VFW District 8 Newsletter

CWO5 Randle M. Tolliver, USN (Ret)

Commander 

For veterans in crisis, the Veterans Crisis Line's number is "988” then press "1”.

Homebound veterans requiring assistance please contact any member. 

Veterans experiencing, or at risk of homelessness, please contact any member or the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at (877) 424-3838.

Buddy Checks! Please call or go visit elderly or homebound veterans and see how they are doing and if they need help.

At the VFW District 8 Convention held on 3 May, Officers for the 2026-2027 were elected. They are: Commander (CDR) Randle M. Tolliver (Post 6660), SrVice CDR Quincy Myrick (Post 1831), JrVice CDR Joe Misuraca (Post 2426), Quartermaster Dan Brown (Post 5331). and Trustees Bert Williams (Post 6883), Stan Duing (Post 1831), and Paul Brischle (Post 2210).

Congratulations to Post 1831 De Soto, Post 5331 Cedar Hill, and Post 6660 Reynolds County for qualifying for VFW Department of Missouri All-State Post honors. The All-State program recognizes exceptional leadership and teamwork, acknowledges accomplishments in membership growth and VFW core programs. Well done to all the post members for their hard work and the support of their Auxiliaries.

Legislative news:

We still need folks to support HJR 115 to place a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot to provide ‘Disabled Veterans Property Tax and Homestead Exemption” for 100% service-connected disabled veterans. The House voted 152-2 to pass HJR 115 and the issue is now stalled in the Senate. Please call Senator Cindy O'Laughlin (Senate President Pro Tem) at (573) 751-7985, Senator Tony Luetkemeyer (Majority Floor Leader) at (573) 751-2183, Senator Sandy Crawford (Majority Caucus Secretary) at (573) 751-8793, Senator Doug Beck (Minority Floor Leader) (573) 751-0220, your Senator, and Lieutenant Governor David Wasinger at (573) 751-4727 and tell them to schedule HJR 115 for floor vote asap and to support Missouri Veterans.

The Veterans community also supports HB 3029, "The Veterans Benefits Protection Act.” This bill will protect veterans from unaccredited "Claim Sharks” predatory business practices. It will enforce federal VA standards, prohibit charging for initial claims or pre-appeal fees, require clear disclosures and prohibit unauthorized access to veterans VA data. HB 3029 has cleared committee so please call Rep. Jonathan Patterson (Speaker of the House) at (573) 751-0907, Representative Alex Riley (Majority Floor Leader) at (573) 751-2210 and your representative and tell them to schedule HB 3029 for floor vote asap and to support this legislation for Missouri Veterans.

Concerning Claim Sharks, we are opposed to Section 42.028 of Senate Bill 974. We support the rest of the bill, but this section would effectively legitimize "Claim Sharks” business practices. Please contact your representative to voice your opposition of Section 42.028. 

Finally, we are still pushing to fully fund the Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC) with a stable funding solution. The MVC manages the seven Missouri Veterans Homes, six cemeteries, and numerous veterans’ programs.  

Local events: 

The time and place of these and local post meetings and other events are provided on each post’s Facebook site; come join us!

Every Tuesday, Post 5331 in Cedar Hill host "Veterans Coffee Talk” at 9 am at 1 Lynn Lane in Cedar Hill. If you have questions or would like more information, please call EverTrue @ (314) 446-2539, Col. (retired) Ted Hodgson @ (314) 221-2096 or Mark Newton @ (636) 222-3521.

Every Wednesday, Post 5896 is hosting an "all-you-can-eat” breakfast at 814 E Karsch Blvd, Farmington. Food service is 7 to 9:30 am and the cost is $8 and children under the age of 10 eat for free.

Every 3rd Sunday of each month, Post 6516 in High Ridge will host "Meat Shoot” at 2220 Gravois Rd, High Ridge. Rain or shine, shooting starts at noon. Ages 12 and up are welcome and they provide shells. Nothing smaller than a .678 choke tube and no scopes, optics, bull barrels. For more information call (636) 677-1772.

On May 25th at 11:00 am VFW Post 5896, American Legion Post 416 and Elks Lodge 1765 will host a public Memorial Day Ceremony and on June 5th the post and the American Legion will serve as grand marshals for the country days parade, in recognition of or 250th national anniversary.

On Sunday May25th at 2 pm, VFW Post 6660 will hold a public Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony at the World War I Memorial at the Reynolds County Court House in Centerville .

Now let us talk a bit about our history:

84 years ago, the first naval battle in which the opposing ships neither sighted nor fired directly upon one another.  The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was an aircraft carrier battle and the first major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia.  In an attempt to strengthen their defensive position in the South Pacific, the Japanese planned to invade and occupy Port Moresby (New Guinea) and Tulagi (Solomon Islands). The plan, called Operation Mo, was commanded by Admiral Shigeyoshi Inoue and involved major units of the IJN.  Naval cryptologists in Hawaii had discovered the Japanese plan through signals intelligence, and Admiral Nimitz sent two Navy carrier task forces and a US/Australian cruiser force commanded by Admiral Frank J. Fletcher to oppose the offensive. On 3-4 May, Japanese forces invaded and occupied Tulagi, but several of their supporting warships were sunk or damaged by aircraft from USS Yorktown.  This alerted the IJN that U.S. carriers were in the area and the IJN carriers advanced towards the Coral Sea to destroy the Allied naval forces. The battle began on 7 May and by the end of 9 May both sides had suffered heavy losses.  The IJN had lost a light carrier and the fleet carrier Shōkaku was heavily damaged.  USS Lexington was heavily damaged and scuttled. USS Yorktown was badly damaged but survived. Both forces disengaged and retired and without air cover, Admiral Inoue recalled the IJN Port Moresby invasion fleet.  Although a tactical victory for the Japanese in terms of ships sunk, the battle would prove to be a strategic victory for the Allies. Coral Sea was the first time a major Japanese advance was stopped. Also, due to damage and loss of aircraft, the IJN fleet carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku were not at the Battle of Midway.  The result was even odds in aircraft between the two fleets at Midway, contributing significantly to the U.S. victory. Numerous books have been written about the Battle of Coral Sea, but I recommend "The Battle of the Coral Sea: The History and Legacy of World War II's First Major Battle Between Aircraft Carriers” by Charles River Editors. 

I offer this from President Theodore Roosevelt "The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.”

Bulletin Board:

The VA one-stop telephone number is 1-800-698-2411 and press "0” for immediate assistance. The VA one stop website is VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs .

For more for information concerning VA "End of Life” benefits and services see www.va.gov/initiatives/end-of-life-benefits/

Veteran employment opportunities!  Please visit https://news.va.gov/138283/hiring-veterans-job .

The Missouri Veterans Commission (MVC) one-stop Benefits and Resource Portal is (573) 522-4061 or www.veteranbenefits.mo.gov .

To pre-certify for burial in a Missouri Veterans Cemetery, apply at https://my.mo.gov/gsp?id=vcp_preapplication .  For information on burial eligibility, visit https://mvc.dps.mo.gov/cemeteries . 

The Missouri Job Center offers no-cost employment assistance for veterans and spouses. Contact (417) 257-2630 or visit jobs.mo.gov/vets.

To order military service documents such as a DD 214/Separation Document or Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), contact the National Archives, National Personnel Records Center at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records, or call (866) 272-6272.

For more information, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/967395123712841 or visit movfw.org

 

"Here to Serve”