L/CPL Michael J Allred Post#12076

Welcome COMRADES

 On this page we'll introduce our organization .

There are thousands of organizations, each with a specific purpose or goal. There are so many reasons why one should consider becoming part of an organization he or she believes in.

WHO VFW MEMBERS ARE

The membership of the VFW is made up of men and women who have served their country honorably in overseas engagements for which a campaign badge or medal has been authorized by the U.S. Government. No others may join. Eligibility cannot be purchased with money, power or influence. Membership is a coveted honor. There are no honorary memberships.

WHAT THE VFW IS ABOUT

Patriotic sentiments are given expression through action programs aimed at stimulating love of country and more meaningful appreciation of our national heritage.

Community betterment is the keystone of the total VFW structure. Working for the good of all citizens, VFW members use this method for putting into action the precepts of the Golden Rule. The hand of comradeship is outstretched to members, no matter in what part of the country they may be, by Posts which are always ready to assist their comrades and families in times of distress.

The Service to disabled and needy veterans and their dependents is rendered by the VFW on a nationwide scale by its Veterans Service. Each year this expanding service gains millions of dollars in benefits for veterans by pressing their claims before the Veterans Administration. justify believes veterans are something special - that the fact they were selected by their country and committed to fight to death if necessary has put them in a special class. Only the best physically, mentally and morally of the nation's citizens are selected for this commitment. It is only natural that members of this elite group with a common bond of experience forged in sacrifice and danger should band together in an organization that provides them comradeship, a voice for their aspirations and a tool for their chosen undertakings

The VFW provides numerous services to military service members and their families.

Operation Uplink 

 A unique program that keeps military personnel and hospitalized veterans in touch with their families and loved ones by providing them with a free phone card. Using contributions from supporters like you, Operation Uplink purchases phone cards and distributes them to servicemen and women who are separated from those they care about.

Military Assistance Program (MAP)

The VFW Military Assistance Program (MAP) is the outstretched hand between the VFW and active duty, Guard, and Reserve military units. MAP offers grants to VFW Posts who participate in military unit functions, such as sponsoring "Farewell and Welcome Home Activities," "Family Readiness Group" events, or other sponsorship ideas.

MAP also links with VFW’s Operation Uplink and Unmet Needs programs to create an all-star team of military assistance. MAP and Operation Uplink have provided more than 200 computers to set up Internet Cafes where service members’ families may e-mail their deployed loved ones.

In addition, MAP has forged partnerships with various service providers, including www.vetjobs.com, aimed at providing the transitioning service member with relocation and employment assistance.

Unmet Needs

With the help of corporate sponsors like Vermont American, the VFW Foundation receives funding to establish, administer and promote the Unmet Needs Program.

But these corporate gifts will fall short of military families’ critical needs, and the program will be mostly funded by individual donations from people like you.

Funds from donations are available to the five branches of service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard), as well as members of the Reserves and National Guard. Funds awarded by the program are offered in the form of grants--not loans--so recipients don’t need to repay them. As they are typically less than $1,500, there is little chance that they will affect the recipient’s taxes.

Vermont American has committed $1.25 million over the next five years, along with advertising and promotional support of the program. That money covers administrative costs, so 100% of public donations received over the website or through the mail (see address information or brochures for details) goes directly to our military families in need.

A portion of every purchase of Vermont American Power Tool Accessories (drill bits, saw blades, etc.) also goes to support the Unmet Needs Program.

Buddy Poppy

Among all the flowers that evoke the memories and emotions of war is the red poppy, which became associated with war after the publication of a poem written by Col. John McCrae of Canada. The poem, "In Flander's Field," describes blowing red fields among the battleground of the fallen.

For more than 75 years, the VFW's Buddy Poppy program has raised millions of dollars in support of veterans' welfare and the well being of their dependents.

The VFW conducted its first poppy distribution before Memorial Day in 1922, becoming the first veterans' organization to organize a nationwide distribution. The poppy soon was adopted as the official memorial flower of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.

It was during the 1923 encampment that the VFW decided that VFW Buddy Poppies be assembled by disabled and needy veterans who would be paid for their work to provide them with some form of financial assistance. The plan was formally adopted during the VFW's 1923 encampment. The next year, disabled veterans at the Buddy Poppy factory in Pittsburgh assembled VFW Buddy Poppies. The designation "Buddy Poppy" was adopted at that time.

In February 1924, the VFW registered the name "Buddy Poppy" with the U.S. Patent Office. A certificate was issued on May 20, 1924, granting the VFW all trademark rights in the name of Buddy under the classification of artificial flowers. The VFW has made that trademark a guarantee that all poppies bearing that name and the VFW label are genuine products of the work of disabled and needy veterans. No other organization, firm or individual can legally use the name "Buddy" Poppy.

Today, VFW Buddy Poppies are still assembled by disabled and needy veterans in VA Hospitals.

The minimal assessment (cost of Buddy Poppies) to VFW units provides compensation to the veterans who assemble the poppies, provides financial assistance in maintaining state and national veterans' rehabilitation and service programs and partially supports the VFW National Home for orphans and widows of our nation's veterans.

In Flander's Field
by John McCrae
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow,
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead.
Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved and now we lie,
In Flanders Fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw,
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us, who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow,
In Flanders Fields.

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