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DAVID FARRELL

Department Commander

Dear Comrades,

November was a very enlightening month. I took a tour of the VA Dayton Medical Facility. They have a beautiful facility. They also offer veterans who use their facility valet parking. That is a fantastic service that makes it really nice during inclement weather. They also have a wonderful Hospice Unit. It is very nice for the families who visit with their veteran. Every month Chapter 140 Vandalia provides a home cooked meal for the residents and their families. Executive Committeeman/VAVS Rep. James Fortune is the responsible person who came up with this idea. James coordinates the dinner every month, as well as doing a lot of the cooking. I found out that James wears quite a few different hats at the VA Dayton Medical Facility. He represents the DAV in a very positive light. Vandalia 140 Chapter Commander and James cooked Thanksgiving Dinner for the Hospice residents and their families Saturday. They provided this dinner on Saturday so the family members that had other places to go on Thanksgiving could attend both family dinners and the Hospice Dinner as well. Chapter 140 not only donates their time to the Dayton Facility they also donate needed equipment and furniture. Most recently they donated a 52” flat screen TV with a Wii System that includes a Sports and Physical Therapy Package so the veterans can use it to help them with their recovery. They also provided a Video Player/Recorder so the staff can record the veterans activity and play it back to them so they can show them progress and helpful hints to further the veterans recovery. They are working with a local Lazy Boy Company to provide recliners to rooms so the visiting family members have a place to relax or sleep if needed.

I also attended District Two’s Meeting while in the Dayton area. District Two Commander Jake Dailey did a fantastic job! This is a tight nit group of Chapters that are doing a Awesome Job of helping Veterans and their families. They all reported their activities within the District. All reported great things, but what was very clear and evident to me was their dedication to carry out the DAV Mission and goal. To better the lives of Disabled Veterans their Widows and Orphans!! I would like to share with you a report from a Chapter that was in attendance. This Chapter was struggling hard to say the least. As you will see here, with the dedicated help and assistance from District Commander Jake Dailey and Executive Committeeman James Fortune, they were able to turn things around. Wow, what a great job they are doing now. This is what makes this a GREAT ORGANIZATION!!! Comrades if this doesn’t make you feel good about what we do and stand for, nothing will. I am Very Proud to be your State Commander. We should all walk tall, speak loud and be proud of the great things we are accomplishing as a Department. I know I am.

“Greetings, I’m Fred Shelpman, the Adjutant/Treasurer of Champaign County Chapter 31. I’ve been a life member since 1989. Due to unforeseen circumstances our Chapter had to start with all new officers this past April. Our first officer meeting was in May 2009. District Commander Jake Dailey provided us with a membership list and we contacted as many potential active members as possible by mail and phone. Jim Fortune Executive Committeeman for the Dept of Ohio provided the necessary forms, paperwork and history of the chapter and made a total of seven trips to our meetings to assist us in this great challenge.

The Officer and Financial Reports was completed and sent through the appropriate channels and a new revitalized Chapter born. Since that time our active membership has tripled and we have accomplished the following in short order.

A bench with the DAV’s name on it was donated to Freedom Grove Chapter who provided a new chair lift for our meeting place at VFW 5451 to assist our members as well as the VFW membership.

In May we welcomed home Sgt Justin Jones who had TBI injuries and no employment in sight. He and his wife and three children were in need of temporary help getting established to civilian life and needed a home to live in. Our chapter has provided 6 months free rent for his family and Sgt Jones is now a proud member of the DAV.

This year we also provided the following donations to help build better lives for our disabled veterans and their families;

1. $10,000.00 to Dayton VA Voluntary Service DAV Hospital fund.

2. $25,000.00 to Dayton National Cemetery Support Committee fence fund.

3. $200.00 to DAV Blind Veterans Breakfast fund raiser.

4. $100.00 to DAV Hospital fund.

5. $1,800.00 to the Champaign County Honor Guard for uniforms to provide services at veterans funerals and other veterans events.

I am proud to represent my chapter and to be a part of the Disabled American Veterans organization.”

As well as he should be. They have done a remarkable job breathing life back into their chapter and what a good start to their rebirth. This is what it is all about, why we help each other. I hope this inspires you like it has me.

Looking over my schedule for December it looks to be a pretty busy month. I have received a great deal of invitation to attend special events. I am going to try and make them all. In the event I am unable to attend I hope you will extend the same warm and courteous hospitality you have shown me to my representative. I thank you all for the invitations, it is my pleasure and honor to attend your special events and Christmas Parties. If I do not get a chance to see you, before Christmas, I wish you all a Wonderful and Joyous Christmas. An a safe and Happy New Year.

May God Bless you always. May God Bless Our Troops serving in the World’s Greatest Military. May God Bless the DAV. Most of all may God Bless the United States of America.

David K Farrell

State Commander

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Nat’l. Hdqrs., DAV (877) 426-2838

NSO Office, Cleveland (216) 522-3507

NSO Office, Cincinnati (513) 684-2676

Washington Office, DAV (202) 554-3501

Cincinnati HSC,

Sheila Clements (513) 475-6443

Dayton HSC, (937) 268-6511

Gene McCorkle Ext. 2962

Wade Park HSC, (216) 791-3800

Walter Dryja Ext. 3395

Chillicothe HSC (740) 773-1141

Larry Queen Ext. 7916

Columbus Clinic, (614) 257-5487

Henry Snodgrass

Brecksville HSC, (440) 526-3030

Don Branford Ext. 7353

Warren Clinic (330) 392-0311

Youngstown Clinic (330) 70-9200

Ext. 105

Veterans Administration 1-800-827-1000

DATES TO REMEMBER

Feb. 28 – Mar. 3, 2010 DAV Mid-Winter Conference, Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, VA

March 21, 2010 4^th District Meeting, Ottawa American Legion Post #63, Main Street, Ottawa, Ohio

March 21, 2010 3^rd District Meeting, at 2 p.m., VFW, 1115 W. Logan St., Celina, Ohio

April 11, 2010 8^th District Meeting, Clint Kramer Chapter #12, lunch at 1 p.m., meeting to follow at 2 p.m., Zanesville, Ohio

June 24-27, 2010 DAV Department Convention,

The Crowne Plaza, Dublin, Ohio.

July 31 – Aug. 3, 2010 DAV National Convention, Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia

October 8-10, 2010 DAV Department Fall Conference, The Crowne Plaza, Dublin, Ohio.

NOTES FROM YOUR ADJUTANT

Frank Williams, State Adjutant

Thought for December: Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.

Senator Coburn (R-Oklahoma) since Memorial Day, has held up action on S 1963 because he opposes new benefits for caregivers of severely disabled Veterans without identifying how to pay for it. After Senator Akaka (D-Hawaii) testified that the benefit expense – a “true cost of war” – could be covered as an off-budget emergency that does not require cuts in other programs, Corbin finally released his hold and the Caregivers and Veterans’ Omnibus Veterans Service Act (S-1963) was passed 98-0.

Included in this Bill was the Vision Scholars Act, which Senator Brown (D-Ohio) introduced earlier this year, which would assist our nation’s blind and low-vision veterans by establishing a scholarship program for students seeking training in vision rehabilitation. “As more men and women return from combat with eye injuries, we have a commitment to ensure they have access to rehabilitation specialists. This Bill will improve VA recruitment of instructors for the blind while giving our nation’s veterans the comprehensive care they deserve” – US Senator Sherrod Brown

The VA estimates there are 163,000 legally blinded veterans in the US – 47,560 of whom are enrolled in VA Health Care. From 2001 to 2008, more than 1,000 service members were hospitalized for ocular injuries attributed to combat operations. Thirteen percent of all casualties evacuated from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have eye injuries. S-1963 now goes to the House for joint action before final approval.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is embarking on what will be the most comprehensive study of female veterans of the Vietnam War to gauge the effect of their service on their long term mental and physical health.

Ohio has the 6^th largest Veteran population in the United States. Many of those Veterans

residing in Ohio are not receiving the benefits they deserve and have earned.

In an effort to make it easier for Veterans and their families to access the information they need to secure benefits and programs available, here is a brief list of federal, state and county

Resources available:

+ Health Care & Prescriptions – 1-877-222-8387

+ Disability Benefits – 1-800-827-1000 (Or contact DAV, Dept of Ohio at 1-214-228-3582)

+ Dependents & Survivor Benefits – 1-800-827-1000

+ Home Loans – 1-877-827-3702

Ohio Veterans have access to health care at 44 facilities around the state. To find the Veterans Center or Outpatient Clinic near you, call the Ohio Department of Veterans Services(ODVS) at 1-877-644-6838 or visit www.dvs.ohio.gov

We have been enjoying a very, very mild winter so far. That is about to change!! Looks like the next few weeks are going to be more “wintry” and forecast included three snowstorms with a real chance at having a “White Christmas”!

Speaking of this, let me take this opportunity to ask all of you to stay healthy and warm and, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Before closing I would like to share a funny story with you:

During our tour of Ohio’s VA Hospitals this fall, one of our Tour Members who is a Navy Veteran, decided to enter a WWII Vet’s room and talk for awhile. As he talked of his time in the Navy and swapped stories, he helped himself to peanuts from a jar setting on a small table beside the Old Vet’s bed. After eating quite a few, he asked the Old Vet “Would you like some peanuts?”. The Old Vet replied, “Oh, I can’t eat those things, Sonnie. I just suck the chocolate off and drop them in a jar there on my table.”

As always, keep our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in your thoughts and prayers as they fight, like we have fought, to keep America free. Never shall we forget that Freedom is not Free!!

Overseas Mailing Guidelines Set

The U.S. Postal Service has set guidelines for mailing holiday mail and packages overseas. Mail and packages for troops that serve in the Iraq and Afghanistan area should be sent by Dec. 4, 2008. Holiday mail, including packages and cards, going to military bases in other parts of the world should be shipped by Dec. 11. Priority mail flat-rate boxes are the best value when shipping to military members serving at home or anywhere overseas. The largest flat-rate box costs $10.95 to ship to an APO or FPO address. That is a $2 discount, and the boxes are free. Include the mailing address, return address and the contents of the box on a slip of paper with the other contents. For more information, visit the U.S. Postal Service website.

Safety and security reasons no longer allow packages to be addressed to “Any Soldier” or to an entire base in general. The American Red Cross is sponsoring a national “Holiday Mail for Heroes” campaign to receive and distribute holiday cards to service members, veterans and their families in the United States and abroad.

Information Bulletin

IMPORTANT NUMBERS