Department of Wisconsin

Officer Training (OTI) Set For Wisconsin Rapids July 25th. Register Now!

Posted at 08:16 AM on Saturday, July 4, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News in Information Pages

The VFW Department of Wisconsin annual Officers Training Institute is scheduled for Saturday, July 25th at the Mead Inn at Wisconsin Rapids.

All Post Commanders, Quartermasters and Veterans Service Officers are advised to attend. Training in these areas is part of the requirements for All State Honors in the 2009/2010 Program year.

The registration form available from the link, below, may be completed and saved. The form has a "typewriter" function that allows you to enter the appropriate information. The information you enter will be saved with the document, unlike most PDF forms.

Please complete one form for each registrant, and send the forms along with the $10/per person registration fee to the address indicated.

Click on the icon to open the actual form =========>

  

  

  

  

  

Taking Pride in the Nation

Posted at 01:38 PM on Friday, July 3, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News

by Glen Gardner, VFW National Commander

Patriotism is in the air especially this time of year, and we should embrace all it stands for. Those who guarantee our freedoms must not be forgotten.

June and July contain two very important holidays—Flag Day and Independence Day. Both symbolize what it means to be an American. As veterans, these special days may have added meaning. Actually fighting for the values the flag represents and the liberty we celebrate on July 4th has a way of leaving lifelong impressions.

While the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have largely receded from the collective public mind, military families and those of us concerned for their welfare still pay close attention. Proudly flying the flag, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, singing along with the national anthem and revering the Founding Fathers are traditions worth maintaining, particularly to this segment of the population.

Other than voting, a USA Today/Gallup Poll last year found that 87% of Americans see serving in the military as the most patriotic act. Obviously, to these Americans, patriotism is not an abstract virtue. It means demonstrating it in a tangible way. Patriotism without sacrifice is hollow, no matter how one defines it.

At the core of this creed is a cause greater than self-interest, something bigger than one's self. Today, only a tiny minority of Americans bear the burden of defending the frontlines against enemies who would destroy everything the nation represents. And GIs have paid a steep price in loss of life, physical and psychological wounds, disrupted family lives and postponement of personal aspirations.

As VFW members, we owe it to them to not allow their immense sacrifices to be forgotten in the rush of backyard barbecues and fireworks displays. Respecting the symbols of our country is essential. But remembering those who have preserved the values they represent is equally, if not more, important.

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VA News - Week of June 29, 2009

Posted at 01:16 PM on Friday, July 3, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News

VFW Washington Weekly - June 29, 2009

Posted at 08:29 AM on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News

In This Issue:

1. GI Bill Hearing

2. GI Bill Transferability Rules

3. House Passes Defense Bill

4. Congress on Recess

1. GI Bill Hearing: The House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity held another hearing on VA's implementation plans for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The GI bill benefit is scheduled to be fully implemented on Aug. 1, 2009. The application process to determine eligibility opened on May 1. VA has reported over 100,000 applications filed for the education benefit. Keith Wilson, Director of VA's Education Services, testified that VA has a two-part IT strategy that relies on short- and long-term goals for processing the claims. He updated committee members on VA's partnership with the Navy's SPAWAR Systems Center, which is contracted to design, develop, and deploy an end-to-end solution that utilizes rules-based, industry-standard technologies. VA is currently working with SPAWAR on the long-term IT solution, and expects the program to be completed no later than December 2010. For more on the hearing, visit the House VA website at: http://veterans.house.gov/.

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VFW WI 2009 Convention Photos

Posted at 10:54 AM on Thursday, June 25, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News

VFW National Commander Visits Iraq

Posted at 10:49 AM on Thursday, June 25, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2009 — The national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. returned home after spending almost four days visiting American troops stationed in Iraq. His overall assessment: "This war is nearing its end, which has our troops pumped with anticipation and the Iraqi people increasingly hopeful for their future."

Glen M. Gardner Jr., a Vietnam veteran from Round Rock, Texas, entered Iraq on Sunday with the leaders of four other veterans' service organizations for a first-hand view of the progress that has occurred in Iraq. He is the fourth consecutive VFW national commander to visit Iraq.

"Iraq is a different country today because of the tremendous effort of our military to make the surge work," he said. "The assessment that everything is on target for the upcoming handover of the cities was made by everyone I met, from Multi-National Force-Iraq Commanding Gen. Raymond T. Odierno to his officers and enlisted soldiers, all of whom have served multiple tours in-country."

Gardner's trip comes a full year after the conclusion of a three-prong surge strategy that focused on security, the economy and political reconciliation. He said the changes on the ground were most noticeable in the eyes of six amputee veterans who returned to Iraq for the first time since being wounded. Their trip was sponsored by the Troops First Foundation, which has a program that allows wounded troops to return to where they were stationed to help close the loop on their wartime service. Gardner called the program "a great initiative, because departing a warzone strapped to a stretcher is not the last memory anyone should have to carry for a lifetime."

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VA News - Week of June 22, 2009

Posted at 10:33 AM on Thursday, June 25, 2009 by Wisconsin VFW News

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