MONROE COUNTY VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS AND AUXILIARY

NOW HEAR THIS

County Council Meeting, Wednesday, January 9^th, 2008, 7:30 PM  at County Headquarters, 200 West Ave. Rochester, NY..

County Council Auxiliary will meet at 12:00 Noon, on March 4, 2008 at the County Headquarters, 200 West Ave. Rochester, NY.

COMMANDER’S MESSAGE

Commander              Richard Gross

It is my hope that you and your family have enjoyed a Merry Christmas, and the New Year will be full of good wishes and good health. Our VFW year is half over, but a lot of work is lagging behind. Most of the posts have not sent in a Community Service Report. Hope yours is not one of them. To date only two posts have sent to State Headquarters a Trustee Report. Don’t forget-your Quartermaster’s Bond is useless unless Trustees Reports are submitted. A post Commander and his Quartermaster will not make the All State Team (white hat) if these reports are not completed and submitted to Headquarters. A 100% Membership Post is not enough.

The Annual Dinner Honoring Post Commanders and Quartermasters will be held February 17^th at the Wishing Well at 2:00 PM, $25.00 per person. This is your night to be honored. Get your Reservations in early. Every post should be represented. Your members are also invited as well as family and friends to see you receive an Award. Also, to be honored at the dinner will be Dr. Terri F. Julian, Director of the PTSD Clinic at Batavia, NY Veterans Administration Medical Center, and Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks for her close Association with our Organization for many years.

Your Post District Dues are overdue. Only two posts in Monroe County have paid their dues. The dues are based on $.25 per member not to exceed $20.00 per post. (See the enclosed information).

Hope to see you at the next County meeting. Don’t forget the change of meeting day and date.

Sincerely;

Richard                 

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

 Dear Sisters;

We had our 8^th District meeting in Palmyra on the 9^th of December. Our Lovely Department President, Sally Gagnon was there to pay her visit. She urged us to keep our programs going strong. It was very enjoyable to have lunch with her and chat a bit. Please sisters, keep your programs going as great as you have been. We will be having our Spring Conference in Albany at the Marriot on February 22-26, 2008. Please try to send a sister from your Auxiliary.

 I hope all your inspections are in by now. We want Marita to get many rewards at the Department Convention in June.

I’m sorry, I had to cancel the December County meeting. There won’t be another County meeting until March 4^th, 2008.

I want to wish you all a Happy Holiday

Loyally

Grace Pulver

 TONY’S REPORT

 New VA Funding Bill puts Veterans First

 Washington, Dec. 19^th, 2007—The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is saluting the anticipated passage of a historic funding bill for the Department of Veterans Affairs, one that would add $3.7 Billion in discretionary funding the administration had proposed earlier this year.

 “President Bush and Congress don’t always agree on every issue, but they do agree that America’s veterans must be cared for,” said VFW National Commander George Lisicki, a Vietnam veteran from Cateret, N.J.”This VA increase honors that commitment, and I expect the president to quickly sign it into law, and to release the $3.7 Billion plus-up before the January 18, deadline, as called for in the bill.”

 As the nation’s largest organization of combat veterans, the VFW has consistently maintained that the true cost of war includes the proper care and treatment of the men and women who serve their country in uniform. The VA budget increase, part of a fiscal 2008 omnibus package that passed in the House on Sunday and in the Senate yesterday, is endorsed by the veterans’ service organization community and by the vast majority of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. The additional funding Congress provided is needed for construction and infrastructure improvements, medical and prosthetic research, and to hire additional mental health counselors, healthcare professionals and claim adjudicators.

 Also approved by the Senate was $70 billion in emergency funding for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, an amount that should be sufficient to eliminate a planned furlough of 200,000 Defense Department civilians and contractors that would have been implemented had the additional funding not been approved. The House, who had approved $31 billion for operations in Afghanistan only, is expected to agree to the Senate’s amount.

 “I salute the Congress for making this additional funding available, and the president for his untiring support of military families past and present”, said Lisiciki.