VFW Press Releases

1. VFW Celebrates Armed Forces Day

   WASHINGTON - May 18 is Armed Forces Day, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) joins a grateful nation in paying tribute to the soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen, guardians, and Coast Guardsmen who are defending freedom both here at home, and around the globe.

   According to the Department of Defense website, on Aug. 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days. The single day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under the Department of Defense. Armed Forces Day is celebrated annually on the third Saturday in May, which occurs during Armed Forces Week and Military Appreciation Month. The 2024 White House Proclamation on Armed Forces Day can be found here.

   Despite those who look to upend our great nation and threaten peace around the world, U.S. service members continue to selflessly stand watch for those who would do us harm. Even now, a new generation of people are raising their right hand to serve in defense of our country. They will undergo the rite of passage for their chosen branch and join the more than 2 million men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces doing what is asked of them - no matter the mission, no matter the location, no matter the cost.

   The 1.4 million members of the VFW and its Auxiliary salute all U.S. service members and encourages everyone to take a moment to recognize those wearing the uniform, thanking them for their service and for protecting our democracy and way of life.

2. VFW Expresses Concern Over Erroneous VA Bonuses

   WASHINGTON - In light of the recent Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General report of funding improperly paid to senior executives last year, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is expressing its concerns over the payments.

   "We are very disappointed by the lack of oversight involved here," said Mike Figlioli, VFW Director of National Veterans Service. "Knowing that this funding was intended to retain those in the department with critical skills to take care of veterans or provide them with their much-needed benefits, it is concerning such funding would be paid as an incentive, even if it was just a handful of individuals. That is unacceptable to the VFW and those of us who have advocated so diligently on their behalf."

   In the report, OIG found that senior executive staff assigned to the VA Central Office were awarded these monies instead of the field staff it was earmarked for. These "bonuses," were part of the funding for a retention program used to retain critical talent. The program, which is submitted in a list yearly to Congress, has been used in fields of critical skills shortages, such as nurses, phlebotomists, police, and sanitation and food service workers to name a few.

   "This is poor stewardship of the funding the VFW has fought hard for," said Figlioli. "While we are disappointed such action occurred, we are heartened that once Secretary McDonough discovered the issue, he stopped payments and requested the IG to investigate. With that in mind, we expect the secretary to follow through on his commitment to make this right.

   "Our veterans deserve nothing but the utmost care and service from VA as well as accountability at every level." said Figlioli.

3. Cornerstone Caregiving Donates More than $100,000 to the VFW

   KANSAS CITY, Mo., -The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is pleased to announce representatives from Cornerstone Caregiving presented a $50,000 donation to the VFW Foundation today in support of VFW programs. Additionally, Cornerstone Caregiving has led fundraising efforts totaling more than $50,000 to benefit VFW Posts in communities near their locations.

   A leader in the senior home care industry with more than 150 locations in 33 states, Cornerstone Caregiving prides itself as a community of dedicated professionals with a shared mission of providing exceptional in-home care services to seniors. From rallying support to improve veterans' accessibility and coordinating donations for wheelchair ramps, to providing vital disaster relief assistance in the wake of fires and other natural disasters, Cornerstone Caregiving has made improving the lives of veterans and their families a top priority.

   "The VFW Foundation is honored to receive this donation, which will help us continue to serve countless military and veteran families during their times of need," said VFW Adjutant General Dan West. "It's encouraging to work with great companies like Cornerstone Caregiving, whose dedication to honoring and giving back to our nation's military and veteran families aligns so well with our own."

   "Cornerstone Caregiving is proud to serve veterans across the United States," said Cornerstone Caregiving Founder Michael Hillman. "There is no greater honor than to care for those who cared for our country in the best way possible."

   Established in 1996, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation is the official 501(c)(3) of the VFW. It exists to provide financial resources to the vital assistance programs of the VFW. Through its strategic relationships with supporters, the VFW Foundation fills in governmental assistance gaps for troops abroad, military families back in the U.S. and America's often-forgotten veterans. These programs are provided at no cost to the recipients and require no VFW affiliation.

4. Chief's Commentary: Aid for Allies Must Include Support for American Defenders

   WASHINGTON -On April 23, the Senate passed $95 billion in funding to support our allies in Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, an aid package the House worked overtime to pass three days earlier. Many who advocated for this support, to include the VFW, breathed a sigh of relief, as the United States reaffirmed its commitment as a world leader against tyranny.

   Three weeks ago, I visited our allies in Taiwan and heard firsthand from both Taiwanese officials and VFW members about the importance of this support.

   But before we pat ourselves on the back and declare victory, VFW members once again noticed the conspicuous lack of similar urgency on supporting Americans who stand in harm's way defending the ideals about which Congress says they so urgently care.

   Time and again, we see Congress can mobilize in the eleventh hour to support urgent needs - whether it's averting a self-inflicted government shutdown or waiting until the absolute last minute to reaffirm long-standing and noncontroversial commitments to our allies. They even came together on unrelated legislation, sending a sell or be banned ultimatum to the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, which they added to the aid package bill based on national security concerns.

   We rarely see similar urgency to support veterans. The bean counters in Congress will try to smugly dismiss this correlation, obfuscating on how these are different funds for different purposes. Frankly, Americans don't care about the technical nuance of bureaucratic nonsense. They care about results.

   Support for our allies and support for American warfighters are intrinsically intertwined. If Congress can swiftly approve $95 billion to support allies and defense contractors, why do these same legislators balk at the cost of paying military retirees their full earned pensions and disability payments?

   Commonly called "concurrent receipt," the VFW has been fighting for more than 20 years for Congress to keep a promise it made in 2003 to end the unjust policy of offsetting these earned benefits.

   The VFW has been a thought leader in this space, trying to incrementally fix the problem, focusing first on those who literally bled to defend our country.

   The Major Richard Star Act would allow medical retirees who were wounded in combat the option to receive their full military retirement benefits in addition to medical disability. These two distinctly different benefits currently offset one another. Despite veto-proof support across Congress, this common-sense policy solution has stalled for nearly half a decade - regardless of who controls Congress or the White House.

   Just last month, I testified before the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees, calling for the Major Richard Star Act to go to the president's desk now, ending this injustice. VFW members then hit the halls of Congress mustering even more support for a bill that would send a strong message of solidarity to American service members, past, present and future.

   While just about everyone in Congress publicly gives support, they privately balk at the purported price tag of a meager $1 billion per year. Think about that. We have $95 billion to throw around whenever we need it, but when veterans ask for a small share to end a glaring injustice, suddenly we can't scrape together enough nickels to get it done.

   This is not about the money, it is about the gesture of support to our all-volunteer force, which is a national security imperative in the context of recent recruiting shortfalls.

   Defense officials, legislators and pundits consistently come to the VFW, lamenting about the military's troubles recruiting young Americans to serve. When they talk to us about it, it's like listening to the stages of grief: They deny their responsibility. They get angry and blame the VFW. They bargain with us over what more we should be doing.

   Even when the VFW pressured Congress to do the right thing on the Honoring Our PACT Act two years ago, we caught flak from so-called defense experts who refused to recognize that providing for the intrinsic hazards of military service actually reinforced trust and confidence in the military.

   It's time for Washington to accept that this failure rests with decision makers and the fundamental disconnect between Beltway insiders and the Americans who volunteer to serve on the front lines.

   When I visited troops in Europe last fall, I heard how our military is consistently "doing more with less" to execute its missions across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. One group told us they felt like America's "Easy Button" - and this was before Israel was attacked on Oct. 7.

   Moreover, the VFW is tracking more than 30 states who are considering legislation explicitly restricting the conditions under which the federal government can activate their overtaxed National Guard. Something is clearly broken, but the echo chamber in Washington chooses not to see it.

   Since its inception, the VFW has been a strong and vocal proponent of our military, the merits of military service, and the promotion and protection of American ideals. At times in history, it has been our duty to speak truth to power to consistently improve this majestic American experiment. When we see a problem, we act.

   Today we have a major problem. While public sentiment toward the military remains high, young Americans who are fit to serve do not see the military as a viable career path. Initiatives like the PACT Act and the Star Act reinforce trust and confidence in the military, helping bolster the numerous benefits of service many veterans readily acknowledge. It's time that Washington has the same epiphany that America's standing in the world is not dictated solely by how lethal our weapons can be, or how much money we can throw at a problem, but how committed Americans are to the preservation of liberty and deterrence of our enemies.

   The VFW unquestionably supports our allies in Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. We know the support Congress pledged is critical. But Congress can never forget that supporting our allies includes supporting our troops. As U.S. military men and women receive injuries supporting and defending our allies, Congress dismisses its obligations to its own servicemembers while giving our allies more money. All the cash, bullets, and bombs are meaningless if we fail to ensure that America's all-volunteer force stands ready to protect our interests across the globe.

   If Congress can get a bill passed that protects American interests abroad and cyberspace at home, then we expect them to show the same urgency to honoring its commitments to Americans who have defended this country by passing the Major Richard Star Act today.

5. VFW Expresses Support for Free Speech, Not Violence on College Campuses

   WASHINGTON - "The first amendment of the Constitution grants the rights of freedom of speech and of the people peacefully to assemble, the same rights members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) swore an oath to support and defend. We also support the rule of law in our country and those working to uphold it. Without them, segments of our population would have their rights infringed upon. While those staging protests on college campuses across the country have the right to free speech and to peaceful assembly, they do not have the right to violently act out against others. We are confident law enforcement will restore safety and security for all those impacted by the abject lawlessness over this past week."

   -vfw-

   About the VFW:The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is the nation's largest and oldest major war veterans organization. Founded in 1899, the congressionally chartered VFW is comprised entirely of eligible veterans and military service members from the active, Guard and Reserve forces. With more than 1.4 million VFW and Auxiliary members located in nearly 6,000 Posts worldwide, the nonprofit veterans service organization is proud to proclaim "NO ONE DOES MORE FOR VETERANS" than the VFW, which is dedicated to veterans' service, legislative advocacy, and military and community service programs. For more information, or to join, visit our website at vfw.org.