The following story is by Bill Pickett….
A leadership team from the American Legion’s National Headquarters is in Danville this weekend.
Its members are conducting a membership drive according to Michele Steinmetz, the National Member Engagement Coordinator…
{AUDIO: “There’s four or five counties that we’re working with the American Legion members – current and former – to have them affiliate with the local American Legion Post in their area. And the way we do that is we go knock on doors. We have three teams of people out knocking on doors right now of those who are former members and we’re going to ask them to reinstate.”}
Team members have also been calling veterans who have not been active in the American Legion, and some members of the team spent Friday talking to employees at a Danville industry in the company’s break room.
Steinmetz says much of the recruitment efforts focuses on trying to get young veterans to join the American Legion…
{AUDIO: “You know we have the World War Two veterans that are pretty-much dwindling away, unfortunately. And the Korean ones aren’t too far behind because they’re in their late-eighties, early-nineties, now. So our core group is Vietnam-era veterans – and they’re not getting any younger.”}
Steinmetz and other members of the national team are basing their operations this weekend out of Danville American Legion Post 210 where some of the veterans who carry out funeral details are in their eighties and nineties.
In addition to the membership drive, the American Legion National Headquarters team has a Service Officer on hand this weekend at Danville Post 210. She is Patricia Caraker who noted that sometimes veterans are surprised about the disability benefits they are entitled to receive…
{AUDIO: “I’ve had veterans that said they got 10-percent when they got out of the service fifty years ago, and they’ve never updated their benefits. And whenever I get in there and start doing the diagnosis, and things that was related to – especially Vietnam – they come up with 100-percent. So you need to update them as you get a new diagnosis or a change in diagnosis.”}
And Caraker notes there are numerous categories where veterans can receive disability benefits…
{AUDIO: “There’s over 150 – 200 diagnosis that can be claimed for veterans benefits. And so you just have to check with your Service Officer to see if you qualify under one of those. Hypertension, diabetes, neuropathies. There’s secondary things that can fall underneath a diagnosis – especially cardiac. So you just have to sit and talk with someone and find out.”}
Team members will be available at Danville American Legion Post 210 to answer veterans questions through Sunday afternoon, October 27, 2024. They say walk-ins are welcome at the Post which is located along North Jackson Street in Danville.
