The American Legion Department of Colorado Blog

By Andy Romey

Legionnaires in Jewett City, Conn., are behind a multimillion dollar housing complex that could revolutionize the fight against veteran homelessness.

Legionnaires in Jewett City, Conn., are manning the front lines in the fight against veteran homelessness.

In the quaint eastern Connecticut town, members of LaFlamme-Kusek Post 15 are the driving force behind American Legion Veterans Housing Inc., an ambitious program that will give free housing to former military members who have fallen on hard times. The $5.2-million project will create 18 apartments for veterans using the upstairs of the post building and the adjacent property, where a four-floor housing unit is being constructed.

Advocates say the residential complex could become a national model for fighting veteran homelessness.

“When I started this, I said, ‘Well, it’s a shot in the dark.’ But right now, we’re under construction,” says Bill Czmyr, project president and longtime Legionnaire. “I never dreamed this was going to happen.”

The initiative’s beginnings are as grassroots as its goals. A reputed member of Post 15, Czmyr was often asked around town what he and fellow Legionnaires planned to do with the two vacated floors on top of their post building. In 2003, he told someone on a whim that they’d look into converting the space into apartments for veterans.

His seemingly flippant idea gradually picked up momentum, as he got estimates from local contractors for construction costs and assembled a makeshift fundraising crew filled with locals willing to volunteer their time and expertise. They filed for official nonprofit status and began meeting weekly, officially as American Legion Veterans Housing Inc.

“No one ever told me I was crazy, no one ever told me to get out of here,” Czmyr says. “They just said, when you get enough people to have a meeting, let us know.”

The project eventually drew the attention of Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) Officials from his office were sent to inspect the post building and assess Czmyr’s plans. Approving of the project, Courtney signed off on a $200,000 federal earmark to it.

Soon, other donations began rolling in. The Connecticut Housing Finance and Authority committed $3.8 million and the state Department of Community and Economic Development pledged $500,000.

An idea hatched from small talk between townspeople became, over an eight-year period, a massive, multimillion dollar endeavor that has drawn the attention of government officials and experts in the field of homeless advocacy.

“We’re under construction now,” Czmyr says. “I get emotional when I talk about it.”

The residential complex will house veterans on a permanent, not a temporary basis, making it unique to other projects of its kind. Traditionally, veterans have only been allowed a two-year stay in the low-income housing projects the VA has thrown its support behind.

Plans are different, however, in Jewett City. Veterans of all types – male and female servicemembers and their families – can live in the apartments indefinitely because VA is footing the $875 upkeep bill, using the veterans’ housing stipends.

“It’s going to maintain the apartment, a small fraction will go to the veteran for personal needs,” Czmyr says.

Czmyr’s work is still far from done. The fundraising isn’t over for him and his cohorts, who meet weekly in a makeshift headquarters along the town’s main strip.

When they founded it, members of the American Legion Veterans Housing Inc. hoped to raise $760,000 to cover incidentals for each apartment. So far, they’ve reached about $380,000 in donations from businesses and individual contributors.

“I’d like to see each veteran in the nation donate just $1,” Czmyr says. “I’m not asking for $20 or $100… That’s all we’re looking for. This is veterans helping veterans.”

Donations can be pledged through the group’s website: http://talvhi.community.officelive.com/Donations.aspx. Construction began on the project during the spring. Currently, the original post is being revamped and the foundations of the new building are being set. The complex hopes to open its doors to residents in the first quarter of next year.

“They are sandblasting the exterior of the original building and reframing it,” says Avery Tillinghast, fundraising chief for the fundraising organization. “In a week or two they are taking down the old roof and putting a new one on.”

Seeing its completion and success has taken on great personal meaning for Czmyr, who empathizes deeply with anyone who spends a night outdoors without a roof over their head.

“I grew up on a farm where, when the woodstove went out, it was just as cold inside as it was outside,” he says. “And I said, ‘People who are living out there have to be freezing.’ I just knew that if there was an opportunity to help them, I was going to accomplish that.”

“Announces Nearly $60 Million in Homeless Prevention Grants Nationwide”

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K.Shinseki announced today the award of nearly $60 million in homeless prevention grants that will serve approximately 22,000 homeless and at-risk Veteran families as part of the new Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. This initial $60 million award will serve Veteran families at 85 non-profit community agencies in 40 states and the District of Columbia under VA’s new homeless prevention initiative.

“This new homeless prevention program will provide additional comprehensive support to Veterans who have served honorably, and now find themselves in a downward spiral toward despair and homelessness,” said VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki. “This program expands our capacity to act before a Veteran becomes homeless and to target the problem of family homelessness. These grants would not have been possible without the extraordinary partnerships forged with community organizers who are firmly committed to making a positive difference in lives of Veterans and their families.”

The SSVF Program, a critical element of VA’s plan to prevent and end homelessness among Veterans, will promote housing stability among homeless and at-risk Veterans and their families. Under the SSVF program, VA awards grants to private non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives that can provide a range of supportive services to eligible very low-income Veteran families. Supportive services include outreach, case management, assistance in obtaining VA benefits, and assistance in obtaining and coordinating other public benefits.

Grantees will also have the ability to make time-limited temporary financial assistance payments on behalf of Veterans for purposes such as rent payments, utility payments, security deposits and moving costs.

More information about VA’s homeless programs is available online at http://www.va.gov/homeless. A list of award recipients and details about the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program are available online at http://www1.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp .

Jim Gates, National Americanism Commission member from the Department of Colorado has been named to help judge the recipient of the Frank N. Belgrano, Jr. Trophy award at the 93rd National Convention of The American Legion in Minneapolis, MN, August 25 – September 2, 2011.

The Frank N. Belgrano, Jr. Trophy is to be awarded annually to the department that has rendered the most outstanding service during the period Aug. 1 – Aug. 1 to the program of the Boy Scouts of America. The award is based on the number of troops organized, strength of existing troops, and a general welfare of the Scout movement under Legion sponsorship with the department based on written reports with substantiating evidence submitted to National Headquarters 15 days prior to the National Convention.

Gates, assigned to the Youth Subcommittee of the Americanism Commission for the past five years, has been affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America for over 50 years, is a “three bead” BSA Woodbadge Program award recipient and has earned the Legion’s “Square Knot Award” for outstanding service to the Boy Scouts of America program. Further, Gates participates in selecting the annual Legion Eagle Scout of the Year award recipient.

The State of Colorado, American Legion Boys State, Senior Senator Michael Herbert, was elected president of Boys Nation being held in Washington D.C. on Tuesday evening, July 26, 2011. Michael becomes the first Colorado Boys State Senator in the 62 year history the Department of Colorado Boys State program to be elected to this prestigious position.

Michael was a citizen of the City of Green during Colorado’s American Legion Boys State week long program held from the 5th until the 11th of June, 2011 at the CSU Pueblo Campus; and, was elected to represent the 2011 Boys State U.S. Senator by the 160+ citizens attending this year’s program.

As tradition holds, the two senators representing their Boys State program stood together holding their state sign to cast their vote. As soon as all 98 senators announced their vote for both president and vice president, and ballots were tallied, the 2011 Boys Nation winners were announced. In the end, congratulations rang loud for Nationalist Michael Herbert as president and Federalist Ben Attia as vice president.

“It is my honor to be elected 2011 Boys Nation president,” Herbert said. “I look forward to the next three days, getting our bills passed and tackling some of our nation’s prickliest problems. This program is second to none as far as civics, government and service to country go. It’s very exciting to be the leader of this program, to be the president.”

Michael lives in Arvada and attends Mullen High School and was sponsored by Arvada American Legion Post 161 to attend Boys State. He plans on graduating from high school, and then attending West Point to join the Army. His goal in life is to go as far as he can in whatever he does. He wishes that God bless you and the United States of America.

By: Steve Brooks

Congress passes GI Bill “grandfather clause,” exempting veterans currently attending school from $17,500 tuition cap.

The House of Representatives passed a bill July 26 that will exempt current undergraduate student veterans from a private-school tuition cap that was signed into federal law last January.

The bill, H.R. 1383, ensures that full benefits promised under the original Post-9/11 GI Bill will be delivered to those currently enrolled in private academic institutions. Instead of having their yearly tuition benefits capped at $17,500 under the Post-9/11 GI Bill Improvements Act, student veterans enrolled at private institutions will remain eligible for greater benefits afforded by the original provisions.

“This means that any undergraduate veteran now attending a non-public college or university still qualifies for the highest in-state tuition rate available,” said Bob Madden, assistant director of The American Legion’s Economic Division. “For example, if a veteran is enrolled at Columbia University, and it costs about $42,000 per academic year, then he or she will get benefits that match the state of New York’s highest in-state costs for tuition and fees, about $27,000. And since Columbia University participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program, it will pick up half the difference between school cost and the veteran’s benefits, about another $7,500.”

Madden said the congressional “grandfather clause” applies to any veteran who was accepted by a private school for enrollment before January 4, 2011.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida, will stave off many severe reductions in education benefits for about 30,000 student veterans in seven states: Arizona, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas.

“The American Legion has worked closely with Congressman Miller to get this corrective legislation passed,” said Joe Sharpe, the Legion’s Economic director. “We also worked with Sen. Patty Murray and other members of Congress to make sure that our student veterans get the benefits they were promised. It isn’t right to promise a certain amount of money to veterans, then tell them they won’t be getting nearly that much after they’ve already been accepted by a private institution.”

The Senate passed H.R. 1383 unanimously on July 21. Once signed by President Obama, the law will go into effect Aug. 1.

By Alan W. Dowd

NATO’s intervention to prevent a bloodbath makes post-Qaddafi Libya NATO’s problem.

Reasonable people disagree about NATO’s war in Libya – not intervening would likely have allowed Moammar Qaddafi to turn Benghazi into a bloodbath, but intervening makes post-Qaddafi Libya NATO’s problem. Regardless of where you fall on that spectrum, one thing is beyond debate: French president Nicolas Sarkozy has led every step of the way. From the decision to go into Libya, to recognizing the Benghazi-based rebels, to the deployment of attack helicopters to strike Qaddafi’s entrenched forces, Sarkozy has been out in front. His American counterpart, on the other hand, has been “leading from behind,” as an unnamed White House advisor describes it. This role reversal at the top of the Western alliance is unexpected.

When NATO is involved, Europe has historically deferred to Washington. The examples abound: as the Cold War thawed, Manfred Wörner, the late NATO secretary-general, reminded President George H.W. Bush that the Europeans “are waiting for the Americans.” With Washington averting its gaze from the Balkan wars of the 1990s, Jacques Chirac (Sarkozy’s predecessor) mixed contempt with delight by concluding, “The position of leader of the free world is vacant” – a backhanded admission that the United States plays a special leadership role.

A similar sentiment can be heard today. When asked about Washington’s refusal to join France in deploying attack helicopters in Libya, French foreign minister Alain Juppé’s response was loaded with disappointment: “We regret that… We would be more efficient if they joined us.”

Likewise, when Juppé’s British counterpart, William Hague, asked NATO members for support, he was aiming his message at Washington. “The United Kingdom in the last weeks supplied additional aircraft capable of striking ground targets,” he said. “It would be welcome if other countries did the same.” The Washington Post is far less polite, bluntly concluding that Washington is “eschewing its indispensable role of leadership.”

Only eight of NATO’s 28 members have flown ground-strike sorties in Libya, and only the French and British are flying without restrictions. That’s yet another role reversal. Washington has begged its NATO allies to deploy more assets, and place fewer restrictions on what’s deployed, in Afghanistan. In Libya, it seems those requests are boomeranging back at Washington.

While the United States is playing a role, it’s a supporting one. For example, NATO wanted American A-10s and AC-130 gunships in the fight. These ground-attack planes were used to great effect in the first week of the Libya operation, but were then put on the bench like most American air assets, which helps explain why the war became a stalemate. The French and British simply don’t have the quantity or quality of assets the U.S. military has. As the Financial Times reports, “Britain and France are straining to fill the gap left by Washington’s decision to pull back.”

That hasn’t deterred Sarkozy from pursuing his objectives in Libya, which may be part of President Barack Obama’s calculus. “Leading from behind” may force more burden-sharing within NATO. Of course, U.S. reticence could also leave France and others wondering if they can count on Washington in future crises. Indeed, Sarkozy and his “coalition of the willing” have proven in Libya that they will press ahead, with or without Washington’s full-hearted commitment or full complement of military assets.

That phrase is used intentionally. It’s almost as if the United States and France have switched places since the days when President George W. Bush built his “coalition of the willing” in Iraq: as Chirac, the Eurocentrist wary of U.S. desire to overturn the status quo in the Middle East, gave way to Sarkozy, the Atlanticist convinced that preserving the status quo will only worsen the disease, the French presidency suddenly reflected Bush’s post-9/11 perspective. But then Bush – the 9/11 president eager to use hard power to topple dictators and plant democracies – gave way to Obama, who has yet to fully embrace his predecessor’s – or Sarkozy’s – hard-power remedies.

Libya is only one example of the switch. It pays to recall that Sarkozy is far more hawkish than Obama when it comes to Iran, warning that if peace-loving countries don’t close ranks, the consequence will be “an Iranian bomb or the bombing of Iran.” When evidence of a secret Iranian nuclear-fuel manufacturing plant came to light in 2009, Sarkozy challenged the world to get serious: “Since 2005, Iran has violated five Security Council resolutions … An offer of dialogue was made in 2005, an offer of dialogue was made in 2006, an offer of dialogue was made in 2007, an offer of dialogue was made in 2008, and another one was made in 2009 … What did the international community gain from these offers of dialogue? Nothing.”

As if to underline Sarkozy’s seriousness, France recently opened a military base in Abu Dhabi, just across from Iran. According to Sarkozy, it’s “a sign to all that France is participating in the stability of this region of the world.” Indeed it is. Earlier this year, French forces were simultaneously engaged in three shooting wars, in Ivory Coast, Libya and Afghanistan.

Many on this side of the Atlantic have urged Europe to contribute more to international security. Now that Sarkozy and France are doing just that, the United States should return the favor by contributing more to what would have been unthinkable a few years ago: a French-led NATO mission.

“Government Leaders and Procurement Specialists Lining Up for Largest Nationwide Conference of Its Kind”

The upcoming National Veterans Small Business Conference and Expo, Aug.15-18 in New Orleans is taking shape. Hosted by VA for the first time, it will be the largest nationwide conference of its kind focused on helping Veteran-owned and service-disabled Veteran-owned businesses succeed in winning federal contracts and expanding their businesses.

“This conference offers a new approach to providing Veteran-owned businesses and service-disabled Veteran-owned businesses the access and tools they need to thrive in the Federal marketplace,” said Eric K.Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. “Our primary goal is to help more Veterans start and grow their own businesses.”

In addition to Secretary Shinseki and other senior VA leaders, conference speakers will also include Jane Lute, Deputy Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, and Frank Kendall, Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology.

The conference will offer valuable insight to assist both new and seasoned Veteran-owned and service-disabled Veteran-owned small businesses to succeed. More than 100 sessions will address a range of topics, including branding, marketing, management, financing and business opportunities within the federal government as well as how to secure loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA) and its new Express & Pilot Programs, which offer streamlined and expedited loan procedures for certain borrowers such as Veterans.

Participants will also have an exceptional opportunity to network via the VetGovPartner platform that will enable them to view extensive business profiles of all participants at the conference as well as to identify business opportunities associated with the more than 200 government procurement decision makers in attendance.

The conference will also offer on-site assistance to Veterans and Veteran business owners on how to become eligible for VA’s Vets First Contracting Program.

For those Veterans or Veterans-owned businesses new to the process, the conference will provide a learning session that explains current requirements to become verified accompanied by lessons learned and tips to help applicants navigate the process. In addition, VA staff will be on-site to assist firms to initiate verification applications, and to provide updates on status of applications in process.

The conference learning sessions will be targeted at a variety of businesses–from new business owners to well-established Veteran-owned businesses looking to expand opportunities or increase market share.

Additionally, the state directors of VA from 10 states will attend to share their ‘best practices’ on Veterans-owned business development with conference attendees.

The National Veterans Small Business Conference and Expo is open to both government and non-government personnel. For more information and to register for the conference, go to www.nationalveteransconference.com.

July 21 is the 81st Anniversary of the creation of the “Veterans Administration.”

Which is what most people still call us even though our official name is the Department of Veterans Affairs. The establishment of the Veterans Administration came in 1930 when Congress authorized the president to “consolidate and coordinate Government activities affecting war veterans.”

SEVENTY-FIRST CONGRESS.

July 3, 1930.

An Act to authorize the President to consolidate and coordinate government activities affecting war veterans.

The President is authorized, by Executive order, to consolidate hospitals and executive and administrative bureaus, for the relief of veterans, into an establishment to be known as the Veterans’ Administration.

President Hoover signed the bill creating the VA on July 21, 1930.

Brigadier General Frank T. Hines, who directed the Veterans Bureau for seven years, was named as the first Administrator of the Veterans Administration, a job he held until 1945.

On July 21, 1930, General Hines and a few of his key staff were invited to the White House to witness the historic event: President Herbert Hoover signing Executive Order 5398 to create the Veterans Administration. An official photo was taken after the signing.

The idea that a government should care for its Veterans has always been an American belief.

From the beginning, the English colonies in North America provided pensions for disabled veterans. The first law in the colonies on pensions, enacted in 1636 by Plymouth, provided money to those disabled in the colony’s defense against Indians.

History buffs will enjoy this 36-page history of the VA: VA History in Brief PDF.

In his second inaugural address in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln called upon Congress “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” This was later adopted as the VA’s motto.

Congress established a new system of Veterans benefits when the United States entered World War I in 1917. Included were programs for disability compensation, insurance for servicepersons and veterans, and vocational rehabilitation for the disabled.

By the 1920s, the various benefits were administered by three different federal agencies: the Veterans Bureau, the Bureau of Pensions of the Interior Department, and the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers.

The 1930 Executive Order authorized the second consolidation of Veterans programs and created a new independent administration within the federal government.

The first consolidation actually took place nine years earlier, in 1921, when the Veterans Bureau was established.

The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (for Civil War soldiers) and the Pension Bureau were merged with the Veterans Bureau to form the new Veterans Administration.

Today with more than $118 billion in obligations and approximately 280,000 employees, VA is helping improve the quality of life for America’s Veterans and their families.

VA maintains the largest integrated health care system in America. Today’s VA has implemented new innovative practices to improve Veterans’ access to health care, such as telemedicine and mobile clinics, to provide care to more than 5.6 million unique patients. Our commitment to delivering timely, high-quality health care to America’s Veterans while controlling costs, remains a top priority.

By: Craig Roberts

The Legion is in support of legal action that alleges unlawful religious discrimination against America’s veterans buried at the Houston National Cemetery.

On June 28, Liberty Institute in Dallas filed court papers alleging that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the director of the Houston National Cemetery, Arleen Ocasio, are engaging in “religious viewpoint discrimination” in violation of the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The American Legion will support the case as an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) as soon as possible.

It is claimed that on at least four separate occasions, government officials told Legion and VFW post burial teams in Houston that prayer and religious speech could no longer be included in burial rituals unless the family of the deceased submits a specific prayer or message in writing to Director Ocasio for her approval. One government official reportedly also told the VFW honor guard commander, junior vice commander and chaplain that use of the word “God” is forbidden in unapproved ceremonies.

“The hostile and discriminatory actions by the Veterans Affairs officials in Houston are outrageous, unconstitutional and must stop,” said Jeff Mateer, general counsel of Liberty Institute. “Government officials who engage in religious discrimination against citizens are breaking the law. Sadly, this seems to be a pattern of behavior at the Houston VA National Cemetery.”

Keith Ethridge, director of the VA’s National Chaplain Center, responded: “VA values and respects every veteran and their family’s right to a burial service that honors their faith tradition. VA employs nearly one thousand chaplains who, every year, preside over thousands of religious burial services representing veterans of all faiths in VA national cemeteries across the country.

“Prayer is a very personal and sacred moment. To honor veterans as they are laid to rest, VA chaplains always pray and preside over religious services according to the veteran’s faith tradition and the family’s wishes.”

This past month, Federal District Judge Lynn N. Hughes granted a temporary restraining order stopping cemetery director Ocasio in her attempt to prevent Houston pastor Scott Rainey from praying in Jesus’ name during a Memorial Day ceremony.

Judge Hughes ruled that such censorship and religious discrimination violate the free speech guarantees of the First Amendment.

“These veterans laid their lives on the line in order to protect freedom of religion for everyone,” said Jimmie L. Foster, national commander of The American Legion. “It is ironic that upon their own death, the very government that sent them to war is attempting, at least in this instance, to abridge the veteran’s freedom of religion. This is carrying political correctness way too far.”

ESPN and the Cleveland County American Legion World Series Committee have agreed to a four-year contract, beginning Aug. 12-16, to feature all 15 American Legion Baseball World Series games on ESPN3, the network’s live sports broadband network. The games, taking place in Shelby, N.C., will be shown online and on mobile devices to Internet customers with high-speed connections from affiliated service providers.

In addition to coverage of the games, ESPN3 also will provide coverage of events associated with the World Series, such as the Legion’s salute to military families and Blue Star Banner Day on Aug. 14, and the Ronnie Dunn concert on Aug. 11. The network also will provide coverage of the presentation of a Gold Star Banner to the family of a North Carolina military pilot recently killed while deployed overseas.

“We are extremely pleased that the Legion baseball committee in Shelby, N.C., has reached this agreement with ESPN3 which will allow hundreds of thousands of fans – maybe even millions of fans – to enjoy watching The American Legion Baseball World Series,” said Jimmie L. Foster, national commander of The American Legion. “The people of Shelby, ‘The Home of The American Legion Baseball World Series,’ have done everything possible to make this a great and memorable event for those who can attend. Now they have made it possible for all of America to watch these fantastic young athletes in action.”