Providers (DWHP) at every site where women
access VA. VA has trained over 2,000 providers in women’s health and is in the process
of training additional providers to ensure that every woman Veteran has the opportunity
to receive her primary care from a DWHP.
VA now operates a Women Veterans Call Center (WVCC), created to contact
women Veterans and let them know about the services they may be eligible for. From
April 2013 to April 2014 the WVCC received over 9,600 incoming calls and made over
93,000 outbound calls.
18. VA to reorganize and improve
21. VA listening to Veterans and VA employees
In the aftermath of Phoenix, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob
McDonald instructed all VA facilities to hold town hall meetings to engage Veterans
as well as the VA employees that serve them. As a result of that first round of meetings
coast-to-coast, Secretary McDonald mandated quarterly town hall meetings as a way
to continue to improve communications with Veterans. These quarterly town-hall
events are an important step toward improving the delivery of benefits and services and
rebuilding trust among all those VA serves.
Looking forward to 2015
While we recognize these milestones, we continue to tackle the challenges of the
department. We also embrace the opportunities for transformation that they bring.
To achieve lasting success for the department, VA must develop a strategy for meeting an increased demand for services and benefits, and for meeting the needs of
a changing Veteran population. This includes preparing for the increasing numbers
of women Veterans coming to VA for care; looking at the unique needs of post-9/11
Veterans; and using innovative approaches to reach every Veteran who needs services.
Sec. Bob McDonald wrote in the Baltimore Sun in October “Veterans need VA,
and many more Americans benefit from VA.” By focusing on three fundamental
priorities in 2015 – rebuilding trust, improving service by putting the Veteran first, and
setting the course for longer-term excellence and reform – VA’s employees can better
serve our Veterans and the American people.
VA is working to reorganize the department for success, guided by ideas and
initiatives from Veterans, employees, and all of our stakeholders. This reorganization is
February 2015
AMVETS-February-2015.indd 7
www.ILAMVETS.org
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1/28/15 4:22 PM
AmVets delivers “4 Cs”
to Danville VA
Reprinted by permission of the Clinton Journal
CLINTON — On Dec. 22, AmVets Post 14 made four special deliveries to the Veterans Administration Hospital, in Danville.
Four post members traveled to the facility, supported by more members at home, as two car loads of supplies were transported
with “4 Cs” exceptional items. The four Cs included candy, contributions, cash and cards.
Candy – Like last year, the Clinton Walgreen’s collected contributions of candy bars from their customers.
Customers were asked, as they checked out, if they would like to make a candy bar contribution to the veterans to be delivered
to Danville by the local veterans. AmVets Post 14 volunteered to make the delivery of over 4,000 candy bars. Upon arrival at
Danville, the word was out in minutes, and many had a chocolate smile to greet the post deliverers. Post members said it was
fun and the phrase Merry Christmas abounded.
Contributions – Jessie Owens, the Post 14 Commander, went on the air at the local radio station and announced that
the Post would go to Danville to make a delivery of contributions and visit the residents. He requested the listeners to make
contributions of cloths and money in support the AmVets’ trip. The response request was well received, and many articles of
clothing, hygiene goods and money were donated.
Cash – $770 dollars was given to the hospital to distribute for various patient needs. Post 14 contribute $300 for
haircuts and commissary chic-lets. The Clinton American Legion contributed $200 for needs to use as determined by the
hospital staff. The remaining donation of $270 was designated to help offset family travel expenses and patient hygiene needs.
The hospital staff was very receptive to the cash because this helps for direct patient and family needs.
Cards – The local Clinton grade school children made special Christmas cards for AmVets to deliver. They varied
in personalized notes saying “thanks” to the veterans, colorings of the Christmas season and drawings they made. The Post
members went around the hospital and handed out as many of the cards as possible.
Reading, Riting & Rithmetic
The three “R’s” as most of us know them by. All are in important part of education from the start to finish up
through our senior year in high school. Our students of Illinois are working hard for a chance to receive assistance
for an opportunity to further their education. They will be taking their ACT’s, if they haven’t already done so,
and will be looking forward to assistance from our organizations to help them move forward. Please keep all who
submit a scholarship application in your thoughts and well wishes.
As scholarship officer for the Illinois AMVETS Ladies Auxiliary, I have 50/50 tickets available to help our
students along the way. You may contact me at 618-972-9892 or by email at bigmom47@att.net for tickets or you
may purchase them at the February SEC. The drawing will be held at that time. Good luck to you and please
remember to support our future college students.
Yours in Auxiliary Service,
Dixie Kalips,
Illinois AMVETS
Ladies Auxiliary
Scholarship Officer
AMVETS POSTS
DISTRICT I
Cook County
Post 5, Chicago; Post 13, Ted Knusman¹; Post 17 Colin
Kelly; Post 18, Police; Post 34, Victory¹; Post 43, Paul Price
Memorial¹,²; Post 66, Phillip Carpenter; Post 97, Oak Park
Memorial; Post 99, William T. Gross¹; Post 192, Westlawn
memorial; Post 243, Chicago AMVETS; Post 247, Mol. M O
Bousfield; Post 268, Glenwood Memorial; Post 277, Guardian;
Post 326, Dr. Hector Garcia
DISTRICT II
Northern Illinois
Counties: Jo Davies, Stephenson, Winnebago, Carroll, Ogle,
Whiteside, Lee, Rock Island, Henry, Bureau, Mercer, Putnam,
Boone, McHenry, Lake, Dekalb, Kane, & DuPage
Post 26, Bureau; Post 32, Freeport; Post 35, Little Fort¹; Post
90, DeKalb; Post 91, Hampshire; Post 103, Aurora¹,²; Post 123,
Dixon; Post 145, Silvis-East Moline¹; Post 167, Sterling-Rock
Falls; Post 180, Princeton; Post 202, Elgin; Post 245, Pearl
Harbor Memorial; Post 269, Woodstock; Post 503, St. Charles
DISTRICT III
Central Western Illinois
Counties: Henderson, Warren, Knox, Stark, Peoria, Hancock,
McDonough, Fulton, Tazewell, Mason, Adams, Schuyler, Logan,
Brown, Cass, Menard, Pike, Morgan, Scott, Greene, Macon,
Sangamon, Christian, Shelby, Montgomery, & Macoupin
Post 8, Knoxville¹; Post 16, Litchfield¹; Post 29, John T.
Hendricks; Post 44, Pana; Post 55, Mount Olive; Post 61,
Springfield; Post 64, Greater Peoria¹; Post 76, Ursa; Post 77,
Chillicothe; Post 94, Porter-Crask; Post 100, Jacksonville¹,²;
Post 104, Quincy; Post 169, Pekin (Paul Towne Memorial)¹,²,³;
Post 179, Greenview¹; Post 235, George Maple¹; Post 257 Springfield
DISTRICT IV
Eastern Central Illinois
Counties: McLean, DeWitt, Champaign, Vermillion, Piatt,
Moultrie, Douglas, Edwards, Coles, Clark, Cumberland, LaSalle,
Kendall, Will, Grundy, Marshall, Livingston, Kankakee, Woodford,
Ford, and Iroquois
Post 3, Champaign¹; Post 14, Clinton; Post 30, Ottawa; Post 41,
Marshall AMVETS; Post 52, Fisher¹; Post 53, Morris; Post 67,
Deeke-Ohlendorf¹; Post 75, Tilton AMVETS; Post 84, Crete; Post
107, Manteno Memorial; Post 113, Bradley; Post 115, Pontiac¹;
Post 270 - McLean County; Post 276, Elliott¹; Post 278, Colfax;
Post 312, Streator
DISTRICT V
Southern Illinois
Counties: Bond, Fayette, Effingham, Jasper, Crawford, Clinton,
Marion, Clay, Richland, Lawrence, Washington, Jefferson, Wayne,
Edwards, Wabash, Perry, Franklin, Hamilton, White, Williamson,
Jackson, Saline, Gallatin, Union, Johnson, Pope, Hardin,
Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, St. Clair,
Monroe, and Rudolph
Post 4, Turner-Roehm¹; Post 31, Marion; Post 33, W White
Memorial¹,²; Post 51, Quad City¹,²; Post 101, Centralia; Post 132,
Metropolis¹; Post 140, Greenville; Post 148, Frank Nowland¹;
Post 156, USS Gambier Bay; Post 161, Belleville; Post 204,
Madison¹,²; Post 267, Jerseyville
¹ - Auxiliary; ² - Sons of AMVETS; ³ - Riders
8
AMVETS-February-2015.indd 8
www.ILAMVETS.org
February 2015
1/28/15 4:22 PM
Relaxation of
Priority Group
8 Enrollment
MB Real Estate Has A
Suit Drive for AMVETS
Good news for some veterans who exceed the
income threshold when trying to enroll for VA
healthcare.
MB Real Estate Vice President Chris Dilley contacted AMVETS in November
from his office in downtown Chicago with an idea that he’d hoped would help our
veterans in Illinois. Being an Air Force veteran himself, he knows firsthand what kind of
hardships our heroes coming home sometimes are faced with, especially when it comes to
finding employment and the ability to finance a job search.
Often, we associate being unemployed only with not having an income. But what
about the cost of a job search? There’s gas and transportation that is needed to get to
interviews, internet costs for filling online applications out and then there is appropriate
interview and work attire costs. Soldiers don’t often find the need for a suit and tie and if
they do have to dress formally during their active duty, it is in their dress uniform.
When an interview is finally scheduled in a professional work environment, suddenly
some people find themselves in a bit of a predicament, as the need for a suit arises and if
someone doesn’t own a suit and tie, dress shirt, and dress shoes, it is an expensive purchase.
Combine this expense with the lack of a paycheck and this predicament just became a
major problem.
That’s where Chris Dilley comes in. He knew that everyone in his office wears
a suit on a daily basis and knows that his co-workers are much like himself in regards
to having items hanging in the closet that are in great shape but not worn any longer.
Since many of the employees donate their items to different charities willing to take used
clothing anyway, he thought maybe a suit drive for individuals coming home and seeking
employment was a more than appropriate way of giving back when cleaning out those
closets.
Chris campaigned for suits throughout the month of December with the goal of
donating the suits he received directly to AMVETS Post 326’s Career Center. By the end
of the month, he had collected over a dozen high quality suits. Little did he know that this
would just be the beginning of a very successful suit drive.
One of Chris’ colleagues uses “Mr. Ned,” a custom tailor in New York City. When
he heard about Chris’ idea, he reached out to him about the idea of helping veterans find
employment and helping see to it that they are able to “dress for success.”
Upon hearing about this more than worthwhile effort, he made his own donation.
Mr. Ned sent 37 men’s custom clothing items to AMVETS HQ in Springfield. The
donation included suits, sport coats, trousers and a dress coat and the items retail in total at
close to $22,000.
Because of these very generous donations, some of our heroes will have an
opportunity to “dress for success,” and feel more confident than they may have felt
otherwise because of not being able to afford a suit or having to wear something outdated
for an already nerve wracking interview.
If any of our veterans working with any of the AMVETS Career Centers located
in Chicago, Jacksonville or Marion have a need, please reach out to Lynn or Nicole at
Headquarters either by phoning (217)528-4713 or through email at Lynn@ilamvets.org or
Nicole@ilamvets.org and provide the recipient’s measurements so we can try and fit them.
Additionally, if this is something that you think your place of employment would be
willing to do, please contact Lynn or Nicole and let us know. If you work in a blue collar
industry but think that your coworkers would want to do a drive for clothing or trade
industry related items that are costly for those individuals starting out, feel free to send your
ideas in. The goal is, as always, to execute the mission of AMVETS, which is “Veterans
Helping Veterans.”
Public Law 110-329 provides VA additional funding to allow
expanded enrollment opportunity for certain Priority 8 Veterans who may
have been previously denied enrollment in VA’s health care system because
their income exceeded VA’s National and Geographic PG 8 Relaxation
Income Thresholds.
The new regulations took effect on June 15, 2009 and enable the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to relax income restrictions on
enrollment for health benefits. While this new provision does not remove
consideration of income, it does increase income thresholds. You may be
eligible for enrollment under this new provision.
Impact
A Veteran applying for enrollment on or after June 15, 2009, who
does not qualify for a higher priority group and whose income exceeds
VA’s National and Geographic Income Thresholds by 10% or less will be
placed in Priority Group 8b (if the Veteran is noncompensable 0% serviceconnected) or 8d (if the Veteran is nonservice-connected) and enrolled in
the VA health care system.
Veterans who applied on or after January 1, 2009 and denied
enrollment have been notified that VA will re-determine their enrollment
after the new provisions become effective on June 15, 2009. Because VA
uses previous year’s income in its enrollment determination, Veterans who
applied but were rejected for enrollment prior to January 1, 2009 may
complete a VA Form 10-10EZR, Health Benefits Update Form to have
their eligibility for enrollment reassessed against the new VA National and
Geographic PG 8 Relaxation Income Thresholds.
Veterans may also self-determine their eligibility for enrollment
under this new provision by entering their information into VA’s on-line
calculator at http://hbexplorer.vacloud.us.
February 2015
AMVETS-February-2015.indd 9
Ed Humphrey
Veteran Service Officer
Illinois AMVETS
Submitted by Nicole Edwards
www.ILAMVETS.org
9
1/28/15 4:22 PM
President’s
Letter
1st Vice for
Membership
Hello Everyone,
Hello Ladies Auxiliary members,
Now that the holidays are over it is time to
get back to business. There are many veterans and community members
that could use are help this New Year. Let’s start this year off right and
get our volunteering started. I know you are probably thinking what else
can we do that we haven’t done already, but that’s it what you have been
doing needs to keep going and what you haven’t started or didn’t think of
as something that could be done needs to start. There are many places that
can be visited such as your veteran homes and hospitals but don’t forget you
can also visit your local schools and community centers. Volunteering at
your local schools and community centers shows our communities that we
are not only there for our veterans but we are there to help our neighbors
and friends too.
Go to a local school and volunteer your time by reading to the younger
children or helping out in the cafeteria during the lunch periods. If your
neighborhood has a community center find out if they need help with the
different programs that they sponsor, you never know they might have a
soup kitchen or a food pantry that they could use a few more hands for.
Ask around you might have someone in your neighborhood that could use
a babysitter or a ride to the grocery store. Don’t be shy get out there are
volunteer your time.
I know that you can’t always volunteer every day of the week so donate
to a local charity or to your local school or church. Donating doesn’t always
mean money you can donate school supplies to the schools or food to your
local fire house. If you have senior centers nearby bake some goodies and
surprise our seniors with a little treat. There are many things that can be
done around our neighborhoods or even surrounding areas don’t hesitate
to ask around and see what can be done. Show everyone that the Amvets
Ladies Auxiliary is there to help out on in any way possible.
Welcome to the New Year. The membership year is in full swing so let’s “CRACK
THE WHIP FOR MEMBERSHIP”. There are many ladies throughout the state
who are eligible to be members. Never think “I won’t ask them, they aren’t interested”.
Don’t make the decision for them. Last fall I put a challenge out there for each and
every member to bring in at least one new member to your Auxiliary. How many new
members did your Auxiliary get? At the February SEC I will have our totals to see how
well we did for the year. On a side note - A BIG Thank you goes out to everyone who
contributed to the cookbook. We had 186 total recipes submitted. The book has been
sent to the printer and I’m planning of having them at SEC in February. The cost is
$10 and all the proceeds go to our general funds. They will make a great gift, so be sure
to get on for all the ladies in your family as well as your friends, co-workers, and other
associates. If you placed a pre order I will have them ready for you then.
Best Wishes
Laurie Shea
Department President
2014-2015
Prayers from the Chaplain
Dear Lord:
We thank you for your inspiration and guidance. Make our lives rich
in friends and service. Bless each of us and our loved ones and those who
have served and are serving our country. Amen.
10
AMVETS-February-2015.indd 10
Loretta Malecki
Chaplain
Larina Sanders
Department of Illinois
1st Vice President
3rd Vice for
Community Service
Fellow Auxiliary members,
Where did our warm weather go? Winter has arrived and with a vengeance. I hope
everyone is keeping warm, safe and healthy.
Community Service is something we can all do. Give someone a lift that needs a ride,
help with a local food pantry, call bingo for seniors, take a neighbor shopping, the list goes on
and on. These are all simple things we do everyday without thinking about it. We all know
someone that can use our help from time to time. It only takes a minute to pay it forward
and usually costs us nothing but a little time on our part--who knows you may be going their
way anyway. Helping others when the need is there is being a good neighbor and gives us all
a good feeling. There is a time when we all need a helping hand. My project of Carol House
of Hope--a Domestic Abuse facility--has been an on-going success. Several items are always
needed there and SEC is a perfect time to bring them in: Cash donations, toiletries, bedding,
children’s books, toys, items for setting up a home--anything you or your children need daily,
etc.
SEC will be here before we know it. We have company coming. PAWS will be here.
Deb Davis is coming with her new dog, Seymour. She presents an awesome program and
one we can all look forward to. This is a perfect time to bring in all those puppy pads we have
been working on and anything else we might have for this worthwhile organization. PAWS
rescues, trains and provides service dogs to anyone who needs the service, including our
wounded heroes. Let’s all remember the amazing work they do and help where we can. All
those pennies we collect go a long way.
February is the month to remember our past presidents and those we love. Keep them
in your hearts and minds. Happy Valentines Day. See you at SEC
www.ILAMVETS.org
Yours In Service,
Mary Kerby
3rd Vice
Community Service
February 2015
1/28/15 4:22 PM
55-­‐Mt. Olive
61-­‐Springfield
98
98
109
90%
41
41
42
98%
64-­‐Greater Peoria
23
94
368
485
516
94%
76-­‐Ursa
3
18
1
13
35
45
78%
77-­‐Chillicothe
24
24
45
53%
94-­‐Porter-­‐Crask
1
1
34
36
39
92%
100-­‐Jacksonville
12
29
2
189
232
247
94%
104-­‐Quincy
1
3
15
19
18
106%
169-­‐Paul Towne Memorial
4
19
3
183
209
203
103%
179-­‐Greenview
1
33
85
119
126
94%
235-­‐George Maple
2
1
98
101
108
94%
30
30
31
97%
1516
1792
1923
93%
Department of Illinois Membership Report
257-­‐Springfield
TOTAL
56
POST #
NEW
214
DISTRICT I
POST #
5-­‐ American
NEW
RENEWED NEW LIFE
1
7-­‐Federal
13-­‐Ted Knusman
28
17-­‐Colin Kelly
18-­‐Police
DISTRICT IV
LIFE
TOTAL
LAST YEAR
POST %
LIFE
TOTAL
LAST YEAR
POST %
60
61
61
100%
3-­‐Champaign
3
11
2
128
144
164
88%
80
80
80
100%
14-­‐Clinton
7
12
2
71
92
96
96%
10
38
55
69%
30-­‐OYawa
5
9
51
65
69
94%
5
RENEWED NEW LIFE
165
165
165
100%
41-­‐Marshall AMVETS
164
164
165
99%
52-­‐Fisher
8
12
12
34-­‐Victory
4
8
47
59
72
82%
53-­‐Morris
43-­‐Paul Price Memorial
7
16
106
129
141
91%
67-­‐Deeke-­‐Ohlendorf
66-­‐Phillip Carpenter
7
22
265
294
313
94%
75-­‐Tilton AMVETS
2
35
37
37
100%
84-­‐Crete
99-­‐William T. Gross
5
34
39
39
100%
107-­‐Manteno Memorial
5
192-­‐Westlawn Memorial
1
11
324
336
342
98%
113-­‐Bradley
1
243-­‐Chicago AMVETS
2
59
61
89
69%
115-­‐Ponaac 1
247-­‐Col. M O Bousfield
1
1
139
141
142
99%
120-­‐Streator
22
22
22
100%
270-­‐McLean County
3
2
5
20
27
25
108%
276-­‐Elliot
2
18
17
30
30
100%
278-­‐Colfax
97-­‐Oak Park Memorial
252-­‐Wol-­‐Arm
268-­‐Glenwood Memorial
277-­‐Guardian
6
40
6
30
35
52
67%
105
113
106
107%
175%
9
21
12
128
140
148
95%
93
93
97
96%
104
104
104
100%
42
87
95
92%
14
15
13
115%
72
79
86
92%
133
133
133
100%
28
31
34
91%
41
61
66
92%
5
5
13
38%
326-­‐Dr. Hector Garcia
2
8
10
32
31%
312-­‐Streator
1
TOTAL
24
101
0
1555
1693
1810
94%
TOTAL
45
116
POST #
NEW
LIFE
TOTAL
LAST YEAR
POST %
POST #
NEW
40
55
40
138%
4-­‐Turner-­‐Roehm
102
142
160
89%
6-­‐LiYle Egypt
113
119
120
99%
11-­‐Cairo
23
34
35
97%
31-­‐Marion
2
6
29
29
29
100%
33-­‐W White Memorial
22
17
291
415
431
96%
40-­‐Effingham
12
14
15
15
100%
51-­‐Quad City
12
36
119
6
75
81
96
84%
101-­‐Centralia
1
129
130
DISTRICT II
RENEWED NEW LIFE
26-­‐Bureau
13
1
32-­‐Freeport
2
38
35-­‐LiYle Fort
1
5
90-­‐Dekalb
1
1
10
91-­‐Hampshire
103-­‐Aurora
58
123-­‐Dixon
1
145-­‐Silvis-­‐East Moline
65
1
167-­‐Sterling-­‐Rock Falls
17
53
31
31
31
100%
132-­‐Massac County
1
1
20
22
25
88%
140-­‐Greenville
2
3
202-­‐Elgin
5
11
18
34
35
97%
148-­‐Frank Nowland
1
245-­‐Pearl Harbor Memorial
3
12
128
143
146
98%
149-­‐West Frankfort
2
77
85
90
94%
156-­‐USS Gambier Bay
7
10
10
100%
161-­‐Belleville
1
968
1215
1263
96%
204-­‐Madison
6
57
267-­‐Jerseyville
10
TOTAL
63
203
NEW
269-­‐Woodstock
1
5
1
2
TOTAL
86
147
14
DISTRICT III
POST #
NEW
RENEWAL NEW LIFE
LIFE
TOTAL
LAST YEAR
1
158
159
165
96%
16-­‐Litchfield
7
14
38
59
69
86%
POST #
29-­‐John T. Hendricks
1
1
96
98
97
101%
200-­‐MAL
44-­‐Pana
1
46
47
63
75%
55-­‐Mt. Olive
98
98
109
90%
41
41
42
98%
64-­‐Greater Peoria
23
94
368
485
516
94%
76-­‐Ursa
3
18
1
13
35
45
78%
53%
77-­‐Chillicothe
24
24
45
94-­‐Porter-­‐Crask
1
1
34
36
39
92%
100-­‐Jacksonville
12
29
189
232
247
94%
2
104-­‐Quincy
1
3
15
19
18
106%
169-­‐Paul Towne Memorial
4
19
3
183
209
203
103%
179-­‐Greenview
1
33
85
119
126
94%
235-­‐George Maple
2
1
98
101
108
94%
30
30
31
97%
1516
1792
1923
93%
257-­‐Springfield
TOTAL
56
POST #
NEW
214
6
41
43
95%
1259
1331
95%
1
LIFE
TOTAL
LAST YEAR
POST %
186
257
261
98%
11
11
11
100%
100%
1
13
13
13
48
56
60
93%
27
66
56
118%
12
12
100%
167
171
98%
130
100%
73
74
74
100%
68
73
77
95%
15
62
78
87
90%
13
13
14
93%
9
9
10
90%
4
27
32
32
100%
257
320
342
94%
13
23
33
70%
1067
1334
1383
96%
1
POST %
8-­‐Knoxville
61-­‐Springfield
40
1094
DISTRICT V
RENEWED NEW LIFE
180-­‐Princeton
503-­‐St. Charles
4
MEMBERS AT LARGE
33
RENEWED NEW LIFE
57
5
LIFE
TOTAL
LAST YEAR
POST %
1748
1843
1984
93%
LIFE
TOTAL
LAST YEAR
DEPT %
7948
9123
9753
94%
DEPARTMENT OF ILLINOIS
STATE TOTALS
NEW
307
RENEWED NEW LIFE
838
30
DISTRICT IV
LIFE
TOTAL
LAST YEAR
POST %
3-­‐Champaign
3
11
2
128
144
164
88%
14-­‐Clinton
7
12
2
71
92
96
96%
30-­‐OYawa
5
9
51
65
69
94%
5
30
35
52
67%
February 2015
AMVETS-February-2015.indd
41-­‐Marshall AMVETS11
RENEWED NEW LIFE
www.ILAMVETS.org
11
1/28/15 4:22 PM
Belleville Vietnam Memorial
Eagle Scout Project
Troop 11
UPCOMING
EVENTS
District I
February 19, 2015
7:30 PM
Location:
Hines VA Hospital spinal cord unit
Contact:
Wayne Grzybowski
Submitted by: Neil Wegrzyn
My name is Neil Wegrzyn and I am a sophomore at Belleville East. Additionally, I am a Boy Scout with
Troop 11 located at St. Peter’s Cathedral and I am currently working on my Eagle Scout Project. The project
consists of raising enough funds to dedicate a memorial to the fallen soldiers of the Vietnam War from Belleville.
This memorial will be placed at Walnut Hill Cemetery. It would commemorate the 13 following soldiers of
Belleville who fought and died during the Vietnam War.
These are the same names inscribed on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C.
Lawrence Denny- aged 18
Glenn Eisenhour- aged 21
Lawrence Grass- aged 22
Allen Gray- aged 20
Pete Hammond- aged 20
Thomas Irwin- aged 19
John Lankford- aged 21
James Neumeyer-aged 22
Terry Pensoneau- aged 24
Ronald Roberts- aged 19
Philip Smith- aged 21
William Thompson- aged 23
Joseph Wylie III-aged 19
If you do know any friends or relatives of these soldiers, please contact me at bellevillevm@yahoo.com. I
would like to publish a biography of the fallen soldiers that could be placed at local libraries for all to see.
However, your help is needed for this memorial to happen. A monetary donation of any kind would be
appreciated. Checks may be made out to “Belleville VM”.
If you have any questions, feel free to call 618-235-4291.
ILAMVETS.ORG
12
AMVETS-February-2015.indd 12
www.ILAMVETS.org
AMVETS Dept of Illinois
Februay SEC
February 20-22, 2015
Location:
President Abraham Lincoln Hotel
Springfield, IL
Contact:
Amvets Headquarters
Phone: 217-528-4713
District IV
February 22, 2015
1:00 PM
Location:
Post 52 Fisher
Contact:
Darrel Tucker
District III
March 15, 2015
1:00 PM
Location:
Post 100 Jacksonville
Contact:
Teresa Pickle
email your event details
to Lynn Carter at:
Lynn@ilamvets. org
to get your event
on the calendar.
February 2015
1/28/15 4:22 PM