South Valley men and women who served America in the armed
forces can take advantage of many social and financial
opportunities from organizations dedicated to helping veterans.
South Valley men and women who served America in the armed forces can take advantage of many social and financial opportunities from organizations dedicated to helping veterans.
The Veterans of Foreign War along with the VFW Ladies Auxiliary, the American Legion and the American GI Forum have local posts providing assistance to their members.
“We’re fraternal organizations,” says Wayne Cegelske, post chaplain for VFW Post 6309 in Gilroy. “We’re here to preserve and strengthen comradeship among our members. We’re here as veterans helping veterans.”
Because of the strong patriotic feelings of its members, the VFW and other veteran groups do much for the local community to foster pride in America, he says. It focuses on promoting love of country among local young people as well as providing them with educational resources such as scholarships and awards.
For example, every year the VFW in Gilroy puts on an oratory contest called “The Voice of Democracy,” in which high school students prepare speeches on the subject of America’s freedoms. Other VFW scholarships include awards to Gavilan Community College and Mt. Madonna School students as well as participants in the Miss Gavilan Hills contest.
The group also promotes an appreciation of America’s past and its hard-won freedoms by annually presenting local school children with coloring books and crayons to help them learn about U.S. history.
Respect for the American flag is another activity dear to the hearts of members of the VFW. The group provides flags for buildings such as the Wheeler Manor senior center. And it teaches people about proper flag etiquette and care as well as disposing of flags once the cloth begin to look tattered.
“We also go to a lot of the schools and donate flags to the children,” Cegelske says.
One of the most important activities for the VFW is the group’s Color Guard, dedicated to honoring deceased veterans at cemetery with a final salute when they are laid to rest. If the deceased veteran was a member of the VFW, a free headstone might be available for the resting site. And survivors might be able to receive life insurance funds.
“People don’t realize it, but survivors have a lot of benefits coming to them,” Cegelske says.
Besides serving at funerals, the Color Guard also participates in various holiday events such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Independence Day parades, the annual Garlic Festival and the Christmas Parade in downtown Gilroy.
The VFW also is active in promoting patriotism in the region by sponsoring events such as the Moving Wall Memorial – a scaled-down replica of Washington, D.C.’s, Vietnam War Memorial that travels the country.
One of the group’s current activities is to raise money for the Gilroy Veterans Flag Pole Fund that will pay for a Christmas Hill Park monument with a several flag poles. The group has raised about $70,000 but needs about $30,000 more for the monument.
“It will be ‘dedicated to all veterans. Those who have served. Those who are serving. And those who will serve,’ ” Cegelske says, describing the words inscribed on the monument’s plaque.
To help raise money for this project, brick pavers inscribed with the names of donors are being sold at $200 a piece. (Contact Cegelske at 842-4903 for an application.)
Every month, meetings are held by the various veterans groups for social and business purposes. Each veterans group puts on dinners to have fun with fellow members as well as special activity nights. A bar for members also is open most days at the Gilroy Veterans Hall.
“For the cost of membership, if you’ve gone to two of the dinners, you’ve already gotten your money back,” Cegelske says with a chuckle.
To help raise funds for scholarships, bingo games are held most Friday nights at the veteran’s meeting hall in Gilroy. This is open to the public.
Another vital service the VFW provides its members is help going through the bureaucratic maze of paperwork and forms in order to have Veterans Administration claims completed for health-care benefits.
“And if some of the individuals are so ill they can’t get around and lack transportation, we can provide transportation for them to the South San Jose (VA) clinic,” Cegelske says.
The group also sends regular newsletters to keep veterans up to date on important legislation and issues that might affect them, he says.
Other benefits from VFW membership include discounts on certain products and services such as car rental and hotel rooms. Veterans also can obtain group rates on various insurance plans including vehicle insurance, long-term care and term life insurance up to $10,000. VFW members can get consumer discounts on vision, dental and chiropractic care as well as prescriptions.
Membership also enables veterans to join the VFW Credit Union.
Locally, VFW members run in age from young people serving in Iraq to veterans who fought in World War I, Cegelske says. Although most of the members are men, the VFW also encourages women who have been in the military to join so they also can receive benefits.
“Not only the women in the military but also women who have had husbands, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters in the service,” Cegelske says. “They can join the Ladies Auxiliary. The auxiliary is a key component of the health and welfare of the VFW. They support us in everything we do.”
