Veterans’ Voice

Art Sloane

With many veteran organizations in Chandler and Sun Lakes there are many deserving veterans that should be recommended for the Veterans Hall of Fame. How do you nominate someone for this honor which is given to only about 20 veterans a year out of 650,000 for their service after they leave the service? This means that they go on to serve the community in some form in Arizona. What the most important thing is that they serve after they are discharged or retire not what they do in the service. When you nominate someone, man or woman, follow the directions and do not give more than what is asked for. You may download the information by going to www.azuav.org. This stands for Arizona Unified Arizona Veterans who conducts the nomination procedures each year and is composed of about 50 veterans’ organizations. The deadline for nominations is March 31.

A workshop to discuss how to nominate an outstanding veteran to the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Class of 2016, is scheduled on Saturday, February 6 from 9:00-9:30 a.m. at the State Veteran Home Phoenix, Liberty Hall meeting room on the Second floor, 4141 N. Silvestre Herrera Way (former 4141 N. 3rd Street), Phoenix 85012. All potential nominators are invited to attend. A potential nominator can be a family member, a friend, or a fellow veteran. For more information about the workshop, please contact Carol Culbertson, Secretary, Unified Arizona Veterans; e-mail [email protected]; phone 602-799-9480.

The VFW is committed to ensuring veterans’ health care and benefits are equitable among the brave men and women who have worn our nation’s uniform. In an effort to identify barriers women veterans face when accessing their earned veterans’ benefits and services, the VFW has commissioned a survey of women veterans that will guide the VFW’s policy priority goals for them. The VFW will analyze survey results and direct feedback from women veterans to make recommendations to VA and Congress on how to meet their needs. Take the VFW’s survey of women veterans to help the VFW hold VA accountable for delivering the high quality benefits and services women veterans have earned and deserve. To take the survey go to https://www.research.net/r/VFWSurveyofWomenVeterans.

Veterans and their spouses may be interned at the Veterans National Cemetery in Phoenix or the State Veterans Cemetery in Sierra Vista. Two other state veterans cemeteries are going to be dedicated in the near future in the Marana and Flagstaff areas. Many persons do not realize that although the plot or memorial walls are free the government does not pay for the funeral. There is a small stipend that you may claim after the funeral takes place. The cost of the plot or wall is very expensive in a private cemetery so make yourself aware of costs.