VFW Unmet Needs’ Grants Soar Beyond $4 Million Mark

Acclaimed VFW program assists military families in need with everything from major home repairs to infant formula.

Kansas City, Mo., May 26, 2011 - The VFW National Headquarters is proud to announce it has reached $4,022,760 in emergency financial grants disbursed to U.S. service members and their families through the VFW Unmet Needs program.

Officially launched June 6, 2004, Unmet Needs has become one of VFW’s most acclaimed programs among service members and their families, offering a “lifeline” for those in critical need of financial assistance.

With generous contributions by both individuals and corporate sponsors like Burger King, the program has helped more than 2,789 families across America. The assistance comes in the form of a grant, not a loan, so the recipients aren’t required to repay it. Furthermore, 100 percent of donations received go directly to the program.

The grants help military families with everything from major home repairs to infant formula. Grants are available to all five branches of the military, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserves.

Uniquely, and believing everyone has a talent that can help a military family in need, Unmet Needs also offers donations in the form of “Skills.” Those who’ve applied to the program and are in need of home repairs, auto repairs, etc., can be matched with a skill-donor to fulfill their needs.

“The VFW is extremely proud of the fact that we can provide a lifeline for so many military families during an already trying time in their lives. This program really showcases what we do, and have always done, and that’s supporting America’s service members,” said VFW Adjutant General, Allen “Gunner” Kent.

For more information on how you can help support the efforts of Unmet Needs, please contact the VFW Foundation at 816-968-2784.


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The Unmet Needs Program, created by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, provides emergency financial support to families of military personnel. Since the program’s inception, more than $4 million in grants have been disbursed to over 2,500 families across the country that are facing financial hardships because of the deployment of a loved one. Funds from donations are available to the five branches of service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard), as well as members of the Reserves and National Guard. Absolutely 100% of every donation goes directly to military families. For more information visit www.vfw.org.

From Afghanistan: Families Who Serve

May 23, 2011

I met Tech. Sgt. April Lapetoda almost immediately upon arrival at NTM-A. She's the NCOIC of media relations at NTM-A and hard not to notice. She's high-speed, congenial, professional and the go-to person for plenty of people around the HQ, including many of the top brass.

Aside from her role in media relations, she wears a lot of other hats at the HQ Public Affairs Office: acting Public Affairs Officer for Maj. Gen. James B. Mallory, Deputy Commanding General, NTM-A, and Dr. Jack Kem (Ph. D), Deputy to the CG. If that weren't enough, she also runs the newsroom, ramrods the reporters and edits and clears copy before it's released. In short, she's pretty much a hyper-kinetic dervish of efficiency and fount of knowledge.

About a week ago, she was presented with an '”Impact Award" during a surprise ceremony by NTM-A Command. After personally pinning her with the Joint Service Achievement Award, Lt. Gen. William Caldwell asked her publicly (he had already sent word down the chain-of command) if she would extend her deployment. She respectfully declined. It's not often that an enlisted person turns down a General Officer, but as I soon learned, she had good reason not to extend her tour in Afghanistan.

Through conversations with her, I learned this is her fourth deployment and second to Afghanistan. Nothing too unusual about that nowadays, but there's more to it than that. She's married to a soon-to-be Air Force Master Sergeant Chris Lapetoda, and since he crews with Air Force 2, he is often on Temporary Duty Status (TDY) away from home in various parts of the country or the world. He's currently TDY to Chile, while his parents help out by watching the kids.

As we continued our conversation, she spoke of her two children, ages six and two. She missed her youngest child's first birthday while TDY and missed his second birthday during her current deployment to Afghanistan. It was obviously painful to her as she recounted having to deploy this time around on Christmas Day. Last week, she and Chris marked their tenth wedding anniversary, separated by miles and circumstance.

Women serving in the military—especially women who have deployed to combat zones—have issues and difficulties distinctly different from that of men, and being a deployed parent presents another subset of challenges. Overall, April feels she is more fortunate than many in that respect; "My experiences have been good. As a woman serving in the military, I've been treated like everyone else. And as far as being a mother, most pressure comes from the outside. It isn't intentional, but when people ask how I can stand being deployed away from my children, they don't realize the impact their questions have. They unknowingly initiate guilt feelings."

As the war ... and deployments continue, the issues confronting April and Chris are representative of thousands of American service members who are married. The deployments hit both spouses equally hard while their concerns are focused primarily on the welfare of their children.

Balancing career and family can be a monumental task. So much so that, like many other military spouses, the Lapetoda's are now confronted with making some tough career decisions. April will have twelve years of service next month, and Chris already has thirteen years invested. April and Chris are both undecided about re-enlisting. "We really have to think about it," explained April. "Our six-year-old is having problems in school and with the deployment situation the way it is, we don't know how much time we'd have together as an entire family."
—Jerry Newberry

The Roasterie Coffee Company Creates VFW Return the Favor Coffee Blend

KANSAS CITY, MO., May 20, 2011 — The Roasterie Coffee Company has partnered with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation to create a VFW coffee blend now available for purchase. Ten percent of all proceeds from the VFW blend will be donated to the VFW Foundation's Return the Favor campaign which supports active duty military, veterans, and their families. "The VFW Foundation is proud to partner with our hometown coffee company," said VFW Foundation Director John Lowe. "The Roasterie Coffee Company is not only committed to providing the finest air-roasted coffee but also giving back to the communities it serves." To purchase the VFW coffee blend, please visit www.theroasterie.com/coffee/causes/vfw-foundation-return-the-favor-blend/.

The Roasterie has become one of the most nationally recognized coffee roasters by sourcing the best coffee available on the market today. Founded in 1993 by Danny O’Neill in the basement of his Kansas City home, The Roasterie has since grown to become a darling of the specialty coffee industry. The company chooses the innovative air-roasting method to delicately roast each bean with consistency and care.

Committed to finding the best coffees from around the world, The Roasterie buys its beans from small, specialty farmers for a fair price. Those beans are then roasted using a convection air-roasting method, instead of the more traditional drum-roasting method, to ensure superior consistency and a tastier, smoother cup of coffee. Since January of 2010, seven of The

Roasterie’s coffees have received a ranking of 90 or higher on CoffeeReview.com, the premier international coffee-buying guide.

The VFW Foundation is the official charity of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), America’s oldest and largest service group for combat veterans. Return the Favor is an awareness and fundraising campaign to honor, celebrate, and support active-duty military members, veterans, and their families. Our mission is to support programs and services that provide financial assistance for military families, free phone calls for service members’ overseas, VIP treatment for troops and their families at entertainment events, and morale boosting events for military units. These programs and services are non-political and provided at no cost to the recipients. The VFW Foundation is one of the nation’s highest rated 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations.

For more information about the Return the Favor campaign or to donate, please visit http://www.returnthefavor.org/.

Behind the Afghan National Police Force

COLONEL WILLIAM V. WENGER currently serves as Senior Advisor, Afghanistan Uniform Police, Ass't CG - Police Development and began his long and distinguished military career in 1969 when he was commissioned through ROTC at the University of California at Santa Barbara. In October 2000, Col. Wenger retired ... for a short while anyway (he returned to service on four separate occasions).

Unfortunately, (and I hope Col. Wenger will forgive me), space doesn't allow me to list all of the billets and commands Colonel Wenger has held, nor does it allow me to list all of the awards and accomplishments he has earned over his forty-plus years of dedicated and exceptional service to our nation. There are many.

You should know, however, that he has served with Airborne, Ranger, Special Forces, Infantry, Armor and Intelligence, and seven joint service assignments. Col. Wenger, a real estate executive in civilian life, has commanded at every level of the Army—from platoon to Joint Brigade equivalent as well as the California Army National Guard. He's served during operations DESERT SHIELD/STORM, multiple tours in OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM and Afghanistan during OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. From July 2008 to Oct. 2009, he volunteered to serve again in OIF as Chief of Staff, Directorate of Interior Affairs, Ministry of Interior Transition Team, and then served as Director of Iraq Transition and Advisory Team – Ministry of Interior, a Brigadier General assignment. In 2010, Col. Wenger volunteered again to serve in Afghanistan.

I wanted to share this with you because the difficult job of helping to fulfill the goal of establishing and transitioning to a well-trained and professionally led Afghan National Police force (ANP) requires someone who is up to the challenging task of turning around an infamously corrupt and inept organization formally bereft of competent leadership and loaded with systematic problems, from the top-down.

Structurally, one of the biggest problems facing the ANP is that the majority of all Afghan police were recruited and assigned to duty without any formal training. In essence, because of the sense of need, it ended up being about numbers, resulting in a force rife with unsavory types who oftentimes preyed upon or abused the Afghan citizenry and were not paid a living wage, resulting in an extremely high attrition rate.

NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) implemented a new model, which now provides workable wages, makes training mandatory for all police recruits and puts a premium on literacy as "the basis for professional law enforcement personnel." Not only that, NTM-A worked with Afghans to establish leadership training courses and introduce innovative classes on domestic violence, sexual abuse prevention and women integration.

The new model produced results and recruiting numbers appear to be ahead of projections for all types of ANP, currently standing at about 125,000 with an expected cap of more than 150,000 by fall of 2012.

It's up to the Afghans to take control of their future. We can't do it for them. It's up to them to ultimately carry the weight for ensuring a stabilized and secure Afghanistan. A professional police force is key to accomplishing that. Of course, many challenges remain before a totally professional, enduring and self-sustaining police force can be fully in place. As I said earlier, it requires someone who is up to the task to make it happen. I'd say selecting Col. Wenger for the job put the right man, in the right place, at the right time.

—Jerry Newberry

Buffalo Wild Wings to Partner with VFW Foundation

BUFFALO WILD WINGS® to Partner with Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation
Visit your local participating restaurant and support the VFW Foundation.

ParticipatingBuffalo Wild Wings® locations are showing their support of the troops by partnering with the VFW Foundation to support the Return the Favor™ campaign. Participating restaurants will donate 10 percent of guest’s food purchase when the guest shows their military ID card, VFW membership card or Return the Favor card. To find participating restaurants or to print a Return the Favor card, visit http://www.returnthefavor.org/. The program will run from May 16 through June 12.

“Buffalo Wild Wings happily serves as a gathering place for local military personnel and this is our way for thanking each of them for their service to our country. We are proud to support the men and women who serve our country every day,” commented Jeffrey Miller, Director of Field Marketing and Brand Compliance.

John Lowe, Director of the VFW Foundation stated, “It is through the commitment of companies such as Buffalo Wild Wings that we are able to support America’s heroes on a daily basis. We thank Buffalo Wild Wings for their commitment to our service members, veterans and their families.”

About the Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation
The VFW Foundation is the official charity of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW), America’s oldest and largest service group for combat veterans. Return the Favor is an awareness and fundraising campaign to honor, celebrate, and support active-duty military members, veterans, and their families. Our mission is to support programs and services that provide financial assistance for military families, free phone calls for service members overseas, VIP treatment for troops and their families at entertainment events, and morale boosting events for military units. These programs and services are non-political and provided at no cost to the recipients. The VFW Foundation is one of the nation’s highest rated 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations. For more information, please visit http://www.returnthefavor.org/.
About Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc., founded in 1982 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a growing owner, operator and franchisor of Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar™ restaurants featuring a variety of boldly-flavored, made-to-order menu items including its namesake Buffalo, New York-style chicken wings. The Buffalo Wild Wings’ menu specializes in 14 mouth-watering signature sauces and 4 (four) seasonings with flavor sensations ranging from Sweet BBQ™ to Blazin’®. Guests enjoy a welcoming neighborhood atmosphere that includes an extensive multi-media system for watching their favorite sporting events. Buffalo Wild Wings is the recipient of hundreds of "Best Wings" and "Best Sports Bar" awards from across the country. There are currently 753 Buffalo Wild Wings locations across 45 states.

Media Contacts:Leslie Bryant, Buffalo Wild Wings, lbryant@buffalowildwings.comJohn Lowe, VFW Foundation, jlowe@vfw.org

Veterans Crisis Line

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is unique because all of our members have served overseas in a combat zone. Our nation is in debt to all of those who served, and we understand that returning home and reintegrating into society can cause stress in many aspects of life. Because of this, VFW is participating in a campaign with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to increase awareness of the Veterans Crisis Line (1-800-273-8255 and Press 1).

The campaign revolves around the confidential Veterans Crisis Line (formerly the Veterans Suicide Prevention Hotline), establishing a unique identity designed to lower the threshold for Veterans and their families to make that critical call for help.

The line, available 24 hours a day and seven days a week, has answered more than 390,000 calls and has made more than 13,000 life-saving rescues since its launch.

The campaign is a national outreach effort to increase awareness and use of the confidential Veterans Crisis Line and online chat service, support and promote broader VA suicide prevention efforts, and promote help-seeking behaviors among Veterans.

The rebranding emphasizes the “Press 1” option for Veterans, friends, and family members, ensuring their call is immediately transferred to the VA’s call center in Canandaigua, N.Y., staffed with professional responders trained and dedicated to serving Veterans and their families. New messaging reinforces the confidentiality of the Veterans Crisis Line and chat for both Veterans and their family members, who may be the first to realize a Veteran is in crisis.

VFW members have the opportunity to spread the word about the Veteran Crisis Line campaign through a variety of online resources and promotional materials – including posters, print ads, online ads, social media, wallet cards, magnets and coasters. The promotional materials include ads targeted toward specific demographics, and will be available electronically in the near future.

Check back to www.vfw.org for updates on the campaign.

If you’re looking for more information about the Veterans Crisis Line, visit www.VeteransCrisisLine.net. For more information about VA’s suicide prevention program, visit http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/suicide_prevention/.

First full day in-country brings new opportunities

May 10, 2011
Nato Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A)Headquarters Camp Eggers, Kabul Afghanistan
By Jerry Newberry

After finally catching some much-needed sleep and shaking off some (not all) of the jet lag, the first full day in-country brought with it an opportunity to attend a brief recognition ceremony for two U.S. service members who were cited for their quick action during a recent attack by an Afghan military pilot who opened fire during a meeting at the Kabul Airport.

Navy Corpsman Chief Petty Officer Sabra Renee Clothier and U.S. Army 2nd Lieutenant Antonio Tritto were both presented with the Joint Services Achievement Medal by the Commanding officer of NTM-A, Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, for their quick action during the attack that killed eight U.S. Air Force Personnel and a U.S. Civilian Contractor and wounded five Afghan soldiers.

Both Tritto and Clothier were at the airport attending a separate meeting about setting up a Combat Medic Course for the Afghan national Army, when shots rang out. In the midst of chaos, they immediately responded to the situation and began Triage on the victims.

When I spoke to Tritto and Clothier, they both downplayed their actions to me. "My training just snapped into place and although the situation was extremely intense, we just automatically reacted," said Tritto.

"When we arrived we could see that there were a variety of serious wounds, and it was imperative to prioritize and treat the wounded so they could be evacuated," explained Clothier.

In the midst of murderous mayhem, these two service members brought order. Their professionalism and calm helped lessen an already horrific tragedy and did, in fact, save lives.

I'd wager that outside of the relative few at NTM-A H.Q. the names of Chief Clothier and 2nd Lt. Tritto and what they accomplished that day have gone unmentioned and unreported by the media back home. But I hope that somehow they will know that in some circles, it's deeply appreciated.

VFW has boots on the ground in Afghanistan

VFW has boots on the ground in Afghanistan
VFW Communications Director Jerry Newberry Arrives in Kabul
May 09, 2011

There's something about the old adage of "the best laid plans" that certainly rings true with this trip to Afghanistan. It's already apparent the dynamic and scope to what had formerly been a seemingly straight-forward trip to capture stories about our troops has grown significantly since my arrival at Nato Training Mission-Afghanistan (NTM-A) H.Q., Camp Eggers, in Kabul.
One of the driving forces behind the trip was to help address the disconnect that exists between those who are charged with fulfilling the mission and the majority of folks back home who haven't been personally impacted...people who don't have a clue as to the degree of sacrifice our troops and their families have made over the past ten years.

The troops call this the 'Forgotten War'(hmmm, seems we've heard that term before). Not only do most Americans not have a tangible stake in the effort in Afghanistan, I'm willing to bet most don't have a clue as to what the mission is, how it is evolving or how it is being carried out.
So, yes the scope of this embed has grown because we need to have some knowledge of what it is they are doing here. In order to truly appreciate their service and sacrifice we need to understand what it is they're putting themselves in harm's way for.

We're going to do our best to bring you an inside look at this war up and down the line. From those who command, strategize, advise and hump a ruck. From the General and Field-Grade officer to the PFC. And we'll also try and bring an Afghan perspective to you.

It's time to catch a little bit of sleep and then get started...

VFW Names 2011 WebAward Winners

Judging was based on navigation, load time, design and overall content.

The VFW Communications Department has selected the winners of the 2011 VFW WebAward Competition.This year nearly 60 entries were received. Judging was based on navigation, load time, design and overall content. Entries were divided into two separate categories: VFW Departments and VFW Posts/Districts.The first-place winner in the Department category is the Department of Wisconsin. Second place has been awarded to the Department of Pacific Areas.In the Post/District category, Post 5702 has been named this year’s first-place winner, with Post 5727 being awarded second place.

This year’s contest proved especially difficult to judge due to the number of quality websites submitted by our Posts, Departments and Districts. Everyone who submitted an entry deserves praise for their hard work and creativity. Please continue to keep up the good work! We look forward to next year’s competition.

VFW Aids Service Members Who Weathered Second-Worst Storm in U.S. History

Recent storms illustrate vitality of programs like Unmet Needs

KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 3, 2011 — The homes of service members and their families stationed at military bases across the south were not spared by last week’s deadly tornado outbreak. According to The National Weather Service, an estimated 266 tornadoes touched down across seven states, killing more than 340 people, injuring thousands and leaving hundreds unaccounted for. It is the worst tornado outbreak the region has seen in nearly 40 years and has been deemed the second-worst storm in U.S. history.

In the path of the storms’ destruction lie the devastated military communities of Camp Lejeune, Fort Bragg and Little Rock Air Force Base. Though officials are still surveying the scope of damage nearly one week later, VFW knew upon hearing initial reports of the storm’s intensity and projected path it needed to gear up to assist America’s military.

The VFW National Headquarters reached out to its state departments asking them to rev up their efforts in spreading word of the VFW Unmet Needs program in the storm-stricken areas. Within just a few hours, applications for financial assistance began pouring in.

“Unfortunate events such as these well illustrate the vitality of the Unmet Needs program on a large scale. When our service members are suddenly displaced, left without food or even basic supplies, VFW does not stand idly by, we act,” said Mike Penney, Director of VFW’s National Military Services.

Enacted in 2004, VFW’s Unmet Needs program assists service members and military families who experience unexpected financial difficulties as a result of deployment or other hardships directly related to military service.

Through Unmet Needs, VFW has already disbursed a total of $20,200 among service members for basic daily necessities, and the number of applications for assistance is expected to grow in the coming days.

If you’re interested in donating to Unmet Needs, please visit: www.vfw.org/Contribute.

VFW Commander-in-Chief on the killing of Osama

Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. National Commander Richard L. Eubank issued the following statement on the killing of Osama bin Laden:

"This is a momentous occasion, and the military and CIA are to be congratulated for their persistence, precision and performance. Osama bin Laden was responsible for killing thousands of innocent people. He was a threat to world peace who had to be brought to justice. His death at the hands of the world's best trained and motivated military and intelligence agency is justice served."