Third Division Caucus
Hicksville Post Commander Charles Rockwood, John Mauro PC and Greg Bennett attended the 3rd Division Caucus of the Nassau County American Legion held on Wednesday, March 31 at the Williston Post #144. All the 3rd Division Post delegates gathered before 3rd Division Commander James Barton to nominate 3rd Division officer for next Legion year and to pass resolutions for this year’s County Convention. The 3rd Division is often referred to as the “ Mighty 3rd,” with its 20 Posts and over 2,300 Legionnaires. It was a proud moment when Past County Commander Arlene Howard, of our Post, was nominated to be the 10th District Sergeant at Arms. The 10th District is made up of all Legion Posts in Nassau County, Suffolk County and Queens County. County Commander Ned Yost and his staff and Past County Commanders attended the caucus.
Veterans’ Health Care
The VA now recognizes “presumptive” illnesses for Gulf War and War on Terror veterans making it easier for veterans to obtain disability for illnesses such as malaria and West Nile virus. Go to www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/gulfwar/ or www.va.gov for more information or call the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency at 572-8452.
Representative Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa), a Vietnam veteran, sponsored House of Representatives Bill HR-3926 the Armed Forces Breast Cancer Research Act due to high levels of breast cancer in female and male Gulf War veterans and at Camp LeJuene, North Carolina due to contaminated water. Please contact your representative to support this HR-3926. And please support HR-4241 that would increase benefits to veterans in nursing homes such as the Long Island Veterans Home at Stony Brook University.
POW-MIA Activities
American Legion 3rd Division Commander Jim Barton announces the 13th Annual POW-MIA Remembrance Service to be held Sunday, April 18 during 10 a.m. Mass at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Chapel at Kings Point. The event is sponsored by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 372 and the Charles A. Fowler, Jr. American Legion Post 160 of Great Neck. A brunch will follow with a $5 donation requested. Call 484-4471 to RSVP for the brunch.
Private researcher Clayton Kuhles has located 16 crash sites and the locations of over 100 remains of U.S. service members from World War II’s China-India-Burma Theater of Operations. Over 500 U.S. aircraft crashed and 1,200 service members perished, 416 in India alone, on dangerous supply missions over mountains and jungles. All knowledge of crash sites was lost in 1946 when a graves registration unit plane crashed with 40 remains, files, air crew and graves registration personnel aboard. Clayton was on vacation mountain climbing in India and observed the wreckage of this plane. He is a U.S. Army veteran and has returned several times to the region in search of aircraft wreckage. He has contacted the U.S. government with his findings. For information go to www.Miarecoveries.org.
The remains of U.S. Army Specialist Thomas Rice, of South Carolina will be buried September 19, 2010 at Arlington National Cemetery. He attended Carver High School in Augusta, South Carolina and had re-enlisted in the military. Specialist Rice was a crew member of a Army helicopter that went missing in 1965 and he was declared dead in 1966.
Helping Our Community
Charles Wagner Post has made a donation to help the Hicksville Gregory Museum Science Fair and also took out an ad in the 40th Anniversary Journal of the Hicksville Community Council. We also made a donation to the 10th District American Legion Children and Youth Fund and a donation to support the Nassau County Auxiliary Holiday Gift Shop at the Northport VA Medical Center.
At the March Nassau County American Legion meeting Past County Commander Peter Holowecki, also a past department vice-commander, announced Nassau County American Legion has donated $1,500 to both the Northport VA Voluntary Service (VAVS) and the Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University. Pete Holowecki PDVC and Hicksville’s Arlene Howard PCC are on the Veterans Committee at the Long Island Veterans Home.
Membership and Support
Charles Wagner Post 421 meets the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month at the Hicksville VFW, 320 S. Broadway at 8 p.m. All veterans are invited to join. New auxiliary members are welcome. Send donations to help hospitalized veterans and military to American Legion Post 421, P.O. Box 925, Hicksville, NY 11802.
