Coming up on May 18 is our latest edition of Armed Forces Appreciation Day.
Last year, our participating Veterans Service Officers told us that they were able to help more veterans in our one-day event than they had helped in the whole year. American Legion Post 41 and our partner-organizations will be presenting our event at the Intercounty Electric Cooperative Association auditorium in Licking this year. We’re in the planning stage right now, but our streamlined event will include VA representatives and service officers from the state veterans’ commission, agents from financial and medical institutions, family-assistance organizations, and legal-assistance agents.
A picnic-lunch with deluxe hot dogs and hamburgers will be free of charge for the entire event, provided by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6337 of Licking. Watch for our blue flyers posted by our generous sponsors!
Our Post has a new mission statement: “Support, Educate and Assist All Veterans, All Services.”
There is a new health threat being investigated: AFFF firefighting foam as used by the Navy and other military firefighters may be responsible for serious medical problems. AFFF (Aqueous Film-Forming Foam) has been in use by the DoD since about 1960; every Navy member who received firefighting training in boot-camp has been exposed.
AFFF is currently being phased out, but is still in limited use until October 2024. Search online for “AFFF exposure.”
Texas County veterans organizations:
•Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 473 meets at 6 p.m. on the last Thursday of each month at their Post Meeting Hall on Highway 63 north of Cabool.
•American Legion Post 559 will meet at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the VFW Post 6337 meeting hall in Licking. Post 559 has been revitalized by past members and will be looking for new ones.
•Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6337 in Licking meets at 5:30 p.m. on the third Monday of each month at its Meeting Hall on Main Street just south of Highway 32.
•Fleet Reserve Association Branch 364 meets at 2:30 p.m. every fourth Sunday of each month at the American Legion Post 41 meeting hall in Houston. The FRA exists to serve all veterans and active-duty members of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Coast Guard.
•American Legion Post 41 meets at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at its meeting hall on the west end of Chilton Oil Company in Houston, (just north of Pizza Hut.) Changes to membership eligibility now allow U.S. veterans of all branches and periods of service to join the American Legion.
Houston resident Robert E. Simpson is a retired U.S. Navy chief electronics technician who served from 1969 to 1990. Email gfjjkaa@gmail.com.
