Near the end of the Mississippi River, not too far removed from the faint hums of downtown New Orleans jazz, you can find VFW Post 8973 — a place that understands how music can move us in powerful ways. One night in the fall of 2023, while at a Post event, Post 8973 members Chet Pierson and Jason Davey were discussing ways to address veteran suicide, as well as ways to increase veterans’ access to mental health resources. Knowing that veterans often feel isolated when tr...
From drafting the original version with partners at the Wounded Warrior Project to its ongoing advocacy in Congress, VFW remains committed to passing the Major Richard Star Act. Since the introduction of the Star Act in 2021, VFW’s stance has not wavered. Through its National Legislative Service (NLS) on Capitol Hill, the country’s oldest veterans organization aims to restore full retirement pay for combat-injured veterans. “The VFW has fought for years to end the unjust...
Since 1922, Buddy Poppies have been synonymous with VFW. In the beginning, the blood red flowers were distributed to benefit widows and orphans of veterans. VFW leaders realized early on that children who directly benefited from Buddy Poppy donations would make excellent promoters of the program. To that end, a tradition began in the 1920s to have a girl from the VFW National Home in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, annually present a Buddy Poppy to the President of the United St...
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States remembers the legacy of John Furgess, a distinguished Army officer, veteran advocate and past VFW Commander-in-Chief. John began a lifetime of public service after earning his bachelor’s degree in business from Middle Tennessee State University in 1965. He entered the U.S. Army the same year where he served until 1970, to include a tour in Vietnam with a military intelligence unit assigned to the Americ...
At 9:30 a.m. on March 3, 30 minutes before VFW Commander-in-Chief Carol Whitmore was set to give her testimony to members of Congress, office staffers began to dig through nearby storage rooms for additional chairs. The G50 room of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., was filled with members of VFW, ready to amplify Whitmore’s message: “Honor the Contract. Pass the Major Richard Star Act now.” The Major Richard Star Act, designed to ensure all veterans...
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