Veterans Corner: PACT Act; 9/11 observance; POW/MIA ceremony; veteran fundraiser

Pact ActUntil 11:59 p.m. local time Sept. 30, veterans who deployed to a combat zone, never enrolled in VA health care and left active duty between Sept. 11, 2002, and Oct. 1, 2013, are eligible to enroll directly in VA health care. This special enrollment period gives veterans who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat zones an opportunity to enroll directly in VA health care without first applying for VA benefits. This enrollment period is part of the PACT Act, which became law Aug. 10, 2022. Veterans of service in the combat zones above are eligible for VA health care enrollment and for toxic screenings. More than 344,000 veterans have enrolled in VA health care and more than 4.2 million enrolled veterans have been screened for toxic exposures. The VA emphasizes that even though you don’t need this care now, you may need it in the future — and once you are in, you have access for life. But don’t wait — the deadline is Sept. 30 — so go to VA.gov/PACT and enroll today.

Did you know?As many as 100 spouses of deceased service members are expected to descend on Capitol Hill in late September to lobby for a bill that would eliminate financial penalties imposed for decades on husbands and wives who want to remarry. Congress decided in the 1960s that widows and widowers would lose compensation, health care, educational opportunities, commissary access and other benefits if they remarry before age 55. Now surviving spouses and advocates are asking lawmakers to undo those rules. At least 30,000 surviving spouses would benefit from the proposed legislation.

While most spouses receiving compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs are in their 70s and 80s, the average age of a spouse at the time of their partner’s death is now 25 to 35. The cost of this bill, if passed, is estimated to be $2.7 billion over 10 years. An advocate for this bill believes that

“The notion that a widow or widower will no longer need those benefits if they remarry before 55 is misguided, because it implies survivors become the responsibility of their new spouses.”

9/11 observanceA local observance to remember the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and to recognize and honor the heroic actions of the firefighters both nationally and locally for their sacrifices, will be held at the Fireman’s Memorial in Miller Park in Bloomington.

The event will start at 10 a.m. and will include a prayer and keynote speaker. The American Legion Honor Guard will provide a rifle salute, Taps and a bagpiper. Please attend this remembrance ceremony and recognize firefighters whose daily actions protect us all.

POW/MIA Remembrance Ceremony The American Legion Honor Guard will conduct a short ceremony on the east steps of the McLean County Museum of History at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 15.

The ceremony will include a prayer, a keynote speaker, Taps and a rifle salute.

There are still MIA’s totaling 73,515 from World War II, 7,841 from the Korean War, 1,626 from Vietnam, 126 from the Cold War and six from conflicts since 1991. Veterans or family members of veterans who were POW’s or MIA’s may contact Butch Ekstam, executive director of the American Legion Honor Guard, at 309-825-2703 if they would like to have a veteran recognized at the ceremony.

Arrowsmith Auxiliary Veteran FundraiserArrowsmith Witt-Webber-Carrell American Legion Auxiliary Unit 617 will hold its annual garage sale, bake sale and lunch on Saturday, Sept. 2, starting at 8 a.m. at the Arrowsmith Community Building. All proceeds from this event go to support veterans in our community.

The Bookmobile will visit from 8:45 to 9:45, and a local Sunday school class will sell snow cones and cotton candy. Bring your pets for the parade.

Support this fundraiser and enjoy music later in the day with your friends.

Quote of the dayAmerica has been politically and culturally subdivided into “communities,” groups, parties, ideologies, “interests” and agendas. The nation seems to be at war with itself! We should heed the following quote.

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” — Abraham Lincoln

Members of VFW Post 454 Auxiliary in Bloomington get ready for annual group and bake sale at Post 454, 1006 E. Lincoln St. in Bloomington. The indoor and outdoor sale will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19, with the "Stuff a Bag" special for $1 from 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 19. The bake sale is Aug. 19 only. Funds from the event will support various veterans assistance programs. For more information, contact chairman Melanie Alwes at 309-275-3876.

Vietnam veteran Fred Kalfon, 81, right, works with personal trainer Trish Phan, left, at the Grey Team veterans center May 17, 2023, in Boca Raton, Fla. The center is helping veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental and physical ailments get back into the civilian world.

U.S. Army veteran Ed Reichbach, 93, left, greets Vietnam veteran Fred Kalfon, 81, after Kalfon's workout session at the Grey Team veterans center May 17, 2023, in Boca Raton, Fla. The center is helping veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental and physical ailments get back into the civilian world.

Army Veteran Lisa Browne-Banic works out the at Grey Team veterans center May 11, 2023, in Boca Raton, Fla. The center is helping veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental and physical ailments get back into the civilian world.

A placard about military suicides is displayed at the Grey Team veterans center May 11, 2023, in Boca Raton, Fla. Hundreds of veterans of all ages have worked with the Grey Team, a 7-year-old organization combining personalized workouts, camaraderie, community outings and an array of machines in a 90-day program targeted at improving physical and mental health.

U.S. Army veteran Ed Reichbach, 93, works out at the Grey Team veterans center May 17, 2023, in Boca Raton, Fla.

U.S. Army Veteran Cary Reichbach, 62, co-founder of the Grey Team veterans center, speaks about the facility May 11, 2023, in Boca Raton, Fla.

U.S. Army veteran Ed Reichbach, 93, works out at the Grey Team veterans center, Wednesday, May 17, 2023, in Boca Raton, Fla.

U.S. Air Force veteran Priscila Jimenez, 37, talks about her experiences after a workout session at the Grey Team veterans center May 17, 2023, in Boca Raton, Fla.

Veteran Steve Anton lies on a Stress Reduction bed at the Grey Team veterans center May 17, 2023, in Boca Raton, Fla.

U.S. Navy veteran Bill Tolle, 60, talks about his experiences after a workout session at the Grey Team veterans center May 17, 2023, in Boca Raton, Fla. In 1988, Tolle witnessed a plane crash at his Antarctic base that killed two people. A year later, he sustained a back injury in a helicopter crash. The back-to-back traumas left him with PTSD.

Jerry Vogler is superintendent of the McLean County Veterans Assistance Commission.

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A weekly column for veterans and their families.

A weekly column for veterans and their families.

A weekly column for veterans and their families.