As we are spending time with our friends and families this Thanksgiving, remember those in the military today and the veterans of wars gone by. The men and women in uniform are guarding our nation today so that we may be safe in these United States.
Many men and women in our military have paid the ultimate price for us. All of us who have served in our military remember the lonely times that we endured around each Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you have someone who is serving, take the time to let them know that you are thinking of them.
Last Thursday, there was a record number of men and women seeking assistance with their claims and questions about VA benefits at the Goldsby Community Center. We were able to process 155 people who requested help from staff of volunteers. We were forced to start turning veterans away by 8 a.m. Last week, we were able to help five widows apply for DIC benefits that they may be entitled to receive from the VA. When one of our veterans dies from a service-connected disability, their wife can receive this benefit in the amount of $1,200 per month if they are approved by the VA. There also is a pension benefit that is available if they meet the VA guidelines. If you believe that you might be entitled to any benefit, stop by and let one of our staff help you. We will be closed for Thanksgiving this week and will reopen Dec. 3.
We continue to receive a few more volunteers each week to help us with the many veterans and widows that are seeking assistance. I believe that the state of our economy has caused a lot of the increase in the number of people we see. Many of those who stop by have never asked for help before. Our staff continues to work hard to meet the needs of our neighbors on a weekly basis. I would like to see more of our community stopping by to see the difference we are trying to make for our veterans and their family's lives.
We are planning to help more of our needy families this year with their daily needs. Last week we were able to provide assistance to four families in their time of need. If you would like to help us with our benevolence fund, call Raymond Harden at 408-6950.
Donations also can be made on our Web site at www.veteranscorner.org or by mailing to Veterans' Corner, P.O. Box 704, Washington, OK 73093. Any donations that you make are tax deductible.
The Town of Goldsby is allowing us to add more bricks to the veterans memorial. We are going to start at the entrance and lay veterans' bricks on each side of the walkway to the memorial. This will start as soon as we find a contractor and the concrete is poured for the brick ledge. We appreciate Harold Harvell and the Goldsby town staff helping us to realize our goals in this endeavor. Harvell can be reached at 596-8755 to order a brick or you can see him at the Community Center on Thursdays mornings.
For all of your questions and assistance about veterans benefits we are at the Goldsby Community Center each Thursday with sign-in at 4:45 a.m. We usually stop signing people in by 7:30 a.m. or when we reach 120 or so. 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 be patient.
You can contact me at 550-8806 or kdgraham@windstream.net.
Semper Fi.
Dale K. Graham is service officer with VFW Post 4890.
