VFW Membership

[Eagle101]

As requested by dave I will offer the following that I also have on the Demopolis Times website:

Marengo Memorial VFW Post 5377 wishes to honor all local military personnell who are now serving or have served in Iraq and Afghanistan by paying their first years dues to join our Post.

This VFW membership offer is restricted to all local military personnel to include all active duty, activated National Guard and activated Reserve, that have been awarded a compaign medal, or are serving or have served, in an area where they have received hostile fire or imminent danger pay for at least 30 days since September 11, 2001.

The number one mission of the VFW is the welfare of ALL veterans and their widows and orphans. We also support our active duty troops and promote patriotism in our communities. Our programs are too numerous to mention here but one such program was the Veterans Monument dedicated at the Marengo County Courthouse last Veterans Day.

Qualified military members, or an immediate family member, should contact me or another VFW member for a membership application. My email address is mlbelcher36732@yahoo.com or contact me here or at my home phone.





:)

[rob]

What are the dues for regular vets?

[Eagle101]

Our dues are $20 per year. This includes 11 issues of the VFW Magazine per year.

[rob]

Who do I need to contact,and how?

[Eagle101]

call me or Tom Compton, Jr.. statpat has my number

[Eagle101]

Is there enough interest in Demopolis to take American Legion Post 41 to active status? Tom Boggs has done a great job for a long time keeping the charter active. Membership is open to all military personnel serving during a conflict. Service in the combat zone is not a requirement. I believe Demopolis has enough qualified personnell to have a very active Post. Colonel Boggs did a lot of work with the VFW to make the veterans monument a reality. This was a great joint effort. We can also work on future projects together. I have been a member of his Post for the past six years as well as the VFW and DAV.

I believe every veteran, if eligible, should be a member of veterans organizations for two basic reasons. One, there are strenghth in numbers and when we lobby Congress, the first item they want to know is what our membership numbers are. Potential votes. Veterans organizations are the closest thing veterans have to a union. Second, veteran organizations should be the leaders for all local patriotic events. We should not have one single Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Flag Day, Fourth of July or other such days pass without some sort of ceremony. We should also support our local guard units like the VFW did, with help from radio station WIN 98.5, to raise over $1000 for telephone cards in two days when the 167 Engineers were activated last year.

I didn't mean to stand on my soap box for so long. Visit, washingtonpost.com faces of the fallen, and see about 500 reasons why we need to support our veterans organizations. For every person you see at this site, there are at least 5 troops who came back wounded, blind, burned, amputated limbs or just able to move their head, or worse.

Please respond.

[dave]

That's a good thing you are doing sarge. I wanted to clarify though-- the VFW is open to all veterans, right? The offer of 1 years membership is from you to all vets that have served during a war or conflict.

[rob]

I don't believe my time in was during a conflict,but I did serve a year in Korea.That's got to count for something.

[Jeff]

The "Faces of the Fallen" site that Sarge speaks of can be viewed HERE (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/iraq/casualties/facesofthefallen.htm)

[Eagle101]

The VFW offer is to pay the first years dues for troops from our local area who are currently serving in or who have returned from duty in Iraq and Arghanistan. Membership in the VFW is for people who were awarded a campaign medal or drew what we call "combat pay". American Legion membership is open to people who served in the military during a designated period of time. For example, a person who was in the Army during the Vietnam time-frame and was stationed in Germany is eligible for the Legion but not the VFW. I person who served in Vietnam can join both if they chose to do so.

Any person who served at least one block of 30 days straight in Korea or 60 days accumlative, is eligible for membership in the VFW and/or American Legion. Korea is still designated a hostile zone. Rob's year of duty does count for something.

If anyone is familiar with the term "concurrent receipt", the VFW and Legion helped get our military retirees with 20+ years of service, who are drawing 50% or more disability from the VA, are now going to start receiving some of their retirement back starting this month (Jan 04). For example a 20+ years retiree at the 100% VA rating will start receiving $750 (taxable) of their retirement back starting this month. This figure will increase by 10% each January until 2014 at which time he /she will be drawing both VA disability and full retirement. Legion.com has the tables for 50-90% ratings and the details.

I put in the last paragraph to show what these organizations do and can accomplish.

We just need your help.