American Legion Post 94
FEBRUARY 2019 Newsletter
Up-Coming Meetings and Events
Monthly Membership Meetings (Second Friday of every month except July)
6:00 pm – Social
6:30 pm – Dinner
7:30 pm – Program
8 February 2019
Lacey Veterans Services Hub manager, Keith Looker, will give an update on the services provided there.
Post and American Legion News
At the American Legion Department of Washington Mid-Winter Conference, the Department Commander shared that the American Legion provided approximately $750,000 in temporary financial assistance to Coast Guard families during the recent government shutdown. He also shared that the American Legion was the only national veteran organization to provide such assistance.
The Post will be starting its Boys and Girls State recruitment and scholarship drive very soon. Our Post and Auxiliary work with Timberline, North Thurston, and River Ridge High School to identify and recruit high school juniors who would be interested in the programs. If you would like to help or have questions please contact Gary Walker at walkersolympia@comcast.net.
The Post now has a website in addition to its Facebook page. Please check it out at:
http://centennial.legion.org/washington/post94
You can also follow Post activities on Facebook. Check it out and like us to follow events.
Our Facebook page is American Legion Post 94 Lacey Washington.
General Veteran and Safety News
With more snow due in our area over the next week, here are some safety tips that you should be aware of.
Be Prepared to Stay Safe and Healthy in Winter
By Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention
Winter storms and cold temperatures can be dangerous. Stay safe and healthy by planning ahead. Prepare your home and cars. Prepare for power outages and outdoor activity. Check on older adults.
Although winter comes as no surprise, many of us are not ready for its arrival. If you are prepared for the hazards of winter, you will be more likely to stay safe and healthy when temperatures start to fall.
Take These Steps for Your Home
Many people prefer to remain indoors during winter, but staying inside is no guarantee of safety.
Take these steps to keep your home safe and warm during the winter months.
· Winterize your home.
· Install weather stripping, insulation, and storm windows.
· Insulate water lines that run along exterior walls.
· Clean out gutters and repair roof leaks.
· Check your heating systems.
· Have your heating system serviced professionally to make sure that it is clean, working properly, and ventilated to the outside.
· Inspect and clean fireplaces and chimneys.
· Install a smoke detector. Test batteries monthly and replace them twice a year.
· Have a safe alternate heating source and alternate fuels available.
· Prevent carbon monoxide (CO) emergencies.
· Install a CO detector to alert you of the presence of the deadly, odorless, colorless gas. Check batteries when you change your clocks in the fall and spring.
· Learn symptoms of CO poisoning: headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion.
Don’t Forget to Prepare Your Car
Get your car ready for cold weather use before winter arrives.
· Service the radiator and maintain antifreeze level; check tire tread or, if necessary, replace tires with all-weather or snow tires.
· Keep gas tank full to avoid ice in the tank and fuel lines.
· Use a wintertime formula in your windshield washer.
· Prepare a winter emergency kit to keep in your car in case you become stranded. The kit should include:
o cell phone, portable charger, and extra batteries;
o blankets;
o food and water;
o booster cables, flares, tire pump, and a bag of sand or cat litter (for traction);
o compass and maps;
o flashlight, battery-powered radio, and extra batteries;
o first-aid kit; and
o plastic bags (for sanitation).
Equip in Advance for Emergencies
Be prepared for weather-related emergencies, including power outages.
· Stock food that needs no cooking or refrigeration and water stored in clean containers.
· Ensure that your cell phone is fully charged.
· When planning travel, be aware of current and forecast weather conditions.
· Keep an up-to-date emergency kit, including:
o Battery-operated devices, such as a flashlight, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio, and lamps;
o extra batteries;
o first-aid kit and extra medicine;
o baby items; and
o cat litter or sand for icy walkways.
· Protect your family from carbon monoxide.
· Keep grills, camp stoves, and generators out of the house, basement and garage.
· Locate generators at least 20 feet from the house.
· Leave your home immediately if the CO detector sounds, and call 911.
Take These Precautions Outdoors
Many people spend time outdoors in the winter working, traveling, or enjoying winter sports.
Outdoor activities can expose you to several safety hazards, but you can take these steps to prepare for them:
· Wear appropriate outdoor clothing:
o wear a tightly woven, preferably wind-resistant coat or jacket;
o inner layers of light, warm clothing;
o mittens;
o hats;
o scarves; and
o waterproof boots.
· Sprinkle cat litter or sand on icy patches.
· Learn safety precautions to follow when outdoors.
· Work slowly when doing outside chores.
· Take a buddy and an emergency kit when you are participating in outdoor recreation.
· Carry a cell phone.
Do This When You Plan to Travel
When planning travel, be aware of current and forecast weather conditions.
Avoid traveling when the weather service has issued advisories.
If you must travel, inform a friend or relative of your proposed route and expected time of arrival.
Follow these safety rules if you become stranded in your car.
· Make your car visible to rescuers. Tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna, raise the hood of the car (if it is not snowing), and turn on the inside overhead lights (when your engine is running).
· Move anything you need from the trunk into the passenger area. Stay with your car unless safety is no more than 100 yards away.
· Keep your body warm. Wrap your entire body, including your head, in extra clothing, blankets, or newspapers. Huddle with other people if you can.
· Stay awake and stay moving. You will be less vulnerable to cold-related health problems. As you sit, keep moving your arms and legs to improve circulation and stay warmer.
· Run the motor (and heater) for about 10 minutes per hour, opening one window slightly to let in air. Make sure that snow is not blocking the exhaust pipe—this will reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
· Above all, be ready to check on family and neighbors who are especially at risk from cold weather hazards: young children, older adults, and the chronically ill. If you have pets, bring them inside. If you cannot bring them inside, provide adequate, warm shelter and unfrozen water to drink.
No one can stop the onset of winter. However, if you follow these suggestions, you will be ready for it when it comes.
Be sure to visit CDC’s Winter Weather webpage for more winter weather safety tips.
Murphy’s Military Laws of the month
· A retreating enemy is probably just falling back and regrouping.
· If the enemy is in range so are you.
· Mine fields are not neutral. They attack both armies.
· Radios will fail as soon as you need something desperately.
Adjutant’s Report
American Legion National and Department Headquarters voted to raise their dues by $5.00 each for a total of $10.00 starting January 2016 for a grand total of $50.00 per year. The Post voted to not raise its dues at this time.
Building Rental
If you were not aware, the Post offers both the post building and the pavilion for rent.
Building
Post Members
Non-Members
Post Building
$175.00
$325.00
Pavilion (available only on week nights)
$175.00
$325.00
Pavilion is no longer available for weekend rentals. The post has a Church renting it for both Saturday and Sundays.
There is a $200.00 refundable security deposit requirement as well. Please contact Larry Granish at 360.701.5921 or email at lgrani@comcast.net to reserve either facility.
Chaplain’s Corner
Contact the Post Chaplain, Otis Chapman, at lukie1964@gmail.com if you need assistance.
Service Officer and VA News
‘Blue water’ Navy veterans from Vietnam-era win Agent Orange benefits case
By Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post, January 29, 2019
A federal appeals court in Washington sided Tuesday with thousands of Vietnam War veterans who were stationed offshore during the war and developed health problems linked to exposure to the toxic herbicide Agent Orange.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled overwhelmingly for these sailors, finding they are eligible for the same disability benefits as those who put boots on the ground or patrolled Vietnam’s inland rivers.
The 9-to-2 decision reverses a decade-old ruling by the court and applies to an estimated 52,000 veterans nationwide. A court majority said Congress clearly intended to extend benefits to sailors who were stationed in the territorial seas and are known as “blue water” Navy veterans.
“We find no merit in the government’s arguments to the contrary,” Judge Kimberly A. Moore wrote for the majority.
The two dissenting judges warned against overturning the court’s previous decision and said such policy decisions should be reserved for lawmakers.
Similar efforts in Congress to broaden benefits have stalled in recent years. Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie and four former secretaries opposed the legislation, citing cost and the need for further study.
“Recent debates in Congress, which required consideration of the significant cost of the proposed addition of Blue Water Navy veterans underscores why Congress, rather than the courts, should be the one to revisit our interpretation,” wrote Judge Raymond T. Chen, who was joined by Judge Timothy B. Dyk.
The appeal was brought by Alfred Procopio Jr., who served on the USS Intrepid, an aircraft carrier deployed off the coast of Vietnam. Procopio, 73, was denied benefits for claims related to his diabetes and prostate cancer. Both are ailments the U.S. government has linked to exposure to the infamous herbicide the U.S. military sprayed to destroy crops and reduce cover for enemy forces.
An administrative board found him ineligible because he was not “present on the landmass or the inland waters of Vietnam.”
The ruling Tuesday means Procopio and any other veteran who served within Vietnam’s territorial sea will now be presumed eligible for disability benefits if they have one of the diseases that is linked to the herbicide.
Procopio’s attorney Mel Bostwick called the decision “crucial and long overdue.”
“These Vietnam veterans sacrificed their own health and well-being for the good of the country, and the benefits that Congress provided — and which the court’s decision now secures — are part of the debt of gratitude we owe them for their service,” she said in a statement following the ruling.
“For years, Navy veterans have suffered with the effects of Agent Orange exposure while the VA remained recalcitrant,” attorney John B. Wells, a retired Navy commander, who has led lobbying efforts in Congress, said in a statement Tuesday.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will have to assess Procopio’s disabilities before calculating his benefits and evaluate other veterans like him with pending cases.
The government can seek review by the Supreme Court. A VA spokesman, Curt Cashour, said the department is “reviewing this decision and will determine an appropriate response.”
During the war, those patrolling Vietnam’s coastline like Procopio were referred to as the “blue water” Navy in contrast to the “brown water” sailors who operated on inland waterways.
Advocates for the blue water sailors point to studies that show exposure to Agent Orange occurred through contaminated water funneled into ships’ distillation systems and used for drinking, laundry and cleaning. Much of the spraying was on low-lying swamps of the Mekong River Delta that flows into the South China Sea, where they were stationed.
A three-judge panel of the court previously heard Procopio’s case but did not issue a decision. Instead, the court took the unusual step of rehearing the case as a full panel in December.
The question before the full court was whether Congress intended to give the blue water sailors the benefit of the doubt when it comes to showing their medical conditions are connected to toxic exposure.
One disputed line in the statute that was persuasive to the majority says the presumption, entitling veterans to disability benefits, applies to any “veteran who, during active military, naval, or air service, served in the Republic of Vietnam.”
In her 19-page opinion, Moore wrote that the inclusion of that language reinforces “our conclusion that Congress was expressly extending the presumption to naval personnel who served in the territorial sea.”
Service Officer Information
Do you feel that you have a residual health problem that is linked to your time in the service? Have you applied for benefits with the Veterans Administration and been turned down? If so, do not try to deal with the VA on your own. My name is Rose Hodgeboom and I am the Post 94 service officer. It is my job to help you navigate the benefits system. Call me at 360-491-3621 if you need assistance with a claim. The Legion also has a Temporary Financial Assistance program that could help you one time with paying your utilities, rent/mortgage, or other emergency needs. This is an American Legion Children and Youth program and to qualify you must have minor children in your home. If you feel you need help from this program let me know and I will be glad to help.
The Lacey Veterans Service Hub also provides a wide variety of assistance to veterans and now has over 35 providers working out of there. The Hub is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (except holidays) and is located at 4232 6th Avenue SE, Suite 202, Lacey, WA 98503. The phone number is 360.456.3850.
Post Officers for 2017-2018
Commander – Gary Walker
1st Vice-Commander - Bob Nakamura
2nd Vice Commander - Larry Douglas
Adjutant - Larry Granish
Finance Officer – Dave Hodgeboom
Sergeant at Arms – Kevin Lindsey
Chaplain – Otis Chapman
Veteran Service Officer - Rose Hodgeboom
Judge Advocate - David Hodgeboom
Post Historian – Eric Strom
