NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS B U L L E T I N VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE U.S. KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI VOLUME 33, NO. 5 JAN. 2009

Transcription

1 NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS B U L L E T I N VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS OF THE U.S. KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI VOLUME 33, NO. 5 JAN H O N O R S A C R I F I C E S E R V I C E VFW NATIONAL CONVENTION HOUSING: 110 th National Convention Housing officially opens January 31, Phoenix convention hotels have been assigned by department. Three hotels have been selected for the 110 th National convention: Hyatt Regency Phoenix (VFW HQ) room rate $99 (plus tax) single/double; Wyndham Phoenix (Ladies Auxiliary HQ) - room rate $99 (plus tax) single/double; Sheraton Phoenix Downtown room rate $99 (plus tax) single/double. Current tax rate is 12.07% (subject to change). Reservations for these hotels can be made via the internet, fax or mail. Visit the VFW convention website for a housing form, registration form or more information at Click on the Phoenix spiff (picture) from the home page to access information or contact your local VFW post, department or national headquarters. Fax: Completed housing forms can be faxed to Do not mail forms after faxing. Mail: Mail completed housing forms to: VFW Housing Bureau c/o GPCVB, 400 E. Van Buren Street, Suite 600, Phoenix, AZ Note: Reservations may not be made by phone. Room deposits will be accepted by form of a check in the amount of $99 or guaranteed with a valid credit card. Please DO NOT go to hotel websites to make your room reservation. VFW has negotiated convention rates, which are not available through the three hotel websites. CONVENTION REGISTRATION: Section 222 of the Manual of Procedure requires each post to register, in advance, at least one delegate to the VFW National Convention by payment of a fee in the amount of $ The on-site registration fee is $ All advance registrations should be mailed to the VFW National Headquarters, 406 W. 34 th Street, Kansas City, MO 64111, ATTN: Convention Registration, or you may register on-line by going to PROGRAMS: DISPLAYING MILITARY SERVICE SYMBOLS. Military Service flags, insignias, etc. should be displayed in the following order (Left to Right as you face the flags): Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force and then Coast Guard. 1

2 FLY THE FLAG ON MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR S BIRTHDAY. The U.S. federal flag code has been amended by Congress and signed by the president to add Martin Luther King Day to the list of days on which the flag should be displayed. His birthday is observed on the third Monday in January, therefore, the flag should be flown on that day. Many communities are conducting community service projects that day. It is highly suggested that all members support this day of service. VFW HONORS AMERICA S TEACHERS DURING PROGRAM YEAR. Nominations for this award and the judging at the post level should now be completed with posts having submitted their winning recipients entry and other information to the districts by November 15.. Districts are to send their winning recipient from each level to the departments by December 15. After department judging, each department forwards the names of its selections to VFW National Headquarters for consideration in the national award contest. Deadline is January 15, Each department s selections will receive a National Commendation citation. VFW s National Citizenship Education Teacher awards include: three national $1,000 awards for the top K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 teachers for professional development expenses; $1,000 award to each winning teacher s school; plaques for both the winning teacher and school; and, an all-expenses paid trip to attend the VFW Mid-Winter Conference, February 19-22, 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky. Order the Citizenship Education Teacher Recognition Citation from VFW Emblem and Supply, product #4320, Present to all teachers nominated at all levels for the national award. VFW PROMOTES NATIONAL GROUNDHOG JOB SHADOW DAY, FEBRUARY 2. Over one million students across America will experience firsthand how academic skills they learn in the classroom are put into action in the workplace by shadowing a workplace mentor in a normal day on the job. The program is spearheaded by America s Promise - The Alliance for Youth and Junior Achievement. Post members should inform their employers about this program and have them contact their local high school or Junior Achievement to participate. For further information, the Groundhog Job Shadow coalition has a web site that lists individual state contact information. You re encouraged to use this website and learn how the program works. POW/MIA FLAG - OFFICIAL DISPLAY DAYS. Public Law (November 16, 1997) indicates the days that federal agencies, military installations, and U.S. post offices are required to display the POW/MIA flag. The days are: Armed Forces Day, May 16 (third Saturday in May); Memorial Day, May 25 (last Monday in May); Flag Day, June 14; National POW/MIA Day, September 18 (third Friday in September); and, Veterans Day, November 11. To purchase a POW/MIA flag: DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT: National Veterans Service is Counting on You! Your support of our veterans and their families is especially needed at this time. January marks the kick-off for the Veterans Service Fund Annual Campaign. This campaign supports the assistance necessary so veterans can receive the benefits and entitlements they have earned. The VFW has formed a national cadre of highly trained service officers to counsel and assist all of America's veterans. These tireless advocates ensure that necessary evidence is collected, claims are properly completed, and when necessary, VA decisions are appealed in a timely manner so that promises made to veterans are kept! 2

3 To further support this extremely important program, the VFW's National Veterans Service has established a field operation section that works with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense in the Benefits Delivery at Discharge program (BDD). This program works with our newest veterans of the Global War on Terrorism at major military installations across the nation. With your support, we have been able to open 13 BDD offices since Two of these offices were opened in 2008 one in Fort Stewart, Ga., and one for the Military District of Washington, D.C., which serves Bolling AFB, Andrews AFB, and Ft. Belvior, VA among all the military installations in that large area. To allow us to continue to participate in these entitlement assistance programs, we ask you for your continued support. Please watch your mailbox for further information. Giant Christmas Card Delivered to Madigan Army Medical Center In December, VFW Department of Washington delivered the giant Christmas card to recovering troops at the Madigan Army Medical Center in Fort Lewis, Wash. Thanks to all our Friends of Freedom members, we were able to collect over 14,000 signatures for the card through November and December. Friends of Freedom members, watch your in-box for a follow-up story on how the recovering troops received your well wishes for Christmas and the New Year! Friends of Freedom Members Have you added your loved one s name to the VFW Memorial Wall? Have you created a Hero Page for your hero? Please check out these VFW sites and add your loved one s name or create a page in honor or in memory of your hero: and You don t have to be a member of Friends of Freedom to visit these pages, add a name, or add a page anyone can do it. If you are not a member of Friends of Freedom, you may visit to register. MEMBERSHIP: Dues Notices - Just a reminder, the Dues Notice tapes are created on the last Friday of every month. To prevent dues notices from being sent to those who have already paid, all membership transmittals must be received in the Dues Processing Department no later than noon on the following closing dates: TRANSMITTAL DEADLINES FOR THE YEAR: MONTH DEADLINE DATE (DAY) JANUARY January 30 (Friday) FEBRUARY February 27 (Friday) MARCH March 27 (Friday) APRIL April 24 (Friday) MAY May 29 (Friday) JUNE June 30 (TUESDAY - MUST BE RECEIVED IN DUES PROCESSING BY NOON FOR YEAR END CLOSING) Your continued support and cooperation in ensuring that all cards are received in a timely fashion will be greatly appreciated. Life Membership The Life Membership Installment Plan allows a member or qualified applicant to become a Life Member by paying the fee in installments instead of all at once. This makes the Life Membership fee easier to budget. This year we have added an automatic payment feature so that payments can be automatically deducted from the member s bank account or automatically charged to 3

4 his or her credit card account each month. This eliminates monthly invoices and saves both the member and the VFW time and money. To sign up for the installment plan with automatic payments, the member must complete an Authorization Agreement for Pre-Arranged Payments. This form was included in the Quartermaster Dues Kits last summer. For an ed pdf file or a mailed copy, please call or Life Membership. Members may also enroll at emembership ( click Current Members.) LIFE MEMBERSHIP FEE SCHEDULE ONE TIME LIFE 12 MONTH LIFE 24 MONTH ATTAINED AGE ON 12/31 PAYMENT PAYMENT PLAN PAYMENT PLAN $35, PLUS 11 PYMTS OF $35, PLUS 23 PYMTS OF THROUGH AGE 30 $ $40.39 $ $ $39.02 $ $ $35.84 $ $ $32.20 $ $ $28.11 $ $ $22.20 $ AND OVER $ $17.20 $ 9.14 Terms and Conditions: The VFW Life Membership installment plan allows any VFW member/applicant to purchase a Life Membership by making either 11 or 23 monthly installments after an initial payment of $35. The $35 fee keeps the member in good standing during the installment plan period and is not applied towards the total amount due. The member will be issued a Provisional Life membership card and can elect, upon receipt of the first monthly invoice, to pay via check or credit card. The monthly payment (shown in the payment schedule) includes a $1.75 monthly service fee. The applicable Life Membership fee is to be determined from the schedule using the applicant s age on Dec. 31 of the installment plan year in which the application is submitted, regardless of actual date of birth. A permanent Life Membership card will be issued upon completion of all payments. No refund of any portion of current year annual dues will be made. A payoff amount will be printed on each monthly invoice, allowing the member the option to pay in full, thereby avoiding additional service fees. If the member pays off early, no additional monthly fees will be collected. The $1.75 monthly administrative fee is waived for members with automatic payments through our authorization agreement. For these members, the monthly payment amount will be $1.75 less than the amount shown on the table above. Delinquencies will be handled as follows: Up to 30 days continue to bill 31 to 120 days delinquency can be corrected through make up payment or plan end date pushed forward. More than 120 days member is dropped from the installment plan, all payments made to date, excluding service fees, are applied to future years dues. Any excess amount will remain on the member s account. Members can also enroll on-line at If you have questions, call (800) and ask for Life Membership. 4

5 EMBLEM and SUPPLY/VFW STORE: Order awards and gifts for VOICE OF DEMOCRACY and PATRIOT S PEN winners/participants. Fly your flag on INAUGURATION DAY January 20, 2009 Everything you need for this historic celebration New Merchandise for the New Year Send us your suggestions for new merchandise to add to our catalog and online store. Send to scutright@vfw.org. NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: New Members-New Congress Now that the 2008 elections are over, it is time to contact your legislators in their district offices offer your congratulations to those reelected and get to know the new members of the 111th Congress. It is critical that you educate them on the VFW s Legislative Priority Goals. Although we have had many successes, we must always remain vigilant and ready to fight on behalf of all veterans as well as the men and women serving in our military today. Also, please take the time to sign-up for the VFW Washington Weekly newsletter. It remains the best way to stay informed of what the VFW is doing on the legislative front in Washington, D.C. You will find the 2009 Legislative Priority goals and the link to sign up for our weekly e-newsletter at Just click on the Capitol Hill section. NATIONAL MILITARY SERVICES (NMS): We had a record number of calls for the Thanksgiving Free Call Day. Harleysville Insurance sponsored the Free Call Day, and troops made more than 116,000 calls to loved ones and talked for nearly 1.4 million minutes. Due to the tremendous support that SportClips received during their fundraiser on Veterans Day, they will be sponsoring the Free Call Day on December 25th. SportsClips has received over $115,000 in donations so far. We expect the number of calls on Christmas Day to surpass the Thanksgiving Day connections! QUARTERMASTER OPERATIONS: VFW Reverse Mortgage Services The VFW has developed a new plan with Financial Freedom Senior Funding Corporation so our members can get reverse mortgages on their homes. This plan will allow our members to get the extra cash they need and can enable them to eliminate their mortgage payments. Members who are 62 years old or older may take advantage of these reverse mortgages. There are no income qualifications and our members will retain the title to their homes. For more information, you may call Financial Freedom at or visit BUDDY POPPY: To foster true patriotism through historical and educational programs. The Manual of Procedure provides that post relief funds may be used for programs such as Voice of Democracy, Youth Essay, Citizenship Education, National Military Services, and Community Service as long as the chairmen guidebooks are used as an example of promoting these programs. 5

6 Posts are further reminded that Section 711 of the Manual of Procedure provides that non-profit organizations, exempt from taxes under Section 501 (a) of the Internal Revenue Code, may assist with the distribution of Buddy Poppies, provided there shall be no division of proceeds. A donation to these groups may be made from the post general fund. ALL AMERICAN STAR-SPANGLED BONUS The Buddy Poppy Program is offering an additional opportunity to distribute poppies on March 3, in order to assist in meeting two of this year s All American requirements. This additional Buddy Poppy date marks the anniversary of VFW s victory in sealing the Star Spangled Banner as the national anthem on March 3, Further details on this event will be sent to each Department headquarters, Buddy Poppy chairmen and Post Commanders. Contact information: nclifton@vfw.org (816) For Buddy Poppy merchandise, go to ROLL CALL OF DEPARTED COMRADES: TIPTON, David W., Commander, Department of Tennessee, , a Life Member and Post Commander of Preston-Fleenor Post 9629, Bluff City, Tennessee, December 4,