Links and Things
Knowledge Base for Veterans
Pledge of Allegiance
& National Anthem
Salute or Hand on Heart?
Hat On or Hat Off?
David E. Grogan served on active duty in the United States Navy for over 26 years as a Navy Judge Advocate. During the course of his Navy career, he prosecuted and defended court-martial cases; negotiated agreements in capitals around the world; lived abroad in Japan, Cuba and Bahrain; deployed to the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf onboard the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise; and actively contributed to the fight against piracy and international terrorism.
In this discussion article, he cites Section 4 of Title 4 to the U.S. Code regarding the proper action for Veterans during the Pledge of Allegiance and National Anthem.
Veteran Golfers Association
ENRICHING THE LIVES OF VETERANS THROUGH GOLF.
The VGA is dedicated to enriching the lives of Veterans and their family members through the camaraderie and sportsmanship of golf. Annually, the VGA hosts more than 450 local tournaments across the country, culminating in a VGA National Championship each fall.
Over 18,000 Members as of 2021.
Assistance For Senior Vets
Caring.com
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are over 18.2 million veterans aged 65 and above, many of whom require long-term care. Unfortunately, navigating the intricacies of available benefits can be daunting, particularly for retired veterans in their elderly years.
To address this issue and assist senior veterans and their families, Caring.com has created a comprehensive guide that explains various VA benefits, focusing on those applicable to seniors. This guide offers valuable insights into utilizing VA benefits to meet long-term care needs. It outlines eligibility requirements and provides a step-by-step application process to determine available options for financing their healthcare needs.
You can access our guide using the link below. This resource will greatly benefit senior veterans and their families within our community.
Submitted by:
Janet Daly, Community Outreach and Senior Advocate, Caring.com
Veterans Guide
My name is Luke Daniels. I work for an advocacy center called Veterans Guide. Our mission is to assist veterans with the array of issues they may face, including obtaining proper disability compensation, financial assistance, information on the GI bill, and more. We have created some helpful guides and will continuously be adding more. Recently we also made a calculator that helps veterans calculate how much their VA rating should be, especially when it comes to combining ratings and complicated VA math.
Check it out:
VA Disability Calculator - veteransguide.org/va-disability-calculator/
VA Disability Appeals - veteransguide.org/va-disability/appeals/
What's important to us is providing resources and help for veterans and their families. We want to make sure vets have all the resources necessary to ensure they struggle with their health and finances as little as possible.
V.A. OUTPATIENT CLINIC NEW PORT RICHEY, FL
Dr. Michael Finn, Chief Medical Officer, spoke to our Members on September 8, 2023 about the new clinic nearby.
He may be reached at 727-869-4203.
7900 Little Road, New Port Richey, FL
HONOR FLIGHT
HERITAGE PINES VETERANS TAKE FLIGHT
Submitted by Deanna Dammer Kimbrough
Over the past three years, six Heritage Pines Veterans have gone on an Honor Flight from St. Pete/Clearwater to Washington, D.C. for "a day of honor at our nation's memorials."
On August 3rd of this year, I had the honor of interviewing four of those Veterans in person, with two providing some written thoughts. For the record: Mike Gallo (Army Air Corps 1944-1946); Ed Mamenta (Coast Guard 1955-1988) who flew to D.C. from Kansas; Art Lucier (Coast Guard Korea & Vietnam 1948-1969); Jerry Perkins (Army 1968-1970); Jerry Muhs (Army 1969-1971); Dale Gibson (Army 101st Air Borne 1969-1970).
Each veteran applied for the Honor Flight, either because someone suggested they should or they saw fliers promoting it. Either way, it took a while to be advised of their acceptance. Interestingly, each veteran was asked to keep all information "secret", the reason for which they would learn on the flight home. Their reactions to being selected ranged from "excited and curious" to "having mixed feelings" to "surprised" because after waiting 1-1/2 years Ed Mamenta had assumed Coast Guard veterans weren't high priority. Mike Gallo, the WWII veteran felt he was chosen quickly due to the age of living survivors from that era.
Most Honorees need very little preparation for the flight, since it is usually a one-day tour. No packing or overnight stay in Washington, D. C., just "setting the alarm for 2 a.m. and drinking lots of coffee." (To avoid the 2 a.m. call, you can stay overnight in a hotel near the airport at your own expense.) When they arrived at the airport, there were some passengers in the waiting area who cheered them.
Each Honoree is assigned a "Guardian" who boards the plane with them (with a wheelchair if needed) and "never leaves your side". Upon arriving in D.C., the Honorees board red, white and blue buses to begin a one hour drive, and the bus drivers give a history of the area as they tour from monument to monument, which includes the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Wall, WWII Memorial and the newest to be unveiled: the Korean War Monument. And not to ever be forgotten: the Arlington National Cemetery, which includes a Changing of the Guard Ceremony.
Memories that remain for the six Veterans include the amazing volunteers who helped make it a "well-oiled operation" with "perfect planning". Even the flight home was memorable, when Honorees were surprised by a "mail call": binders of letters written to them from family, friends and school children. But the pomp and circumstance is not over yet. When Honorees walk into the home airport gate area, they are welcomed by units from the military, police, scouts and other people who cheer and salute the heroes who have just returned from D.C. In the words of one Vietnam War Honoree: "The Honor Flight Was our welcome home - 50 years too late."
Since 2005, the Honor Flight has flown over 275,000 to D.C. Visit www.honorflight.org
Honor Flight - Our Honorees
Thank You Letter
A lovely thank you letter from Special Ops for our recent donation. You are so very welcome!