Norman — This nice weather brought many of our local veterans out of their homes and to the Goldsby Community on Thursday morning. Last week, we were able to help 169 of them with their claims and questions. Of that total number, 38 were seen for the first time and the rest on their second or later visit.
There were eight who were approved for that elusive 100 percent rating for their service connected disabilities. There usually are 30 or so each week who are approved for ratings of 10 to 90 percent.
Several new volunteers were here for their first day of work with our heroes. One of them is a retired nurse from Norman who wanted to give back to her community. We hope that she and the other new volunteers are able to make each Thursday special for these men and women who have given so much to this great country.
We continue to see an increase in the number of men and women who recently have been being discharged after serving several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of these new veterans are not aware of the benefits the Veterans Administration has to offer them. If you know of someone who returned from active duty and may need our help please let them know about Veterans Corner. We are here to provide assistance in dealing with the VA to all of our veterans and their spouses.
The number of widows and veterans seeking help for pension benefits is also increasing. If you meet the income guidelines and served during certain times, pension benefits could be payable to you. For questions about these or other benefits, please stop by and visit with us on Thursday mornings.
I continue to hear some of the most moving and heartfelt stories from the men and women who stop by with questions about what our staff has done to help them with their VA claims. When we see someone on a fixed income of $1,200 a month or so and we are able to help them to receive an additional $2,800 per month, their life is changed. Most of the men and women we see are not aware of these benefits that they could receive for injuries that occurred to them while in the military.
One of our volunteers, Kami Day, is putting together a book of stories our veterans are willing to share. If you would like to be part of our history, please visit with her on any Thursday.
Harold Harvell should be ready to pour the concrete footing for the next stage of the Goldsby Memorial. If the weather permits, contractors will begin work this week and we should be able to move ahead with laying the bricks on each side of the sidewalk leading up to the memorial. If you haven’t visited with Harold about your brick, please do so. His phone number is 596-8755.
Our benevolence fund has been used extensively the last few weeks in support of our veterans' needs. If you would like to help with this project, call Ray Harden at 408-6950. Donations also can be mailed to Veterans Corner, P.O. Box 704 Washington, OK 73093.
For all of your questions and assistance about veterans’ benefits, we are at the Goldsby Community Center each Thursday. Our doors open at 1:30 a.m. each Thursday morning for sign-in and we start processing veterans at 4 a.m. We will continue to register folks until we reach 150 or so. Please be there early for us to help you with your claim. We do our best to process each one in a timely manner, but be prepared to stay awhile and please be patient.
Take time to visit our Web address at www.veteranscorner.org. You can contact me at 550-8806 or kdgraham@windstream.net.
My 3-month-old grandson, Jake, is recovering in the PICU from open heart surgery he had a week ago. Your thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated.
Semper Fi.
Dale K. Graham is service officer for VFW Post 4890.
